Development Director

Northeast Wilderness Trust’s (NEWT) mission is to conserve forever-wild landscapes for Nature and people. We safeguard over 82,000 wild acres across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. NEWT is the only regional land trust focused exclusively on rewilding through forever-wild conservation. We believe in the immense value of wilderness, both for its intrinsic value and for its unique role to reverse the biodiversity crisis, mitigate climate change, and provide solace to the human spirit. 

Duties of the Development Director:

The Development Director is responsible for managing the development program activities and staff at a time of great growth at the organization. NEWT is currently nearing the end of the quiet phase of a successful $18M Campaign for a Wild Future, which will significantly expand NEWT’s ability to protect land, rewild land, and champion wilderness. The Development Director, a new position aimed a fueling NEWT’s organizational growth, will be a pivotal member of the Advancement Team (includes Communications and Development Teams) and will work closely with the VP of Advancement to build NEWT’s fundraising capacity and resource our 2030 vision. You will be responsible for leading fundraising for our three major needs: funding operations, conserving land, and endowing our perpetual obligation to steward the lands in our care. You will mentor and inspire a philanthropy team of three that integrates fundraising into a year-long organization-wide calendar of fundraising appeals and events all building upon our strong culture of philanthropy. Position is based in Montpelier, VT with an office/work-from-home hybrid system. 

What You Will Do:

Individual Donor Engagement

• Build strong relationships with donors and prospects resulting in philanthropic support, with an emphasis on growing the annual giving program in your first year.
• Cultivate a portfolio of major donors and coordinate strategy with senior leadership team on all major and principal donors.
• Develop and implement an annual calendar of thoughtful donor engagement in coordination with organization-wide priorities.
• Work with the philanthropy team to set annual targets and strategies for growing donor programs including planned giving and monthly giving.

Planned Giving

• Research and deploy strategies to increase membership in the planned giving program, “Ancient Forest Society.”
• Ensure bespoke engagement and stewardship for Ancient Forest Society members.
• Build on NEWT’s culture of philanthropy, by working with senior leadership to engage volunteer leadership in planned giving.

Foundation & Corporate Engagement

• Grow and maintain portfolio of foundation partnerships with senior leadership team and cultivate new strategic foundation relationships.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with philanthropic advisors, community foundation executives, and managers of Donor Advised Funds.
• Grow corporate support by relaunching Business Alliance program.
• Support Grants Manager in grant writing efforts across all programs.

Land Protection & Capital Campaign Fundraising

• Work closely with the VP of Advancement and across the organization to:
  • Develop and execute fundraising strategies for all land projection projects.
  • Close out the Campaign for a Wild Future and set the stage for the next campaign.

Strategy, Program Management and Planning

• Create and implement annual operating fund and land protection-based fundraising plans to ensure fundraising expectations are met or exceeded.
• Ensure that messages of philanthropy are woven throughout all aspects of the organization and interactions with every constituent, and that staff are trained and supported in conveying these.
• Develop and monitor the analytic and reporting tools necessary to maintain an informative prospect pipeline that relates directly to the goals and targets.
• Manage and further develop all fundraising processes and tools including CRM, wealth screening, and grant tracking, etc.
• Support the VP of Advancement’s work with the Development Committee of the Board of Directors to achieve annual fundraising and 5-year targets by coordinating board fundraising activities with the Committee Chair and maximizing the Board’s philanthropic impact.
• Generate quarterly philanthropy reports and track metrics on all development and fundraising activities.
• Participate in bi-weekly Directors’ meetings that aim to coordinate work across teams.
• Participate in building, strengthening, and monitoring the impact of NEWT’s work.

Lead the Development Team

• Provide leadership and direction that inspires a growing Development Team.
• Train, supervise, and mentor the Grants Manager and Donor Impact Coordinator.
• Conduct Annual Reviews and monitor Annual Work Plans.
• Lead Development Team meetings.

Miscellaneous

• Able to travel across the region, and confident meeting with donors.
• Able to represent NEWT at relevant conferences and events.
• Other responsibilities as needed.

What You Will Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• At least five to seven years of fundraising experience, preferably in the conservation sector, including major gifts, annual fund management, foundations, and donor cultivation.
• A passionate commitment to wilderness and biodiversity conservation.
• A desire to help build a durable environmental institution in this region.
• An understanding of wilderness conservation in the context of the Northeast US.
• A sense of urgency to further the mission of Northeast Wilderness Trust.
• Experience with planning and impeccable attention to detail and follow up.
• Experience with CRM and fundraising software such as DonorSnap and Grantseeker.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, especially on topics related to conservation and wilderness.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively with a variety of staff, donors, and external partners.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and team-oriented work office environment.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Willingness to travel and carry a valid driver’s license.
• Creativity and attention to detail/ability to write and edit content.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Willingness to work outside of your job description and work collaboratively with the team on changing priorities and a variety of projects simultaneously.
• Adaptability and openness to evolving job description as the organization grows.

To view the full job announcement, including salary and benefit details, and directions on how to apply, please visit our website.