Senior Manager of Individual Giving

About the Open Space Institute  

The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a national leader in land conservation and efforts to make parks and other protected land more welcoming for all. Since 1974, OSI has partnered in the protection of more than 2.5 million at-risk and environmentally sensitive acres in the eastern U.S. and Canada. OSI’s land protection promotes clean air and water, improves access to recreation, provides wildlife habitat, strengthens communities, and combats climate change, while curbing its devastating effects. OSI has an operating budget of $66 million, of which $36 million is derived through philanthropy, and is engaged in several multi-year campaigns and initiatives to support its mission.   

The Open Space Institute is deeply committed to equity in our field and our organization. We are working to address systemic inequities that exclude people from the many benefits that land provides. And we’re building a team and culture within OSI that reflects the true diversity of the communities we aim to serve.  

Position Summary  

Due to the organization's rapid growth in both programmatic and geographic areas, OSI is seeking an experienced and driven development professional to help expand and strengthen our individual giving program. Reporting to the Senior Director of Individual Giving, the newly created Senior Manager, Individual Giving will be responsible for the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of prospects to further develop the individual donor portfolio. The Senior Manager will support the Senior Director in implementing effective moves management and database best practices to sustain increasing donor engagement and giving, primarily at mid and general levels, across the Eastern United States. This position also involves frontline fundraising and requires experience building an individual or major giving portfolio in partnership with development leadership and program staff.   

• Position Title: Senior Manager, Individual Giving (Full-time Position)  
• Reports To: Senior Director, Individual Giving   
• Department: External Affairs – Development   
• Location: OSI’s New York City or Beacon, NY office  
• Work Arrangement: Hybrid: in office 4 days per week with flexibility to work from home one day, and in accordance with business needs  
• Salary Range: $93,000 - $103,000  
• FLSA Status: Exempt  

Primary Roles & Responsibilities  

• Implement annual development plans in partnership with the Senior Director of Individual Giving with the goal of increasing individual donor support to OSI from mid and general-level donors.   
• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Individual Giving, Director of Development Operations and Events, and Development Associates to identify and cultivate individual donors with the potential to become major supporters over time.   
• With the support of Development Associates, create and oversee execution of year-round engagement and stewardship strategy for general level donor portfolio.   
• Effectively convey OSI’s mission and programs and support the creation of written proposals, brochures, reports, letters, and other correspondence.   
• Implement moves management practices to build a portfolio of individual donors and prospects, securing annual and multi-year commitments:   
• • Successfully identify, qualify, and cultivate existing and new donors for both unrestricted and project-specific support.   
  • Partner with others on the Development team to identify and cultivate new supporters for OSI.   
• Actively engage in prospect research to identify and develop a larger pool of prospective donors; qualify and cultivate new prospects with the potential to become major donors.   
• Support the Senior Director of Individual Giving in preparing the SVP of Philanthropy, executive leadership, and program colleagues for cultivation visits, briefings, and solicitations of high-level donors and prospects.   
• Ensure the integrity of donor records in the database to allow for accurate and effective reporting on fundraising activity and revenue projections.   
• Act as an OSI representative and spokesperson and effectively network in various venues and in front of a wide range of audiences.   

Major Objectives within the first 12 months  

• Partner with the Senior Director of Individual Giving in creating and implementing a comprehensive appeal schedule and collaborating with the External Affairs team on a general messaging and stewardship calendar.    
• Begin to identify and qualify new donors with an affinity for the mission and work of OSI to continue building out the individual giving portfolio.   
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of mid-level individual donors with the goal of increasing their giving over time.   
• Partner with the Senior Director of Individual Giving to implement effective moves management practices to support increased cultivation of major donors to the organization.   
• Build familiarity with OSI programs and initiatives to be able to effectively convey the work to donors.   

Skills/Core Competencies  

• Flexibility and an eagerness to listen, learn, be adaptable, and build healthy relationships with cross-functional teams.   
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills; ability to interact and relate well with donors and colleagues.   
• Tenacious, creative, and entrepreneurial with the ability to quickly synthesize complex information.   
• Commitment to ethical fundraising and handling confidential information with integrity and sensitivity.   
• Self-motivated with strong work ethic and ability to work with minimal guidance within the context of a team environment and a network of relationships.   
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, high level of creativity and initiative, results-oriented, and ability to handle deadlines and shifting priorities with good judgement.   
• Excellent computer skills (MS Office programs) and experience with donor databases (Raiser’s Edge a plus).   
• Capacity to develop new and creative approaches to identify, qualify, and cultivate prospective donors with the goal of growing their giving over time.   

Experience  

• A minimum of five years of professional fundraising experience, with a focus on individual giving and moves management; a commitment to best fundraising practices.  
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience relevant to this role. 
• Prior experience soliciting individual gifts and implementing moves management to support increased giving from those donors, preferred.   
• Experience writing a range of donor communications, including email appeal campaigns, solicitation and stewardship letters, and gift proposals.   
• Experience managing a portfolio of individual donors and/or supporting the cultivation and stewardship of an individual giving portfolio.   
• Track record of identifying, qualifying, and cultivating general and mid-level individual donors with the goal of building or expanding an individual giving portfolio.      
• Familiarity and experience with donor prospect management methods and software; experience in managing and tracking multiple prospects and donors.    
• Enthusiastic passion for OSI’s mission, vision, and values; knowledge of conservation issues or experience fundraising in support of environmental issues is an advantage.     

Location & Physical Requirements   

• The position can be based in OSI’s New York City or Beacon, NY offices.   
• The position will require travel or out-of-office work directly with donors as needed (around 40%) primarily in the Hudson Valley, NY-metro area, with occasional travel within the northeastern and southeastern United States.  
• Hybrid work arrangement with up to four days in-office expected weekly, when not on donor visits.  
• Some evening and weekend hours may be required occasionally for donor events.    
• Frequently sits for long periods of time.   
• Frequently speaks, reads, writes and uses a computer keyboard.   
• May require occasional standing, walking, lifting, stooping, and bending.   
• This position requires a valid driver's license and may include a review of the prospective employee's motor vehicle record.   

This job description is not intended to represent a complete, comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities that may be required in this position. There may be unplanned activities and other duties as assigned.  

Please note: If you do not wholly meet the above qualifications but believe you are otherwise well-suited to meet the needs of this position, we encourage you to apply.   

Compensation

OSI is committed to providing a competitive compensation package. The starting salary for this role ranges from $93,000 to $103,000 commensurate with candidate skill level and experience. The recruiting team is committed to sharing details regarding compensation based on the candidate's qualifications during the interview process. OSI offers a generous benefits package including comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, life and disability insurances, retirement plan, professional development assistance, commuter benefits, and other resources designed to support the passion, commitment and energy that is vital to our team members.   

Application  

Apply at https://www.openspaceinstitute.org/careers   

Attach a cover letter that includes where you learned of the job posting along with your resume and a writing sample that highlights your donor communication skills (please remove any personally identifying information). Applications without a cover letter and writing sample are not likely to be considered. This job requires working onsite at either our midtown Manhattan office or Beacon, NY office up to 4 days per week.   

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through November 1, 2024. You will receive an acknowledgement once your application has been submitted.   

OSI is an equal opportunity employer and is actively recruiting a diverse workforce. Land conservation benefits all people.  Our mission is best advanced by the contributions and leadership of people across varying identities, including racial, gender, spiritual, and cultural. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment that fosters belonging and we look for future team members who share that same value. We encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.    

We do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, height, weight, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  We will consider qualified applicants with arrest/conviction records for employment.