The Global Director of Development, Oceans is responsible for leading all aspects of the Global Oceans development program to secure significant financial resources in support of its goals. The Director has an opportunity to grow the donor base for Global Oceans and works within an excellent fundraising team/infrastructure. The Director is externally and internally focused, being responsible for both growing our current donor prospect pipeline and managing a portfolio of prospective donors, and for socializing the Global Oceans initiatives to VIP audiences internal to the Conservancy and partnering with fundraisers through the organization to support their work with donors that support and/or are interested in Global Oceans. The estimated fundraising goal is $8 Million and $10-12 Million in years two and three. They are a member of the Global Development Team and has a dotted line to the Global Oceans Leadership Team. The Director reports directly to the Director of Global Development and works very closely with the Global Oceans Director, as well as the Global Oceans leadership team.
Specifically, the Director will:
- Design, build and execute the private philanthropic fundraising plan for the Conservancy’s Global Oceans program.
- Both personally raise and support fundraisers throughout the organization in raising a target of $8 Million in gifts and pledges annually for the broad Global Oceans priorities of TNC.
- Motivate the efforts of a multi-disciplinary team of staff and volunteers in activities related to donor identification, cultivation and solicitation, participating in some cases as the direct relationship manager and in other cases as an active team member to fundraisers across TNC.
- Coordinate with fundraisers, the donor communications team and program staff to develop specific proposals for Global Oceans funding, and also take the lead on proposal development for those donors and prospects in this position’s donor portfolio.
- Grow the donor prospect pipeline for Global Oceans. The pipeline goal in the first year will be to qualify/disqualify 15 new individuals and foundations that are capable of making 6-7 figure philanthropic gifts to TNC Global Oceans.
- Ensure responsiveness to donors/prospective donors and to fundraisers throughout TNC related to engaging them in TNC Global Oceans.
- Ensure the fundraising goals for Global Oceans and the progress against those goals are clearly tracked and monitored.
- Lead the feasibility analysis related to the health of the donor pipeline and adjust the fundraising plan accordingly.
- Establish and monitor activity level benchmarks and measures of success pertaining to pipeline growth, donor engagement, # of solicitations, dollars raised annually.
- Liaise with the principal gifts fundraising team and network, the global development team, as well as other key relationship managers and senior conservation staff to build the best and most robust donor strategies and solicitations – ensuring we represent and communicate the synergies between all of the global priority areas to our donors.
- Partner with senior leadership to lever their contacts, relationships and talents related to donor and investor pipeline development and donor and investor engagement and stewardship.
- Work closely with and manage relations with key stakeholders including senior management, internal teams, donors, investors and volunteers to achieve program goals.
- Help socialize our Global Oceans programs and priorities to fundraisers and key leaders throughout the organization. This can include working with the donor communications team to develop material for internal information sharing and external donor pieces.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
- Decisions may have program-wide impact, affect staff in non-program areas, and bind the organization financially or legally.
- Design and lead collaborative, complex, and diversified projects, coordinating the work of other professionals, managing budget, and ensuring accountability.
- Direct or participate in negotiations for complex, high profile or sensitive agreements.
- Ensure compliance with TNC policies and procedures and external (donor/legal/IRS) requirements; be alert to ethical compliance issues.
- Financial responsibility for setting and meeting fundraising objectives, evaluating results, and developing corrective strategies.
- Maintain confidentiality of frequently sensitive and emotionally charged information.
- Maximum opportunity to act independently, resolves complex issues within program area.
- May supervise support or administrative staff.
- Persuasively convey the mission of TNC to diverse groups important to the organization’s overall prosperity.
- Travel frequently (approximately 30% of time) and on short notice, work long and weekends as needed.
- Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain.
- Experience building and maintaining long-term relationships with constituents such as major donors and corporations.
- Experience building and successfully executing fundraising plans for a program or an organization.
- Experience in asking for and closing major or planned gifts of $100,000 or more.
- Experience in managing and tracking multiple prospects and donors.
- Experience working with fundraising principles and practices.
- Experience, coursework or other training in current and evolving trends in charitable giving, particularly in the areas of capital campaigns, major gifts and planned giving.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
- Ability to design and direct fundraising initiatives, including individualized cultivation, solicitation and recognition strategies.
- Ability to determine an individual’s interests, capacity and potential for helping the Conservancy meet its goals, and act appropriately to tie those interests with the Conservancy’s work.
- Ability to educate and inform both internal staff and prospective and existing donors about appropriate giving vehicles.
- Demonstrated experience using listening, diplomacy, and tact to build strong relationships and motivate colleagues, donors and volunteers.
- Experience in prioritizing work for several executives.
- Experience with grant writing for requests from major private foundations.
- Experience working in a large, complex, not-for-profit environment.
- Passion for raising money and for identifying new prospective donors (individuals and foundations)
- Proven ability to negotiate complex, high profile or sensitive agreements.
The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, 401k or savings-plan matching for eligible employees, excellent benefits, flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.