New York Director of Development, National Audubon Society

Organization: National Audubon Society

Position Title: Director of Development, New York State

Application Deadline: Position open until filled

Description: Audubon New York (A-NY) is a highly regarded state conservation organization with 30 plus staff, seven sanctuaries and Audubon centers, and a $2.8 million contributed income budget. As a state program of the National Audubon Society (NAS), A-NY serves more than 50,000 members and has chapters in 27 communities. A-NY’s science, conservation, policy, and education experts focus on five core conservation strategies to protect birds and their habitats throughout New York.

A-NY is supported by a diverse portfolio of individual, foundation, and corporate donors, annual gifts, and government grants as well as earned revenue from Center and education programs. A-NY is led by an engaged and giving 25 person state Board of Directors, and its seasoned senior staff team members are leaders in their fields of expertise and share the responsibility of development work. We believe where birds thrive, people thrive, and we are working to inspire a movement of bird conservation.

The Director of Development is responsible for developing and implementing sustainable revenue plans and draws support from the A-NY team, A-NY Board, and NAS development staff in order to effectively manage donor relations and solicit contributions to support annual budgets, projects, and campaigns.  S/he will oversee the development team and coordinate and coach various program staff and Board members engaged in fundraising plans. The Director will manage a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects. Additionally, as a member of the A-NY leadership team, the Director of Development will be instrumental in planning and building state and program budgets and matching donors and prospective donors to those budgets. S/he will also manage and/or coordinate the efforts of staff, contractors and volunteer leaders to coalesce strategies and plans to generate abundant and additional financial support for A-NY’s ambitious conservation agenda.

Responsibilities:

Donor Relations:

• With executive and program directors, develop relationship strategies for annual budget.
• Plan and lead donor relationship, cultivation, and solicitation efforts.
• Build and manage a personal portfolio of 100 major donors.

• Establish sound donor stewardship programs, and for each donor.

• Manage prospect pipeline and efforts to identify and engage new donors.
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit donors and prospects with planned giving capacity.
• Manage “development teams” (development staff, program staff, Board committees). Work with other Audubon state programs and national staff on donor strategies under the One Audubon approach to members and donors.
• Manage research to support donor relations and prospecting and proposals.
• Work with program staff and volunteer leadership to plan, schedule, and carry out donor cultivation and fundraising events.
• Work with program and communications staff to organize annual fund and online appeals.

• Serve as staff liaison to the A-NY Board Development Committee, including developing agendas, content, and action items from quarterly meetings, in collaboration with the Development Committee Chair.
• Identify for the Executive Director’s consideration potential new Board members.

Management and Planning

• Plan, construct, manage, track, and report progress for annual and three-year contributed income work plans to support annual budgets.

• Using best donor cultivation and fundraising practices, articulate development strategies that will offer sustainable, long-term growth in contributed income. Provide a reliable template for transparent reporting to Executive Director and A-NY Board of Directors that leverages (if not improves upon) existing systems.

• Strategize, plan and implement periodic campaigns for growth, projects, and endowments.
• Organize and manage planned giving strategies.
• Manage the work of development staff and contractors that support donor relations, annual giving, and achieving contributed income budget and program fundraising.
• Coordinate and coach program leaders to carry out their responsibilities for donor relations, proposals, events, and fundraising to achieve contributed income budget.
• Work with NAS and other A-NY office staff on Audubon’s strategic priorities.
• Supervise and manage the Development Associate responsible for special events.
• Supervise and manage the Assistant Director of Development for Institutional Giving responsible for fundraising through the competitive grant process.

Marketing and Communications

• Work with program and communications staff to organize statewide marketing and communications outreach and events to support development goals.
• Create and produce case statements, proposals, and collateral materials.
• Co-supervise Development and Communications Associate.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, public relations, marketing or related field, as well as 5-7 years of senior-level fundraising with increasing responsibility and results is required.
• Demonstrated track record of securing $1,500,000 or more in operating or campaign funds through a variety of sources, including major donors, foundations, corporations, and endowments is required.
• Excellent leadership and management skills, experience coordinating and motivating teams of three or more, and experience working collaboratively with peers and as part of a management team is required.  Experience working in a decentralized organization is a strong plus.
• Sales-oriented entrepreneurship, with the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment and with a wide variety of stakeholder groups. Experience with marketing concepts and activities strongly desired.
• Excellent writing skills backed by proposal and case statement examples.
• Superb verbal and presentation skills; must also have strong planning, organization, time management, and multi-tasking skills.
• A can-do attitude and a tolerant, friendly personality with a sense of humor are essential. High standards for integrity and quality of work.
• A flexible approach to work, with the willingness to travel frequently and work some weekends and evenings when necessary.
• Proficiency with MS Office, as well as strong expertise in donor database management systems essential; experience with Millennium a plus but not a requirement.
• Interest, understanding, and commitment to the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and their habitat is critical, as is the ability to communicate Audubon’s mission, goals, and programs effectively and with the highest professional standards.

How to Apply: Please direct all inquiries to: Elyse Barbell, Managing Director, Stephen-Bradford Search; [email protected]