About Sustainable Conservation
Sustainable Conservation helps California thrive by uniting people to solve the toughest challenges facing our land, air, and water. Every day, we bring together business, landowners, and government to steward the resources on which we all depend in ways that make economic sense. Because we know that common ground is California’s most important resource. To learn more about the work of the organization, please visit us at www.suscon.org.
Position Summary
The successful candidate will assume leadership and continuity of a well-established institutional giving program, with a robust portfolio of institutional donors, focused programmatic metrics, and a strong organizational track record. The Institutional Gifts Manager will join a collaborative, successful development team supporting a dynamic organization growing in size and impact. A grant writer supports the Institutional Gifts Manager with shared responsibility for writing proposals and reports, prospect research, and management of the grants timeline.
The Institutional Gifts Manager will develop and implement strategies to cultivate long-term, comprehensive relationships with all institutional grant-making organizations, successfully securing revenue from a growing portfolio of corporate and foundation funders to ensure a reliable and diverse revenue stream for Sustainable Conservation. Initiating contact with prospective funders and corporate partners and maintaining appropriate cultivation and stewardship of prospects and funders are essential roles of the Institutional Gifts Manager. The position reports to the Director of Development and collaborates with the Executive Director, program staff, and Board members on specific proposals. This is a full-time, exempt position based in the San Francisco office.
Specific Responsibilities to Include:
Partner with Director of Development and Executive Director to establish fundraising goals and design, implement, and communicate a detailed development plan related to corporate and foundation supporters
Responsible for the identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of foundations, corporations and other philanthropic institutions and organizations that currently support or could support Sustainable Conservation
Apply an entrepreneurial approach to identifying new sources of support
Drive the institutional gift solicitation process, involving program staff and board members as appropriate
Research, write, and submit foundation and corporate grant proposals and reports
Supervise and mentor newly-hired grant writer who will assist with proposal and report writing, tracking and meeting deadlines, and maintaining donor records
Participate in funder/prospect cultivation meetings and field trips as needed
Prepare background materials and brief staff and Board members for meetings with institutional funders
Assist Director of Development in forecasting revenue and managing budget related to institutional giving
Collaborate with Development and Marketing/Communications teams in meeting overall development goals
Promote understanding of Sustainable Conservation’s mission and programs
Candidate Qualifications:
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in foundation relations, corporate giving, and/or donor relations in the non-profit sector
Successful track record in securing major corporate and foundation funding
Experience working with corporations and foundations in California
Knowledge of development and fundraising concepts and appropriate solicitation techniques, including strong selling and closing skills
Superior professional writing skills. Several writing samples of proposals, reports, and letters of inquiry demonstrating the ability to create a compelling case for support and tailor it to targeted audiences will be required.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with program staff, Board members, and other partners
Demonstrated project management skills and ability to meet deadlines
Ability to maintain relationships with influential donors and diverse groups, interacting with diplomacy, tact, and a high level of confidentiality
Ability to work as part of a team
Positive, cheerful, and professional demeanor, especially under high-stress situations
Interest in and commitment to the mission and goals of Sustainable Conservation
Experience working with non-profit boards
Knowledge of the conservation field preferred
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, prospect research tools, and ability to use donor database (DonorPerfect, preferred)
Education: Bachelor’s degree required.
How to apply
To Apply: Please send resume and cover letter, in a single PDF file, describing how your prior experience will set you up for success in this position. Please also include salary of last position as well as salary desired. Please email PDF to jobs@suscon.org, with “Institutional Gifts Manager” in subject line.
No phone calls please. We will contact you if we need more information or wish to set up an interview.
Sustainable Conservation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.