Director of Development

TennGreen Land Conservancy

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Job Summary

Founded in 1998, TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the oldest accredited, statewide land conservancy in Tennessee. TennGreen serves all Tennesseans, and through collaboration with members, private landowners, local municipalities, and state and federal agencies, the organization works to create parks, establish wildlife corridors, expand existing protected public lands, and enhance public recreation opportunities. TennGreen is a proud recipient of the Nashville Business Journal’s 2021 Best Places to Work.

Over the past decade, TennGreen has undergone significant cultural shifts, including growth in full-time staff, leadership changes, a rebrand, and the purchase of a large, historic office building on Nashville’s famous Music Row. An unexpected bequest enabled TennGreen’s leadership to undertake a major Strategic Planning initiative to focus and guide the operations of the organization, including the refinement of our brand and name, and the development of a Strategic Land Conservation Plan to guide our conservation efforts to maximize the effectiveness of our conservation work. These cultural shifts—including the focus on refining administrative processes, board development, and organizational excellence—have led to strengthened partnerships within our sector and increased name recognition statewide, and have resulted in increased land conservation opportunities.

TennGreen is seeking a Director of Development to strategically capitalize on recent successes and continue our record-breaking growth, ultimately expanding a successful program to build upon the financial resources necessary to further our urgent mission. We are looking for a Strategist to join our successful team. The Director is responsible for providing leadership for TennGreen in planning and implementing strategies to maximize support from all of its constituencies for institutional priorities.

Job Responsibilities

Specific duties include:

• deeply understand and compellingly communicate the organization’s financial needs and goals to diverse audiences;
• train and engage board, staff, and volunteers in fundraising;
• execute, measure, and seek to improve all current fundraising programs (events, appeals, membership programs, etc.);
• expand all facets of the donor base by creating development initiatives that further the organization’s mission and brand through the agency’s relationship network;
• generate excitement and energy around the organization’s mission and activities, encouraging others to provide financial support;
• create and implement annual and long-range fundraising plans;
• develop grants and corporate proposal packages;
• manage the Development team and department budget;
• create strategic mailings and mailing lists for invitations, solicitations, stewardship, and other outreach initiatives;
• prepare reports and present at Staff and Board of Directors meetings and occasional retreats;
• provide counsel and guidance on the organization’s communications and marketing from a donor perspective;
• attend Conservation Committee and Finance & Investment Committee meetings;
• ensure fiduciary responsibility, compliance, sound financial management and financial accountability for contributions, income, and all other assets; ensure that the Development Database is accurate and up-to-date;
• ongoing cultivation of potential and current members, donors, and friends.

Qualifications

A successful candidate will have:

• a passion for Tennessee’s rich outdoors;
• a proven track record of development work, with a minimum of five years and progressively responsible leadership; experience in an environmental non-profit is a plus;

• experience working with volunteers, volunteer leadership, and program staff;
• a high level of integrity with a proven ability to establish trust-based relationships regarding ongoing, mutually beneficial partnerships;
• able to work autonomously while achieving high impact results;
• capacity to communicate effectively to the press, board, committees, staff, volunteers, and the public in a concise, focused, and convincing manner;
• propensity to work with a high degree of initiative and from a positive perspective while maintaining flexibility and attention to detail;
• an ability to work effectively as part of a team and an interest in building a strong organizational culture;
• propensity to improve organizational structures, including increasing efficiencies around systems, procedures, and protocols;
• a desire to find the “sweet spot” between personalization and efficiency, especially as programs begin to scale up;
• experience in motivating staff, board members, and volunteers;
• experience with Development/CRM databases; Raiser’s Edge (NXT & Database view) a plus

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• A minimum of five years of experience in development at a non-profit organization
• Experience managing major gift officers / development officers
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to prioritize tasks, utilize good judgment and decision-making skills
• Ability to work effectively under frequent deadlines
• Handle multiple projects and tasks with minimal supervision
• Ability to travel throughout Tennessee, including overnight and weekend work
• A valid driver’s license

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume by August 1, 2022 to jobs@tenngreen.org.

Details

• Date Posted: June 28, 2022
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Executive Leadership
• Service Area: Environment
• Start Date: 10/03/2022
• Salary Range: 65000-70000
• Working Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm