| 

NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION
Senior Director for Campaign and Major Gifts

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) seeks to recruit a Senior Director for Campaigns and Major Gifts, who will be based in their Washington, DC national headquarters.

About NPCA

Since 1919, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the key voice of the American people in the fight to safeguard the scenic beauty, wildlife, and historic and cultural resources of the largest and most diverse park system in the world. Formed three years after the National Park Service was established, NPCA was created to be a vital, privately funded advocate for America’s national parks. NPCA today is recognized for the breath and depth of resources it brings to bear in addressing issues facing the National Park system.

NPCA will be the catalyst, leader, and advocate of a national movement to protect the national parks and improve the visitor experiences in them. By the centennial of the National Park System in 2016, NPCA will see a nation unified in its commitment to preserve and honor its natural, historic, and diverse cultural heritage through a superlative National Park System.

The mission of NPCA is to protect and enhance America’s National Park System for present and future generations and NPCA pursues its mission in the following manner:

• Conducting Research: NPCA is committed to designing new methods to preserve wildlife, artifacts, air and water quality and scenic beauty contained within the 84 million acre National Park system.

• Education: NPCA educates and inspires the American public to value the cultural and natural heritage of the national parks and to take an active role in defending these important resources for future generations.

• Advocacy: NPCA develops and promotes legislation and management proposals and policies to enhance the park system and individual parks. It also promotes appropriate expansion of the National Park System, while working to block those bills and proposals that would undermine the integrity of the parks.

• Park Funding and Management: NPCA advocates for increased public funding for the National Park system and provides significant management and leadership support directly to the National Park Service.

The following core values embolden NPCA to achieve excellence; to unite one another, their members, volunteers and partners; and fuel their commitment to become the catalyst and leader of a national parks movement that fulfills their shared mission to protect and enhance America’s national parks.

• Commitment to Mission: NPCA believes that its personal passion for and professional commitment to the national parks is essential to its success.

• Empowerment: NPCA believes that staff, members, volunteers and partners must be provided with the facts, tools, skills, and inspiration to advocate on behalf of the national parks.

• Teamwork: NPCA believes that effective teamwork, built on a fundamental trust in and respect for each other, is integral to its success and includes sincerely listening to each other, appreciating different opinions, sharing information and responsibility, and integrating its work across departments.

• Accountability: NPCA believes in the importance of holding itself accountable to the staff, the members, and the public, as well as to the excellence, timeliness, and integrity of its work, and the implementation of these core values.

• Innovation: NPCA believes that it takes insightful creativity, perseverance, and strategic risk-taking to successfully complete its programs, processes, administration, and outreach.

• Diversity: NPCA believes in and celebrates the diversity of cultural backgrounds, community traditions, and political perspectives at NPCA and in the National Park System, and believe that by integrating such diversity into its work, its mission will be accomplished most effectively.

NPCA has a membership of more than 325,000 individuals, and an operating budget of approximately $36 million. It has a staff of more than 150 professionals. NPCA’s national office is located in Washington, D.C., and it has 23 regional and field offices. NPCA is governed by a 26 member Board of Directors. For more information on NPCA’s programs and organization visit their website at www.npca.org.

Senior Director for Campaigns and Major Gifts

The Senior Director for Campaigns and Major Gifts should be an experienced fundraiser with a proven track record in managing successful capital campaigns and in major donor cultivation and solicitation.

The Senior Director will oversee NPCA’s major donor program and the successful completion of the “Renewing Our Promise” capital campaign. This person will lead and work alongside team of six Director-level positions to maximize dollars raised, build stronger pipeline, and complete campaign. This person must be able to direct, motivate and develop a professional staff that is geographically distributed throughout the country. Moreover, the Senior Director will create and execute a plan extending beyond end of the campaign to ensure continued philanthropic growth from individuals. Moreover, the Senior Director will work closely with NPCA leadership, including Board leadership, to build and facilitate philanthropic activities that support NPCA’s conservation and policy objectives. In this capacity, the Senior Director must have considerable experience in cultivating and developing a volunteer Board of Trustees and work with other leaders who contribute significant resources and support to the organization.

In the coming year the Senior Director will be challenged to meet the following goals and strategic objectives:

• Create and execute a comprehensive written plan to guide major gift fundraising that fulfills “Renewing Our Promise” campaign and NPCA’s Strategic Plan. Evaluate and report on overall major gifts program including moves management and strength of pipeline; ensure gift plans in fundraising database are complete, strategic, and being met.

• As supervisor, serve as resource and advocate for team of five gift officers and a DC-based campaign director. Gift officers are located in New York, Washington, Hollywood (FL), Seattle, and San Francisco. Each gift officer is responsible for a portfolio of 100-125 prospects each capable of giving at least $5,000 annually. Travel to NPCA regions to work directly with Regional Directors of Development, Regional Directors, regional volunteers, others to support geographic-area fundraising teams. Prepare major gifts goals, annual budget, annual projections, multi-year projections. Monitor expense budget. Advocate for resources to equip team to meet its goals.

• Cultivate, solicit, and steward portfolio of approximately 15 key prospects. Recommend prospect assignments to ensure most strategic match ups and balanced portfolios among gift officers. Recommend geographic coverage of fundraising resources. Facilitate Regional Development Directors’ access to and relationships with key prospects managed by this position.

  • Coordinate leadership gifts pipeline ensuring strong completion of that campaign phase. Help staff Campaign Executive Committee of Board. Prepare materials on overall major gifts program for Board meetings (fundraising results, narrative, Board benchmarks). Present to Board as requested. Help coordinate fundraising time of President and Executive staff, ensuring processes for strategy discussions and briefing materials are timely and thorough.

  • Serve on Development Management Team, help lead Department and create synergies between development areas and other departments. Partner with Donor Relations and Development Operations to ensure effective systems and processes for all stages of the donor lifecycle.

Professional Experience and Personal Attributes

The Senior Director should ideally possess the following professional experience and personal attributes:

Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and minimum ten years development experience including major gifts success at six-figure gift level or above. Campaign experience desirable.

• Minimum five years management experience including, preferably, supervision of mid-level or higher positions including team leadership.

• Demonstrated experience working directly with governance volunteers and executive staff on developing philanthropic relationships.

• Intellectual agility and demonstrated ability to think strategically.

• Demonstrated success as a motivating manager who has considerable experience attracting, developing and retaining a decentralized professional staff.

• Proven managerial talent in budgeting, staffing, and all aspects of performance management.

• Possess a pleasure and a genuine interest in a collegial and team based work environment.

• Develop staff to function effectively with a high degree of versatility and independence.

• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, internet, and fundraising database software.

Personal Attributes

• Unquestioned personal integrity.

• A deep commitment to the mission and values of NPCA.

• Demands excellence in self and others.

• Strong communication skills, which are capable of reaching across organizational hierarchies, structures and geographical distances.

• A solid business sense coupled with budgeting expertise and a propensity towards strategic thinking and planning. Ability to combine the “art” and “science” of fundraising seamlessly.

• Ability to mentor individuals within the organization.

• Articulate, with proven ability to write effectively and speak persuasively.

• An ability to listen to others and learn from their best ideas - a sense of inquisitiveness and intellectual curiosity.

• Personable, trustworthy, diplomatic, and poised.

• Ability to organize and present thoughts coherently and confidently in front of groups of all sizes.

• Possessing a keen sense of humor.

Compensation

The National Parks Conservation Association offers a salary that is competitive with other national, not-for-profit conservation/environmental organizations and will be commensurate with experience. NPCA offers an excellent employee benefits package.

Interested candidates should send their resume to: Daniel Sherman, President, Explore Company at resumes@explorecompany.com. Please reference NPCA in subject line.

Daniel Sherman
President
Explore Company

National Parks Conservation Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Download This Job Posting

Web site by Marc Nathan and Simply Computers Plus