Senior Director of Philanthropy (Hybrid – Bozeman, MT)

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with American Prairie
in the search for a Senior Director of Philanthropy.

Reporting to the Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, the
Senior Director of Philanthropy will direct and manage American
Prairie’s Forever Wild comprehensive campaign, a
nine-figure, multi-year fundraising effort continuing through 2027.
Reporting to the Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, the
Senior Director of Philanthropy will direct and execute the
campaign strategy in consultation with the organization’s National
Board of Directors and Executive Team. The Senior Director will
assemble and manage an engaged, diverse campaign committee while
developing a gift officer team, campaign communications, events,
and peer-to-peer network growth of prospective individual donors
and corporate and foundation institutional partners. This is a
hybrid position with at least 20 hours per week dedicated to time
in the office with the team, and travel expectations of six to
eight weeks per year, which includes time hosting Board and donors
at American Prairie as well as traveling to events and donor
regions. 

American Prairie, a freestanding Montana-based nonprofit, is a
unique organization assembling a multi-million-acre area that
conserves the species-rich grasslands on Montana’s legendary Great
Plains for the enjoyment of future generations. When complete,
American Prairie will span more than three million acres of private
and public land, showcasing the iconic landscape that once
dominated central North America and helped shape our national
character. Its mission is to create one of the largest conservation
areas in the United States that will serve as a refuge for people
and wildlife, forever.

The Northern Great Plains are one of only four places left in the
world that have immediate potential to conserve a temperate
grassland at ecosystem scale. American Prairie is working to make
that happen in Montana. The International Union for Conservation of
Nature states that less than five percent of grasslands are
protected globally. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Great
Plains of the United States and Canada have lost a greater
proportion of intact grassland in recent years than the Brazilian
Amazon has lost rainforest. Wildlife populations and critical
biological processes have disappeared or been suppressed over the
last two centuries.

American Prairie’s vision is to fully restore the shortgrass
prairie ecosystem in an identified region of Montana’s plains. The
habitat diversity of the area includes expansive shortgrass
prairie, sagebrush steppe, the Missouri River Breaks, nearby island
mountain ranges, and the streams and riparian corridors that are
woven throughout. Successful restoration means the wildlife species
that are native to this region are present and fulfilling their
natural ecological role, and that biodiversity is being conserved
at all levels. When restored, the American Prairie Ecosystem will
also contain ecologically meaningful populations of all
non-extinct, native species present in the reference ecosystem with
management focused on maximizing the integrity, complexity, and
resilience of the system.

American Prairie buys private land and opens it to the public while
simultaneously working to restore biodiversity on each property.
Properties that connect existing public land are prioritized
because the goal is to connect 3.2 million acres—that’s enough to
support a healthy prairie ecosystem. The American Prairie vision
consists of a 5,000 square-mile ecosystem that incorporates the
extraordinary habitat diversity of northeast Montana. The strategy
for achieving that landscape-scale result is to add to and
complement existing swaths of public land that have already been
set aside for conservation. In most western states, private land is
tied to an allotment of leased state and federal land that is
traditionally used for grazing. By leveraging that structure and
building on existing protected lands, American Prairie can buy a
relatively small amount of land and still achieve landscape-scale
results.

American Prairie strives to be a good neighbor to all people on the
prairie, to work collaboratively, and to make positive
contributions to surrounding communities. American Prairie
prioritizes buying and hiring locally and building meaningful
relationships with local groups and leaders. Helping visitors
understand the region’s cultural heritage is also an important part
of the work to share the unique landscape of the prairie. American
Prairie provides educational opportunities, honors the region’s
rich history, and finds innovative ways to work with neighbors that
match shared goals for wildlife.

A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and
experience and at least seven years of philanthropic experience in
the nonprofit sector, including at least five years of experience
in a team leadership or executive position, is preferred for this
position. American Prairie will consider candidates with a broad
range of backgrounds. If you are excited about this role and feel
that you can contribute to the organization, but your experience
does not exactly align with every qualification listed above, we
encourage you to apply. All applications must be accompanied by a
cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the
mission of American Prairie as well as the responsibilities and
qualifications presented in the prospectus.

The salary range for this position is $130,000 to $145,000
annually.

American Prairie is committed to the inclusion of all qualified
candidates. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing
this application, interviewing, or participating in the selection
process, please contact Kim Farr at [email protected].

To apply for this position, visit:
https://opportunities.aspenleadershipgroup.com/opportunities/1396.