Development Director or Associate

Development Director or Associate

Position Summary

The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) is looking for a talented and passionate individual to lead our fundraising efforts in support of our work to protect the lands and waters of Southeast Alaska. They must be a team player — a goal and achievement-oriented individual with a drive to find creative solutions, who gives attention to detail and has a passion for helping SEACC build lasting individual and community relationships. This position will lead and support our staff and board in strategically engaging in fundraising. They will work closely with and report to the Executive Director but this is the only fundraising focused role, so duties are comprehensive. 

Our ideal candidate will have a proven track record of success in donor stewardship and engagement, fundraising, grant writing and management, and event planning. SEACC seeks an experienced fundraiser with a thorough understanding of a wide range of fundraising techniques, deep knowledge of Southeast Alaska and a passion for SEACC’s mission and work. We’re also looking for someone with experience advancing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion within fundraising principles. This position will report directly to the Executive Director.

**SEACC will consider earlier career candidates for an Associate level role to grow into the Director role. This job description is written for the Director level. The salary range is inclusive of Associate and Director level, with Associate eligible for the lower end of the range and Director for the higher end. 

What You’ll Do

• Individual Donor Engagement
• Develop, implement, and monitor strategies aimed at growing the base of annual individual donors;
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit potential donors for major gifts;
• Maintain and enhance relationships with existing donors, ensuring they are informed, valued, and engaged;
• Cultivate relationships with existing donors and increase donor loyalty;
• Coordinate with campaign and communications staff to ensure alignment between campaign needs and donor interests.
• Fundraising and Campaigns
• Plan and execute fundraising campaigns tailored to individual donors, including annual giving, endowment, legacy, and major gift campaigns;
• Collaborate with the communications team to create effective promotional materials and fundraising messages;
• In partnership with the Executive Director and campaign staff, organize and manage events specifically designed to attract and engage individual donors and move supporters up the ladder of engagement;
• Conduct all post-event analysis and evaluation, maintaining lessons learned for events;
• Build and manage SEACC’s fundraising budget, ensuring that expenditure is effectively controlled and revenue goals are met.
• Donor Stewardship
• Implement a comprehensive donor stewardship program that regularly acknowledges, recognizes, and reports back to individual donors;
• Ensure personalized communication with donors, including thank you letters, updates on the impact of their donations, and invitations to special events;
• Regularly review donor data to enhance the personalization of outreach and acknowledgment strategies.
• Database Management
• Manage and maintain SEACC’s donor database, NationBuilder;
• Perform data entry, maintenance, and updating of the database; create and run reports to analyze data, metrics, and related information on development tracking and goal setting, maintain accurate tracking of donor contact information and communications;
• Ensure data integrity and quality of information from which data and metrics are drawn.
• Grants Administration
• Research potential grants and funding opportunities and help vet grant opportunities and other fundraising proposals;
• Gather required data from the Executive Director and campaign staff to assemble and complete grant applications;
• Support the Executive Director with the management of internal grants tracking and reporting systems to ensure grants submission of all required reporting in accordance with funder timelines.

Performs other duties as needed and assigned.

Education & Experience

• Minimum of three years work experience in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Fundraising, or related field for Director level;
• Minimum of five years direct experience in fundraising or sales;
• Familiarity with working in a non-profit (501(c)(3)) environment;
• Familiarity with SEACC’s work and mission and love of living and working in Southeast Alaska.

Skills & Abilities

• Account Management, Customer Service, Community Relations and/or, Project Management experience;
• Cultural sensitivity and management of culturally diverse groups;
• High degree of integrity, honesty, confidentiality, and maturity;
• Ability to develop presentations and deliver presentations with excellent public speaking skills;
• Strong writing skills, ideal with grants writing and/or fundraising writing in particular;
• Proficient in Excel and adept using and building complex spreadsheets;
• Exhibits polite and professional communication via phone, email, and mail;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Proficient in utilizing and managing databases/CRM systems (i.e., NationBuilder, NewMode);
• Demonstrated experience in being creative and innovative;
• Ability to make decisions, engage in critical thought and problem solve;
• Polite and professional listening, verbal, and written communication skills;
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills;
• Ability to effectively and efficiently manage multiple, simultaneous, complex tasks;
• Willingness to travel including within Alaska and its rural regions.

We know there is not one ideal candidate who has all of these traits, so if you have a mix of interests, skills, and experience related to the above – and a passion for this work – please don’t let a specific gap in your strengths for this role stop you from applying or reaching out. We are open to considering candidates who are earlier career and might be better suited to a Development Associate position and the wide salary range reflects that.

What Else You Should Know:

SEACC recognizes, supports, and values all forms of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Compensation: This role is a full-time position and the salary range for this role is $65,000-80,000 with exact salary dependent upon experience. The lower end of this range would be for a candidate more suited to a Development Associate role, which would adjust some of the responsibilities as well. 

We also offer excellent benefits, including:

• 3 weeks of paid leave your first year and 4 weeks of paid leave after one year, plus
• 11 federal and state holidays, plus
• fully paid healthcare, plus
• 12 days of medical leave annually, plus
• 2 days of community service or participation leave, plus
• a 401K plan with a 5% match that begins after just one year of employment, and
• In addition, the Executive Director closes the office between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day each year as a thank you to the staff!

Where you will work: SEACC’s office is located in Juneau, Alaska. While we expect this role to work out of the SEACC office in Juneau, we do have a flexible hybrid work policy that could be utilized.

Desired Start Date: Mid August.

Application Process: Applications submitted by end of day on Wednesday, June 12 will be considered in the first round of review. SEACC will continue to accept and review applications on a rolling basis thereafter until the role is filled. If the role is still posted on our website, then we are still accepting applications.

To Apply: Please submit your cover letter, resume and a short professional writing sample of not more than 1,000 words (excerpts are fine, fundraising or grant writing samples ideal but not required) to [email protected]. Please put ‘Job Application – Development Director’ or ‘Job Application – Development Associate’ and your last name in the email subject line and please specify Director or Associate in your cover letter. Three professional references, including one from a former or current direct supervisor will be requested from those selected for interviews.