Associate Director

Education: Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s or higher preferred.

Experience: 10-plus distinguished years in a senior management position in a nonprofit organization, foundation, or government agency

POSITION SUMMARY

Saratoga PLAN’s Associate Director plays a key leadership role for the organization, managing the organization’s finances and strategic direction for fundraising and community engagement. The Associate Director will work closely with the Executive Director (ED) to craft creative strategies for advancing the pace, quality, and impact of conservation in the Saratoga County region. The Associate Director will assume primary responsibilities for designing, facilitating, managing, and tracking functions related to fundraising, community engagement, and operations for the organization, including the development and management of the annual budget for the organization.

Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) is an accredited land trust dedicated to preserving the rural character, natural habitats, and scenic beauty of the Saratoga County region so that these irreplaceable assets are accessible to all and survive for future generations. The lands that Saratoga PLAN conserves are ancestral homelands of the Mohican, Mohawk, and Abenaki people. To learn more, visit www.saratogaplan.org.

PLAN has a highly motivated, small team of 10-12 staff. The Associate Director reports to and works closely with the Executive Director and directly manages 3-4 staff members. We are looking for someone willing to dedicate a long-term commitment to this organization. Job responsibilities, workload, and hours may vary. This is a full-time position at a minimum of 40 hours per week, and occasionally requires weekend and evening work. PLAN offers salaries and benefits that meet or exceed industry standards. Health, dental, vacation, holiday, and retirement benefits offered as per the Board-adopted Personnel Policy.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Saratoga PLAN’s Associate Director will perform the following roles for the organization by enthusiastically building and fostering community internally and externally with other staff, board members, community leaders, partners, volunteers, landowners, donors, funders, public-at-large, vendors, sponsors, media, and other stakeholders:

Development

• Develop and manage a comprehensive development strategy for current and potential interested individuals, foundation decision-makers, businesses, sponsors, and governmental officials to donate funds for operations, site-specific special projects, capital campaigns, annual fund, stewardship fund, and planned gifts.
• Lead critical relationship-building efforts in fundraising, marketing, partner relationships, and community outreach to attract and secure the financial resources for scaling up conservation efforts and sustained organizational operations and growth.
• Provide support, tools, training, direction, and assignments for ED, Board of Directors (BoD), staff, and volunteers to become confident, accountable, effective ambassadors, engaged fundraisers, and solicitors on the organization’s behalf.
• Lead the development team in raising approximately $1 million annually for operations from diverse revenue streams.
• Partner with the Development Manager to retain and strengthen relationships with current donors through customized stewardship and recognition.
• Identify, attract, amplify, and diversify donor base and partnerships for operational support in alignment with PLAN’s mission and its community value.
• Introduce potential major donors to PLAN’s work through tours, field trips, presentations, individual meetings, small gatherings, slide shows, letters, social media, invitations, large and small events, and other forums.
• Energetically and enthusiastically offer the opportunity for current and potential donors to contribute to a healthy community with an excellent quality of life, preserved and abundant natural resources and a secure sense of wellbeing.
• Establish efficient fundraising systems tailored to the personalized needs of the constituent base and in alignment with available staff and volunteer capacity.
• Oversee the planning of large and small events.

Community Engagement

• Serve as an outward-facing voice, guiding messaging, communicating the mission, building authentic relationships, promoting the organization’s brand, and inviting dialogue.
• In partnership with the Communications Manager, craft compelling, welcoming communication messages and effective marketing strategies that expand the diversity of constituents and donors and multiply their numbers.
• Tell PLAN’s story, influence outcomes, and engage, listen, and moderate two-way communications to a spectrum of audiences and through various platforms, including print and electronic media.
• Communicate organization goals and operational plans to all levels of the organization and to donors.
• Collaboratively develop and implement an integrated communications plan to solicit community needs and perceptions and to advance community awareness of the identity of PLAN and promote its goals, programs, projects, services, and accomplishments.
• Serve as a key liaison with the Board committees as directed, especially those associated with fundraising, community engagement, and operations.
• Track effectiveness of community engagement strategies.
• Oversee community engagement staff and program, including communications and development.

Operations

• Manage nonprofit finance, budgeting, human resources, board roles and development, and other operational areas, and help to ensure that overall day-to-day operations, annual program plans, and budgets are aligned with strategic, mission-driven goals.
• Serve as an advisor to the Executive Director, facilitating effective decision-making, managing information flow, resolving issues, providing analysis and advice on key needs, and delegating internal and external inquiries to the appropriate individual(s).
• Ensure compliance with all government regulations and land trust accreditation standards and practices for nonprofit management, land transactions and land stewardship.
• Track, analyze, and report financial, community engagement, and conservation trends in easily digestible and useful ways to ED, BoD, funders, constituent base, and stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with ED, other staff, contractual auditor and accountant, investment advisors, and treasurer to ensure that sound financial management practices, transparency, accountability, and fiduciary responsibilities are upheld, including annual budgets, monthly financial reports, annual audited financial statements, and 990/Charities reports.
• As needed, advise, review and edit funding applications prepared by other staff for land protection, stewardship, community engagement, community planning, trails, and operational support.
• Track grant opportunities and awarded grants and contracts and ensure that timelines, deadlines, deliverables, and financial requirements are being met.
• Manage other projects as assigned by the ED, driving the end-to-end scoping, planning, and management of projects to produce high-quality, timely deliverables.
• Foster inclusive culture of giving and receiving feedback to facilitate ongoing learning and organizational development within staff, Board, committees, and community partners.
• Mentor, coach and guide staff, catalyzing opportunities for collaborative leadership and professional development.
• Manage the organization in the absence of the ED.

QUALIFICATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Passion for the mission to preserve the rural character, natural habitats, and scenic beauty of Saratoga County so these irreplaceable assets are accessible to all and survive for future generations
• Infectious excitement about nature, open spaces, parks, trails, local farms and food, ecosystem services, wildlife, clean air and water, smart growth planning, climate resilience, outdoor education, recreation and adventure, inclusivity
• Influential and authentic communicator, with the ability to inspire, motivate and mobilize others
• Proven ability to raise significant operational funds through donations and grants
• Effective and trusted community builder and collaborator
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide array of people
• Ability to listen, connect, and build bridges, gracious, alert, sensitive
• Open, honest, respectful, empathic colleague
• Proven leader of change management processes that require building buy-in and leading by influence across a wide range of stakeholders
• Aptitude to take risks, see opportunities, and pivot when necessary
• Resourceful, innovative, adaptable problem-solver
• Organized, with ability to develop systems, procedures and protocols
• Accountable, with proven track record for delivering superior results, meeting deadlines and goals and inspiring others to do the same
• Tact and diplomacy in organizational settings
• Ambitious, not intimidated by reaching for lofty goals
• Competent in MS Office 365, social media, database management, media relations
• Experience with QuickBooks and Salesforce preferred.
• Reliable transportation required (mileage reimbursement available)

Saratoga PLAN is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.