Chief Development Officer

Founded in 1891 by a group of visionary volunteers, The Trustees
of Reservations (The Trustees) is the nation’s premier conservation
and preservation organization. The core mission of The Trustees is
to protect special places across Massachusetts for future
generations to enjoy in perpetuity. To date, The Trustees has
helped protect more than 50,000 acres, including 27,000+ acres on
more than 120 reservations that are currently open to the public.
 

 With exceptional ecological, historical, and scenic value,
The Trustees’ portfolio of properties encompasses seashore,
woodlands, farmlands, gardens, as well as art and historical
museums. The Trustees team provides loving care of the
reservations, builds creative new programs to engage people, and
shares its expertise with neighbors and partners across the
state.

 About Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity
at The Trustees

Our commitment to Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity
(DBIE) is deeply embedded in The Trustees’ mission to protect and
share Massachusetts’ iconic places – for the simple reason that
nature and culture can soothe the soul and improve all our lives.
Not for some. But for everyone. Forever. The Trustees’ overarching
DBIE vision is to create inclusive spaces of belonging for staff,
members, volunteers, and communities across the organization and
120 plus properties. Realizing this vision, bringing to life the
essence of creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome
is a journey. A journey for us as an organization and for each of
us as individuals. As we share our aspirations for what we can
achieve on this journey, we also acknowledge this is a long-term
commitment that requires continuous learning, growth, and
improvement.

 For more information on The Trustees, please visit
its website.

The Opportunity

The Trustees seeks an exceptional leader for the role of Chief
Development Officer (CDO). Reporting to the President & CEO
(CEO), the role provides cutting-edge, strategic leadership on
Trustees development activities with an emphasis on building
enduring partnerships. The role includes the following areas:
 

• Annual Fund
• Major Donors
• Corporate
• Foundation
• Public and Institutional Giving
• Legacy and Planned Gifts
• Governance
• Strategic Plan and Campaigns

At this pivotal time, following a period of rapid growth fueled
by a successful 5 year comprehensive $217 million campaign, the
largest in its history, and with new leadership and an environment
of positive change, The Trustees are elated about this opportunity
to continue to build out the leadership team.

As a key member of the executive team, the Chief Development
Officer will continue to diversify and increase The Trustees’ broad
base of support across all philanthropic areas. The successful
Chief Development Officer must strategically lead and foster new
levels of donor engagement while continuing to build an
organization-wide culture of philanthropy.

By way of background, In FY 2023 the Development Team at The
Trustees raised $45,111,101 broken down as follows:

The Chief Development Officer manages an overall staff of
approximately 22, with the following  direct reports:

The Trustees seeks an innovative Chief Development Officer who
will not only build strategic partnerships but has deep experience
in major gifts fundraising and managing relationships with current
and prospective high-net-worth individual donors. They will also
have a sophisticated understanding of building a high-impact,
sustainable multi-year campaign.

Given the mission of The Trustees, we are highly attracted to
individuals with a track record and passion in the conservation
arena. The successful candidate will not only be a student of
modern philanthropy but also be able to effectively leverage
complementary development functions through strategic,
forward-thinking integration. The Chief Development Officer will be
a proven servant leader, manager, mentor, and collaborative
colleague who is comfortable leading major initiatives and
supporting the leadership of others. They will have a track record
of effectively managing organizational change.

In partnership with the President and CEO, CFO, Board
Development Committee, and senior leadership team, the CDO will set
annual and campaign fundraising goals for The Trustees. They will
construct development strategies and execute plans aligned with The
Trustees overall Strategic Plan, with a focus on sustaining annual
giving revenue levels and markedly increasing individual major
gifts. Collaborating with the CEO, and senior leadership team, as
well as program leaders they will identify and refine giving
priorities and translate those priorities into compelling
opportunities for philanthropy and persuasive proposals.

The successful candidate will have experience personally
managing a portfolio of current and prospective individual donors
at the highest levels of giving capacity, moving them through the
stages of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. They will
provide strategic guidance and mentorship to development staff, as
appropriate, in managing their portfolios of current and
prospective donors, especially high-net-worth individual donors,
and corresponding initiatives for identification, cultivation,
solicitation, and stewardship. This includes reviewing gift
proposals and working with staff to identify the best manner of
engaging new prospective donors. The CDO will provide weekly
development updates to the CEO, present quarterly results to board
governance and work closely with the Chief Financial Officer to
plan cash flow and restricted endowments. Additionally, the CDO
will ensure alignment of giving prospects with volunteer leadership
opportunities, committees, activities, and/or events that are
appropriate to their current or potential interest.

Candidate Profile

Strategic Fundraising Leadership

As we embark on a comprehensive Strategic Plan with the focus of
launching a new campaign, The Trustees seeks an exceptional
fundraising leader who is deeply analytical with a strategic
orientation and a knack for building strong relationships. The
successful CDO will manage the Development Team to create and
promote effective cultivation and solicitation opportunities that
involve the CEO, members of the senior leadership team, Board, or
other governance leaders, as well as other senior constituents.

With a core emphasis on building meaningful partnerships, the
CDO will manage connections between prospective and current donors
and governance leaders, including prioritizing the latter’s role
and involvement in development activities. These will include
implementing key communications, preparing reports, briefings, and
other materials in support of this engagement.

Serving as the catalyst in strengthening a culture of
philanthropy intended to permeate all areas of the organization,
the successful CDO will achieve objectives by the following:

• Providing a rigorous commitment to new major donor prospect
  identification.
• Ensuring high-quality, individualized, and meaningful
  stewardship of donors, coordinating with colleagues throughout The
  Trustees and/or personally stewarding donors as needed.
• Managing the design and implementation of fundraising plans for
  a future comprehensive capital campaign, (including a feasibility
  study), other special campaigns, which may include strategic
  initiatives and capital projects.
• Creating an overall strategic plan for events and other
  activities in support of constituency engagement. Maximize events
  and the visitor experience so they are highly valued by major
  constituents, produce desired outcomes, and appropriately relate to
  major gift strategies.
• Developing and maintaining an understanding of The Trustees’
  programmatic campaigns and priorities to effectively promote the
  organization.
• Maximizing content delivery from program sources to the
  Development team, ensuring consistent, compelling, and coordinated
  messaging in all fundraising and direct marketing channels.
• Working closely with the Finance Department to ensure the
  highest levels of customer service and compliance when it comes to
  gift processing and acknowledgement.  Ensuring accurate
  allocation in line with donor intent and maintain oversight of
  multi-year gifts and endowment reporting.
• Regularly report on fundraising targets and forecasts.
• Collaborating with Marketing and Communications colleagues to
  contribute to an integrated and effective external engagement
  strategy, ensuring alignment across all messaging platforms to
  support the involvement between The Trustees and its evolving donor
  base.

Team Development and Management

The successful CDO will be an exceptional manager, mentor, and
coach. They will oversee the hiring, training, managing, mentoring,
professional development, and evaluation of a talented development
staff. It will be anticipated that they will do the
following: 

• Set appropriate annual production goals and monitor progress on
  a regular basis with the goal of maximizing staff performance
  regarding prospect identification, strategy development,
  cultivation, solicitation, stewardship activities, volunteer
  engagement, and events, among other potential performance
  indicators.
• Oversee growth, maintenance, and enhancement of the development
  team’s technological proficiency and tools including the new CRM
  platform. Maximize utilization of technologies to streamline
  operational processes; spearhead creative technology initiatives
  that touch new audiences and potential donors.

 Exceptional Collaborator and
Communicator

The ideal CDO will have outstanding communication skills, both
written and verbal. Simultaneously, they will demonstrate unique
collaboration talent. It is anticipated that they will do the
following: 

• Regularly prepare detailed and transparent reports and analyses
  on the Development Department activity for the CEO, and for broader
  dissemination, as appropriate. In collaboration with the CFO,
  establish and monitor fundraising benchmarks.
• Analyze development activities and benchmark with peer
  institutions to ensure that The Trustees are on track and employing
  best practices.
• Travel as needed to support The Trustees priorities, including
  personal cultivation and solicitation, strategic communications,
  and special events.

 Commitment to Inclusion and Fostering
Belonging

Humanistic and thoughtful in all interactions; as a senior
leader of The Trustees, the successful CDO will promote diversity,
equity, and inclusion at all levels of the organization and in all
dimensions of the Development program. The CDO will be a strong
culture champion, building bridges, promoting a strong work ethic,
and generating a sense of belonging for all.

The CDO will partner with the CEO on Board of Directors’
engagement, leveraging the talent and resources of members and
facilitating their appropriate roles as fiduciaries and long-term
stewards of The Trustees.

The CDO will need to work with the Board of Directors and
governance committees as needed.

The CDO will be not only highly collaborative and results
oriented but known as an inclusive leader of the highest integrity
with a strong work ethic. They will build long-standing
relationships, instilling confidence, and engendering much trust
with all parties. The CDO will be an exceptionally passionate
fundraising ambassador known for fostering a warm, engaging,
productive, and fun environment.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The
salary range for this role is $280,000 – $340,000 with a generous
benefits package. 

Contact

Maureen Alphonse-Charles and Shelby Woods of Koya Partners, the
executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search,
have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest
in this role, please submit your materials by filling out the Talent Profile. All inquiries
and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to
providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with
disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a
disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please
email [email protected]. If you are
selected for an interview, you will receive additional information
regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview
process.

The Trustees is a proud equal opportunity employer and does not
discriminate against any protected status including, but not
limited to, age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, nation of
origin, religion, or disability status and strongly encourages
applications from people of color, persons with disabilities,
women, and LGBTQ applicants. We aspire to reflect and effectively
serve the residents and communities of Massachusetts, who are at
the core of our mission. Our commitment to advancing the
organization’s vision for this work may be found
here: Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion and Equity

About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group

Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the
nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven
leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive
focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that
the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and
measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits &
NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local
communities and around the world.

 Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by
Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting
Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational
leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in
its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of
experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the
dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

 Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group
via the firm’s website.