Development Director

WTA is looking for an experienced fundraising leader to grow our
successful development program. WTA’s Development Director powers
our reach and impact by building and executing a fundraising
strategy that expands our diversified and growing revenue base
including annual fund contributions, individual major gifts,
corporate support, grants and planned giving. This position leads
WTA’s donor engagement while pursuing new fundraising strategies
and opportunities.

Our ideal candidate is someone who is passionate about our
mission and driven to expand our donor community and reach, helping
us achieve trails for everyone, forever. The Development Director
manages a strong seven-person team with broad expertise to deliver
multifaceted development programs. The Development Director
collaborates with WTA’s cross-functional leadership team to drive
results and works closely with the CEO and Board of Directors. The
team raises approximately 70% of the organization’s operating
revenue each year, with a fundraising goal of $5 million for 2024.
The Development Director is a full-time, exempt position and
reports directly to the CEO. 

Primary Responsibilities

Strategy and Organizational Leadership

Develop, implement and evaluate a
comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with WTA’s mission,
goals, and strategic priorities.
Collaborate with and support the CEO
and Board of Directors in setting and achieving development
strategy, ensuring they have the tools to be effective ambassadors
for the organization.
Partner with the CEO and leadership
team to identify resource development priorities, ensuring
alignment with funding opportunities and organizational goals.
Foster an organizational culture of
philanthropy where fundraising is embraced as an essential part of
building WTA’s community and advancing our mission.

Manage Development Programs

Manage and mentor a talented team of
seven development professionals, including four direct reports, and
achieve results by encouraging collaboration, leveraging strengths
and supporting professional development.
Lead the development and execution of
the annual fundraising plan and team work plan to achieve income
goals, including overseeing a robust annual and institutional
giving program and a growing major gifts program.
Manage and grow a high-impact
portfolio of individual, corporate and institutional donors and
prospects, including all activities from cultivation to
solicitation to stewardship.
Guide donor management systems and
processes to foster donor stewardship and accurate
analytics. 
Prepare annual and multi-year revenue
projections and funding priorities, meet reporting requirements and
manage the development team budget.
Identify and pursue strategies to
grow memberships and expand additional revenue streams for the
organization.

Job Skills and Experience

Candidates will be evaluated on the full range of their lived
and learned experience, professional background, volunteer
experience, and direct and transferable skills. WTA is seeking
candidates with a compelling combination of demonstrated
experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all
the qualifications listed.

Required 

At least five years of experience
overseeing and executing organizational fundraising strategies for
a mission-driven organization, ideally with familiarity of a
variety of relationships across individuals, major gifts,
foundations and corporations.
Successful track record of at least
five years as a manager of people and teams by inspiring
excellence, creating a culture of feedback and supporting staff
members in their growth through mentoring and professional
development.
A strategic and entrepreneurial
thinker who is eager to build funding strategies that achieve
income growth through a combination of proven approaches,
experimentation with new tactics, and exploration of new funding
opportunities, with willingness to take risks.
Solid analytical skills with
experience defining performance indicators, analyzing performance
and reporting, ideally with experience with multi-year fundraising
budgets.
An intuitive and authentic
communicator who is able to persuasively communicate across diverse
audiences in ways that instill confidence and inspire people to
action.
A highly skilled internal and
external relationship builder, who fosters trust and deepens
commitment and engagement.
A strong commitment to advancing the
organization’s goals for diversity, equity and inclusion and a
demonstrated ability to work with people of diverse races, ages,
genders, abilities and economic backgrounds.

Preferred 

Previous experience working closely
with a board of directors and cross-functional leadership
teams.
Knowledge of the funding landscape
for environmental and outdoor recreation nonprofit
organizations.
Familiarity with Salesforce or
similar CRM platform.

Location and Schedule

The Development Director position is a full-time, exempt
position based in WTA’s Seattle office. WTA has a hybrid work model
with at least 2 days of work per week in-person at our Seattle
office. Some tasks may require in-person presence at the office or
occasional evening or weekend work for special events.

Compensation

Compensation starts at $100,000 – $110,000 annually. This role
has the potential to go up to $117,000 annually with time and
demonstrated success in the role. Our benefits package includes
medical, dental, vision, retirement, disability, transportation and
holiday, vacation and sick leave. For more information about WTA’s
benefits, please visit our website: www.wta.org/benefits.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

WTA is committed to advancing equity and continually working to
become a more inclusive organization. We believe WTA, and
Washington’s hiking community, is made better by people with varied
backgrounds, identities, abilities and lived experience. People of
color and others with identities that are underrepresented in the
outdoor industry (including but not limited to: gender identity,
class, socioeconomic status, conviction history, sexual
orientation, age, ability, and background) are strongly encouraged
to apply.

In order to provide equal employment and advancement
opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at WTA will
be based on merit, qualifications and abilities. WTA does not
discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis
of age, ancestry, caste, color, creed, expunged juvenile record,
familial status, family relationship (denying employment because a
family member already works for the employer), gender identity,
marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status,
national origin, citizenship or immigration status, off-duty
tobacco use, political ideology, race, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, source of income, genetic information, the presence of
any sensory, mental or physical disability, status as a victim of
domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, the use
of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, actual,
potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, or any other
status or characteristic protected by federal, state or local
law.

To apply: submit a resume and a brief cover
letter to [email protected]. Include
“Development Director” in the subject line. 

This position is open until filled. The hiring process for this
role will include a phone screening, a virtual panel interview,
final in-person panel interviews in Seattle and reference checks in
the final stage. If you have any questions or need accommodation in
our recruitment process, please contact [email protected]. We look forward to hearing
from you!