Development Director

Application deadline: Feb. 16, 2024

Anticipated start date: March or April 2024

About the position

Do you have the strategic vision and leadership skills to secure vital funding for the Grand Canyon’s future? 

As the Grand Canyon Trust’s development director, you’ll lead a dynamic team to secure the Trust’s annual budget and help safeguard this natural wonder for generations.

This role focuses on stewardship, partnerships, and strategic fundraising. You’ll collaborate with major donors and foundations to ensure the Trust’s vital work continues into the future.

What does this position entail?

• Strategic fundraising: Manage the entire Development Program, from annual gifts to grants and sponsorships, using best practices and data-driven decisions.
• Secure major gifts: Build relationships with high-net-worth individuals and foundations, securing principal, major, and planned gifts.
• Communicate and cultivate: Engage donors and inspire a culture of giving within the team.
• Lead and develop the team: Mentor and nurture your fundraising team, champion a transformative program, and collaborate with the board and executive director.

Do you have what it takes?

• Experience conceiving and implementing a wide range of core fundraising functions, with strong project management skills and the capacity to use data and analysis to set strategy, execute plans, and deliver financial outcomes.
• Proven success in asking for and closing principal ($1M+), major ($10K – $999K), and planned gifts and building and maintaining long-term relationships with individuals and foundations.
• A proven ability to transform a fundraising team into a unified force, igniting passion and driving collective success.
• Understanding of best fundraising and nonprofit management practices and knowledge of current and evolving trends in philanthropy, including major gifts, planned giving, and fundraising campaigns.
• Demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate varied audiences through exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Experience cultivating and nurturing mutually beneficial relationships with donors across diverse teams and departments, fostering a culture of respect and appreciation that increases donor engagement, satisfaction, and long-term support.
• Experience using technology and applications like Zoom, Microsoft Word, Excel, Asana, and Salesforce.

Note that experience includes lived experience, traditional knowledge, volunteer experience, school or coursework, work experience, and other related qualifications, skills, and experience.

No candidate will meet every requirement. If you’re excited about the position and think you may be a good candidate, we encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check every box.

The nitty grittyFlexibility and paid time off

• Flexible scheduling and option to work from home
• 12 paid holidays
• Two weeks paid vacation in year one (three weeks in year two, and four weeks in year four)
• Two weeks paid sick leave
• 12-14 weeks of paid parental leave

Benefits

• 100 percent employer-paid employee medical and dental insurance (50 percent employer-paid for qualified dependent premiums)
• 4 percent automatic employer contribution to 401K retirement plan, plus up to 2 percent match
• Employer-paid long-term disability insurance and life insurance
• Professional development opportunities
• Paid community service time, sabbatical leave, and more

Location

This position is based in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah with the ability to travel at least once a month to Flagstaff, Arizona. Relocation to one of these states is required.

Compensation

Up to $100,000 – $145,000 annual salary, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

COVID-19 precautionsCOVID vaccination is required for this position. If you need a reasonable accommodation, contact careers@grandcanyontrust.org

The Grand Canyon Trust is committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of our work. The conservation field and the Colorado Plateau have their own histories of racial injustice and exclusion and as a largely white organization, we know we have work to do. We are actively working to make the conservation field and the Colorado Plateau more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. We are working from the inside out, starting with our internal practices, including our hiring process. We hope you’ll join us and apply today. 

Read the Grand Canyon Trust’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion statement ›