Director, Donor Relations

Director, Donor Relations

WORKING AT NPF  

The National Park Foundation (NPF) works with the National Park
Service (NPS) to enrich America’s national parks through private
support, safeguard our heritage, and inspire generations of
national park enthusiasts. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the
National Park Foundation is founded on a legacy that began over a
century ago. Today, the National Park Foundation carries on that
tradition as the only national charitable nonprofit whose mission
directly supports America’s 420+ national park units. As the
National Park Service’s official nonprofit partner, the National
Park Foundation supports projects and programs across the
system.

For more information on the full range of programs and projects
supported by the National Park Foundation, please review our
website at www.nationalparks.org.

  POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Director of Donor Relations is responsible for implementing
an institution-wide comprehensive donor relations program including
cultivation, stewardship, events, and donor communications that
appropriately and consistently promotes relationship building and
recognition of donors at all levels. The position requires
excellent collaborative skills to be applied with all philanthropy
staff, including frontline fundraisers, and partners across the
Foundation. S/he must be able to oversee donor stewardship
activities and events and draft written materials to aid in the
institution’s efforts to educate, cultivate, and recognize donors.
This position, an integral part of the Foundation’s philanthropy
efforts, offers the opportunity to apply creative and critical
thinking skills in various communications and stewardship projects
that connect the Foundation with its current and prospective
benefactors. The position reports to the Campaign Director.

Through this work, the Director will make a direct and lasting
impact on conservation, culture, preservation, recreation,
education, and stewardship—preserving our national parks for
centuries to come.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Oversee the development and implementation of a sophisticated
  and comprehensive donor communications, engagement, stewardship,
  and recognition plan for the Foundation.
  • Oversee/Develop an integrated, comprehensive, and tiered donor
    communications and stewardship strategy in partnership with
    Philanthropy units.
  • Oversee/Develop compelling written materials, including
    proposals, impact reports, and tailored cultivation and stewardship
    pieces.
  • Oversee planning and execution of all donor cultivation and
    recognition events and receipting and acknowledging gifts for all
    individual and foundation donors.
• Carry a small stewardship portfolio of 10-15 top-tier donors;
  With Relationship Managers, create and implement a robust,
  high-touch, customized stewardship plan for each donor in the
  portfolio.
• Liaise with Programs and External Affairs teams to source and
  synthesize content, as well as partner with the Partnerships Team
  to identify special opportunities that can be offered to donors in
  national parks nationwide.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of occasional donor
  travel programs.
• Manage information tracking processes regarding acknowledgment,
  recognition, ongoing communications, and continued cultivation of
  past and current major donors to enhance their relationship with
  the Foundation and increase their philanthropy.
• Develop and assess policies and procedures across the division
  that are essential for a comprehensive donor relations
  program.
• Develop and implement a plan for measuring the effectiveness of
  the donor relations program at the Foundation.
• Serve as resident expert on National
  Park Service Director’s Order 21 and Reference Manual 21 (to be
  learned).
• Supervise two reports directly: Manager, Donor Events; Manager,
  Donor Relations
• Work with Philanthropy units to refine gift agreement
  templates, letters of Intent (LOIs), or similar documents.
• Coordinate and work across teams as needed.
• Perform related duties as assigned within the scope of
  practice.
• Follow and promote the ethical guidelines set forth in the
  Association of Donor Relations for Advancement (ADRP), the
  Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP), the CASE
  Donor Bill of Rights, and the CASE Ethics Guidelines.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND
COMPETENCIES

The ideal candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• A minimum of five to seven (5-7) years of professional
  experience is required.
• Candidates with stewardship, event management, and writing
  experience preferred.
• Education/experience equivalents considered.
• Well-developed customer-service orientation.
• Ability to handle multiple deadlines at one time and adapt to
  evolving needs/strategies.
• Ability to use discretion in working with confidential and
  sensitive data.
• Strong interpersonal and written communications skills with
  demonstrated attention to detail and ability to relate to
  individuals at varying levels internally and externally.
• Professional in appearance, demeanor, and decision-making.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office
  suite—particularly Word and PowerPoint.
• Preferable: Have experience with relational databases,
  preferably The Raiser’s Edge or Raiser’s Edge NXT, or easily adapt
  to new technologies.
• Commitment to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture
  of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
• Ability to occasionally travel for regional events or work
  evenings for local events.

LOCATION:  This is a hybrid role based in
DC. However, remote candidates from the following states are
welcome to apply: AL, CA, CO, FL, IL, MA, MD, MN, NC, NH, NM, NJ,
NY, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI.  If people wish to move to DC,
there is no relocation package for this role.

TO APPLY: For consideration, please submit your
application to the NPF Career Center at https://tinyurl.com/yckvx6d7.
Please include a resume, cover letter, and brief writing
sample in your application.

NPF and DEI

The National Park Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer that
welcomes diversity in our organization. Candidates of all
backgrounds are encouraged to apply. For more information, please
visit   National Park
Foundation (nationalparks.org).