Outreach Program Manager

The Outreach Program Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and leading SAHC’s program of connecting people with nature and the outdoors. The position is part of SAHC’s development and engagement staff team, and works closely with other members of that team. The Outreach Program Manager will expand opportunities for outdoor recreation and education for SAHC members, donors, organizational and business partners and the public by: (1) Planning, organizing, publicizing and leading a series of hikes and educational outings, (2) recruiting volunteers and organizing periodic volunteer workdays, and (3) communicating with various communities about the importance of our land conservation work in the southern Appalachian mountains. 

Duties & Responsibilities: The Outreach Program Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and leading SAHC’s program of connecting people with nature and the outdoors. The position is part of SAHC’s development and engagement staff team, and works closely with other members of that team.

The Outreach Program Manager will expand opportunities for outdoor recreation and education for SAHC members, donors, organizational and business partners and the public by: (1) Planning, organizing, publicizing and leading a series of hikes and educational outings, (2) recruiting volunteers and organizing periodic volunteer workdays, and (3) communicating with various communities about the importance of our land conservation work in the southern Appalachian mountains.

In this role you will:

• Create and implement an annual work plan for the Outreach Program, with input from senior staff leaders and others. Respond to lessons learned in order to provide long-term program management and ongoing planning. The work plan should include the following elements:
• A series of public hikes, outdoor recreational, and educational outings per month, including experiences on SAHC’s Community Farm and throughout SAHC’s service area in each of the organization’s six geographic focus areas. Each outing requires the following steps in order to be successful:

  – Planning. This includes site visit and scouting the trail or location to document details for the event before it is calendared and advertised to potential participants. Working with other organization departments like stewardship and land protection staff. Recruit co-leaders if needed. Evaluate what message or narrative will be ideal to share with participants on the hike, or any materials you might want to share with them. Connect SAHC data systems and web forms to create a smooth system for outing registrations and participant tracking.

  – Communication about hikes and other outings with potential participants. Create public-facing hike descriptions, web-based event calendar listings, and online sign-up forms for planned outings. Advertise them in different outlets in advance. Aim to be able to publish a series of hikes and outings up to six-months in advance, so that people can look over a calendar of hikes and decide which ones they want to participate in. Prepare outings promotions for email and social media.

 – Host the hike or other activity on the day it occurs. There may be last-minute details that the Outreach Program Manager is the lead on coordinating. Ensure that pictures or other content is obtained at the event in order to communicate about it afterwards

 – Communicate with the participants afterwards to thank them for their participation and solicit feedback, and with SAHC’s constituents on social media/blog  to let them know about the event.

• Periodic hikes and outings for specific constituencies who are connected with SAHC and supportive of our mission. This includes for example Pathways to Parks; Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville (OLLI); Carolina Nature Photographers Association; Corporate and agency partners.
• Collect and manage data about SAHC’s outings program, evaluate the success of the program and seek to improve all Outreach Program functions. Monitor, analyze, and report on Outreach Program performance metrics, ensuring progress toward goals. Interpret such data for the SAHC board at its quarterly meetings in order to help the board understand the progress of the Program on the organization’s strategic goals with respect to outreach.
• Oversee and implement a program for recruiting and coordinating volunteers to assist in SAHC’s conservation efforts. Work with other SAHC program departments to host volunteer opportunities and collect data on completed volunteer activities.
• Work with Communications Director on outreach-related messaging and review other public communications; help draft social media appeal campaigns and produce social media content.
• Work towards standardizing educational messaging for hikes and outings. Develop a standardized educational activities list for the educational and volunteer outings.
• SAHC organizational events – Assist with planning and implementing annual organization events such as Land Trust Day, the June Jamboree, major donor events, and membership events. Act as the lead staff on organizing and scheduling a day of outing and organizing volunteers  for the annual June Jamboree in the Highlands of Roan. Work with the Development and Engagement team on the social event for the June Jamboree
• Implement and manage SAHC’s periodic outdoor recreation participant challenges, such as the annual Winter Hiking Challenge and Southern Sixer Challenge. Work with other SAHC team members to promote challenge programs and manage participant data. Explore creative concepts for new outreach-oriented participant programs.
• Curate a list of SAHC-protected locations for guided outings and outreach programs, and help create communications tools highlighting  places for people to explore and enjoy outdoor recreation on their own within SAHC’s geographic conservation focus areas.

Implement, measure, and seek to improve all current Outreach Program functions

• Generate excitement and energy around the organization’s mission and activities, encouraging others to provide support;
• Actively seek opportunities to participate in events that position the organization for improved visibility;
• Attend Committee meetings;
• Serve as the staff liaison to the Connecting People with Land Committee;
• Actively network with other nonprofit land trust professionals and bring forward ideas.

For the best opportunity to succeed in this role, you would have:

Qualifications required to excel in this position can come from professional and lived experiences. Below we describe what we believe to be important qualifications for a candidate while remaining open to diverse backgrounds that can lead to these skill sets. Position descriptions are often presented in a way that leaves qualified candidates, particularly women, people of working-class backgrounds, people of color, and LGBTQIA applicants, feeling unwelcome, intimidated, uncomfortable, and/or unqualified to apply. Recognizing that, we strongly encourage anyone who feels passionate about this work and believes they have what it takes to thrive in this role to apply

• Program management, leadership, and strategic planning
• Experience leading groups of people outdoors.
• Experience actively managing a talented team of co-workers with a collaborative, teambuilding approach.
• Experience monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on program metrics to inform annual and long-range planning.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex programs and budgets.
• Experience working with Board members, volunteers and other constituents.
• Possesses creative vision and the ability to translate ideas for new initiatives into measurable successes.
• Demonstrated ability to cooperatively and productively work with internal stakeholders across functional and departmental lines.
• Emotional intelligence, intellectual curiosity, and adeptness in steering through transitions underscore the desired candidate’s leadership qualities.
• Highly self-motivated. Ability to work independently with minimal initial direction and as part of a collaborative team.
• Excellent written and oral communications, interpersonal, public speaking, and presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with diverse external groups.
• Commitment to environmental and conservation issues.
• Sense of humor.
• Strong analytical capabilities, including ability to summarize quantitative and qualitative information about the Outreach Program in order to help SAHC make data-driven decisions.
• Exercises excellent judgment and ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Experience with Development/CRM databases; Salesforce a plus and proficient knowledge of Microsoft, Canva, and Adobe programs (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat in particular). Experience using WordPress, ActiveCampaign, Google Workspace, and Zapier a plus.
• Experience in using social media, particularly Instagram, for a professional work environment.
• General understanding of, and interest in, land conservation work and nonprofit management.
• Desire to work in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment.
• Outstanding planning and analytical skills.
• Valid Driver’s License and insurable driving record; access to transportation for travel throughout the region.
• An average of one or two weekend day outings per month.
• Evening work is required occasionally, as needed for events.
• Commitment to continuous learning, reflection, and growth around SAHC’s core organizational values, and goals regarding Community Engagement.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

This job has the following physical requirements:

• Regular and accurate communication with others and completion of work tasks involving the use of phone, computer, web, and video technology, the ability to interact effectively with digital and printed materials, and to operate required job-related equipment.
• Ability to drive a vehicle to remote locations for donor meetings, tours and events.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs. of event supplies or equipment in the office or the field.
• Ability to traverse uneven or rough terrain, and to tolerate exposure to outdoor elements and varying weather conditions. This position requires hosting donors on hikes of various levels of elevation and duration.
• There are occasional duties that occur outside regular working hours for donor meetings and events.
• Reasonable accommodations will be made to allow a person to perform essential functions.

About Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy: 

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) is an established land trust serving a 10-county region in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Since 1974, we have conserved more than 90,000 acres of the region’s most important lands, including places that offer opportunities to all people to enjoy outdoor recreation, protect scenic beauty, protect rivers and streams that serve the region’s water needs, connect places for wildlife and plants to ensure resilient landscapes in the mountains, and preserve working farmland that supply local foods.

We emphasize proactively:

• Protecting high-priority tracts identified through strategic conservation planning, mapping and prioritization
• Helping government agency partners and community partners acquire their highest priority tracts for public benefit
• Protecting tracts that enhance landscape resilience to climate change
• Protecting prime soils and working farms.
• Striving to protect culturally significant sites that can help reverse inequities among racialized people(s) in our communities.

SAHC is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  SAHC recognizes historic inequities in the conservation field, access to land and ownership of land. These factors cause imbalance in communities, and we commit to purposeful action to correct them. Conservation is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of widely diverse backgrounds, experiences and identities. However you identify and whatever your background, please apply if this is a position that excites you.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), family responsibilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state or federal law or local ordinance.