Position Description and Application Information For

Position Description and Application Information for

Development Manager (Major Gifts), March 2017

REPORTS TO: President and CEO

POSITION TYPE: Full Time, Exempt Employee; typically 37-40 hours per week

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY: TREE Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in 2002 for the benefit of our urban and community forests, and the professionals who care for them, on a global basis. Grants are competitively awarded to researchers, arboretums, community service providers, schools and other organizations whose programs are consonant with TREE Fund’s mission. TREE Fund is currently in the quiet phase of an endowment building campaign that is expected to go public in late 2017, while also working to expand individual and corporate appeal programs. TREE Fund has a staff of four full time professionals based in Naperville, Illinois, and supported by various independent contractors and volunteers; all staff report directly to the President and CEO, who reports to a 15-member national Board of Trustees. TREE Fund’s principal community engagement and fundraising event is an annual 500+ mile cycling tour called the STIHL Tour des Trees, which will next be held in the Washington, DC metropolitan area from July 30 to August 5, 2017. See treefund.org and stihltourdestrees.org for additional information.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Development Manager (Major Gifts) will be the President and CEO’s key advisor and ally through an endowment building campaign that will likely run through 2020, while also ensuring that ongoing unrestricted operating fundraising successfully supports all annual activities. He/she will work collegially and collaboratively with the President and CEO and other team members to develop, implement, and maintain all appeal-based, corporate partnership, planned and major gift programs for both annual operating and endowment purposes. The Development Manager will be expected to engage and maintain an active portfolio of major and planned gift prospects using documented moves management systems or related techniques, and will be expected to both make asks him/herself and to empower the President and CEO, Trustees, or other solicitors to do so. The position is both an “inside” and “outside” role, with an expectation that office and desk time will be balanced with personal meetings and contacts outside of the office, with a special focus on expanding networks and fundraising opportunities in the greater Chicago market. The Development Manager will also be expected to work with other team members to ensure that nonprofit best practices for gift solicitation, documentation and acknowledgement are applied in an efficient and effective fashion using a variety of office and web technology and systems (e.g. Crowdrise, Raisers Edge, QuickBooks, QGiv, WizeHive, etc.) While the Development Manager will secure partnership and in-kind fundraising support for the STIHL Tour des Trees and other TREE Fund community engagement events, this position is not primarily a special events management role.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

·  Work with President and CEO to develop and execute TREE Fund’s endowment building campaign, with a target goal of securing ~$3.0 million in new or additional permanently restricted funding by the end of 2020;

·  Work with President and CEO to develop and execute TREE Fund's annual fundraising plan, in conjunction with the annual budget cycle (TREE Fund is on a calendar fiscal year);

·  Secure financial support from individuals, foundations, government entities, small businesses and corporations;

·  Work collegially with other team members to ensure that data entry and gift processing/acknowledgement are handled in a timely and compliant fashion; while TREE Fund has a Raisers’ Edge database, the organization is currently considering shifting to other gift processing and prospect research approaches, and the Development Manager will advise the President and CEO on future systemic approaches;

·  Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with a documented portfolio of major and planned gift prospects;

·  Create and execute a strategy for a large sustained base of annual individual donors, to include regular segmented appeals throughout the year;

·  Work collegially with other team members to provide partnership and in-kind fundraising support of all community engagement events;

·  Develop and track proposals and reports for all foundation and corporate fundraising, and ensure that all partnership commitments are adhered to and met in timely fashion;

·  Meet prospective donors and supporters on a continual basis to establish effective relationships with them that can produce gifts over time;

·  Make public appearances to share information about TREE Fund with the community; such appearances must have documented development value;

·  Serve as staff liaison to Board of Trustees’ Development Committee meetings;

·  Work closely with other team members to provide content for periodic newsletters, advertisements and marketing pieces designed to support the development program;

·  Demonstrate sober, professional conduct at all times while representing TREE Fund on the job, most especially when traveling, speaking or appearing on behalf of TREE Fund at events which may blur lines between social and professional relationships;

·  Perform other related duties as requested.

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

·  A full embrace of TREE Fund’s mission and a willingness to serve as a public champion for it;

·  A bachelor’s degree in business, nonprofit management, organizational development, public affairs and policy, or other related fields that provide demonstrated grounding in public funding principles, philanthropy, and the effective management of nonprofit organizations;

·  A minimum of three years experience in relevant nonprofit development work, with special preference given for major gift, planned gift, corporate, or foundation fundraising experience, and less preference given to special event fundraising experience;

·  Demonstrated experience in managing the full development cycle from prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, and have proven ability to make strong and effective fundraising asks of individuals, corporations, government entities and foundations, in both oral and written formats;

·  Strong interpersonal, public speaking and writing skills, including a willingness and ability to travel, build external relationships, initiate and schedule donor visits, make fundraising calls, and personally ask for gifts in a timely fashion;

·  Demonstrated understanding of philanthropic theory and practice in managing nonprofit operations with first focus on the charitable mission, not on retail sales-driven metrics;

·  Demonstrated proficiency in common current office technology systems (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) to empower self-sufficiency in communications

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL QUALIFICATIONS:

·  Advanced degree or accredited professional certification in academic or professional fields directly related to nonprofit management and fundraising;

·  Experience with Blackbaud Raisers’ Edge and other related applications at a level that would support query writing, gift processing, and an ability to make systemic recommendations on future gift processing practices;

·  Experience in creating marketing materials, social media and advertising campaigns as part of a public relations strategy;

·  Experience in the grant-making side of the nonprofit sector, especially in developing requests for proposals and the solicitation, evaluation and award processes for grants, especially in an organization using WizeHive or other similar grant management platforms.

OFFICE, COMPENSATION AND WORK EXPECTATIONS:

·  TREE Fund celebrates personal and professional diversity, and considers applicants for all positions without regard to gender, race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, political affiliation, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

·  Compensation will be commensurate with demonstrated experience and set on a fair and equitable basis with both local market norms and other team members’ compensation; TREE Fund offers subsidized employee healthcare benefits and a 403b matching program, among other benefits; no relocation benefits will be provided;

·  TREE Fund’s offices are small and collegial, and require an ability to work constructively, respectfully, and collaboratively in close proximity with other team members, while engaging in normal office activities such as sitting, standing, speaking on the phone and in meetings, listening, and occasional lifting or moving of objects up to 25 pounds; reasonable accommodations may be made for those requiring them in any of these areas;

·  The Development Manager (Major Gifts) will likely spend ~75% of his/her time in the Naperville office, ~15% of his/her time on local travel outside the office (e.g. no overnight stays or flights), and ~10% of his/her time on travel outside the office and market, involving overnight stays and air travel; travel outside the market will typically be scheduled far enough in advance to not adversely or abruptly impede family or personal time;

TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION:

·  NO UNSOLICATED CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED from candidates, and such calls will be considered detrimental to your candidacy should you make them.

·  Submit your resume with a cover letter to: ; review of submitted materials will commence immediately.

·  Your cover letter should explain why TREE Fund’s mission appeals to you and why you think your professional experience meets our desired profile for this position.

·  All applications will be considered under the strictest of confidence and references will be neither sought nor solicited without your specific, documented concurrence.

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