Sr. Manager, Leadership Giving & Impact (Philanthropy)

Location: This position will be a remote role based in Los Angeles Metro area 

To Apply: PLease submit resume & Cover letter by January 22^nd

General Description

The main objective for the Sr. Manager, Leadership Giving & Impact is to identify, qualify and solicit major gifts in Southern California in support of TWS’s strategic plan. 

The Sr. Manager, Leadership Giving & Impact will play a critical role in TWS’s comprehensive campaign by cultivating and expanding TWS’s major gift donor base in Southern California, a key donor market and center for our Southern California Mountains Landscape. This position is responsible for managing relationships and securing support from a portfolio of 100-125 major gift prospects and donors, defined as having capacity to make a gift of $100,000 or more over three years. Working in collaboration with the Director of Major Gifts and in coordination with department and program colleagues, the Sr. Manager, Leadership Giving & Impact will develop and execute strategies for qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship for major gifts.

This position plays an important role in supporting an inclusive organizational culture that is grounded in trust and accountability to shared goals and outcomes.  TWS has made diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic priorities for the organization and the Philanthropy Officer will integrate these priorities throughout our major gift work.  Across our team, we aspire to be campaign oriented, nimble, collaborative, innovative, transparent, and supportive of staff – our greatest asset. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Identifies, qualifies, cultivates, solicits and stewards a portfolio of 100-125 major donors and prospects.
• Participates fully in comprehensive campaign initiatives, including qualifying suspects identified by TWS’s wealth screening.
• Conducts 10-12 personal visits with prospects and donors per month, and initiates at least 15 strategic solicitations per year.
• Develops a regional revenue budget based on portfolio capacity, performance and program needs.
• Leverages volunteer opportunities and special events as individual cultivation and engagement tools.
• Participates on the Southern California Mountains Landscape Team, working with program colleagues to communicate our conservation vision to external audiences.
• Following a pilot launch of TWS’s Regional Advisory Committee in the Pacific Northwest (calendar year 2023), this position has an aspirational goal of launching a similar Advisory Committee in Southern California.
• Works in close collaboration with colleagues across philanthropy department and program to identify and engage donors with TWS programs, local and national, that align with donor interest.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience & Competencies

• Minimum 3 years experience in major gift fundraising.
• Proven ability to engage and develop support from high net worth philanthropists.
• Possesses a “generalist” toolkit and approach; comfortable understanding and synthesizing complex information across TWS’s program work.
• Strong collaborator with a track record of working with others from a wide diversity of backgrounds, skillsets and lived experiences. Comfortable with finding ways to upskill others.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills. Possesses ability to motivate volunteers and donors, and communicate with key program and executive staff. Demonstrated ability to use problem solving skills for resolving donor questions and issues.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize workload and meet deadlines in a busy work environment.
• Experience with donor database or customer relationship management systems to track gifts and ensure complete, secure, and private records. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.

Desired Characteristics

• Keen interest and/or experience in bringing an equity lens to major gift fundraising, including increasing the racial diversity of TWS’s major gift donor base.
• Continuously uses feedback and embodies a growth mindset to improve work product and personal development. Confident in giving and receiving feedback to other team members.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to adverse weather conditions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of experience, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.

The Wilderness Society offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance; sick and vacation leave; a sabbatical program; and a retirement plan.  TWS is an equal opportunity employer and actively works to ensure fair treatment of our employees and constituents across culture, socioeconomic status, race, marital or family situation, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, veteran status or sexual orientation.

TWS has instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all staff reporting to a TWS office or engaging in in-person work meetings.  There is an exception to the vaccine mandate for any staff who have an objection because of a medical or religious reason.  We will do our best to devise reasonable accommodation that respects your objection while balancing the competing demands of your specific position. 

As an organization, we aspire to being inclusive in the work that we do, and in the kind of organization we are.  Internally this means working as a team that listens to different points of view, recognizes the contributions of every employee and empowers each employee to bring their whole selves to work every day.  Externally this means ensuring that public lands are inclusive and welcoming, so that our shared wildlands can help people and nature to thrive.  We are committed to equity throughout our work, which we define as our commitment to realizing the promise of our public lands and ensuring that all can share in their universal benefits.

To learn more about our commitment, please see http://wilderness.org/our-commitment-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-wilderness-society