Senior Manager, Major Gifts

The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities. To achieve our mission, we partner with diverse allies around the world to drive positive change across global supply chains and in many of our most critically important natural landscapes.

Our alliance spans 70 countries and includes farmers and forest communities, companies, governments, civil society, and millions of individuals. Together we work to protect forests  and biodiversity, take action on climate, and promote the rights and improve the livelihoods of rural people.

As an international nonprofit organization with more than 30 years of experience in sustainability transformation, we understand that the social and economic well-being of rural communities is tightly connected to ecosystem health. This knowledge has shaped our rigorous programs to advance sustainable land-use and commodity production.

At the Rainforest Alliance we combat climate change, protect forests and biodiversity, promote human rights, and improve livelihoods. The enormity of the social and environmental challenges we are facing requires working together in a broad alliance. This is why we bring farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers together to change the way the world produces, sources, and consumes.

Why

To protect nature and improve lives it’s becoming increasingly urgent that we approach the way we use our land and produce food and other products in more sustainable ways. For this to succeed we need to fundamentally change the way that businesses operate and source, and the choices we all make as consumers.

How

Our growing global alliance aims to transform our relationship with our natural resources and each other, to create a better future for people and nature together.

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.

Position summary:

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Philanthropy, the Senior Manager, Major Gifts role will manage a portfolio of Major Donors, working to quickly expand our scope of funding sources particularly in the West Coast region of the United States. Additionally, they will manage two gift officers, focusing on individuals, family foundations, and donor-advised funds. This role will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, project management skills, and ability to collaborate across departments.

Responsibilities: 

The Rainforest Alliance’s Core Values are Impact, Change, Collaboration, Openness and Trust and as such they form the basis of the behaviours we demonstrate. The following are the responsibilities that fall under this role:

Portfolio Management & Strategy

• Working alongside select Board members and Ambassadors Circle members, this role will raise the Rainforest Alliance’s profile on the West Coast of the United States specifically;
• Build and manage a portfolio of 75 donors and prospects;
• Secure major gifts at the $25,000 to $1M level with the goal of building a $1.5M portfolio after 3 years;
• With the full support of the Fundraising Operations team, implement a moves management system for this portfolio, including: identification & qualification through research, cultivation, briefing, request for support, and prompt follow up, stewardship, and recognition.
• Prepare donor/prospect meeting briefings and event briefings for Leadership Team and Board members, specifically within the Development and Nominating & Governance Committees;
• Utilize systems and software to track and cultivate donors and prospects, including our donor database and wealth screening tools;
• Regularly provide analysis and reports to team members, senior leadership and board members;

Team Management

• Manage a Senior Associate, Family Foundations and a Manager, Major Gifts – East Coast. Responsibilities include mentoring and evaluating; guiding professional development opportunities; and addressing employee relations issues;
• Serve as an integral position for the department, identify strengths and effective collaboration opportunities across the organization, and highlight area for growth;

Qualifications: 

• College degree or equivalent experience;
• 5+ years of experience in Development preferred, with an emphasis on West Coast fundraising;
• Team player with an affinity for building close, effective working relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders;
• Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills; 
• Flexible and works well under tight deadlines; 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and demonstrated experience in development; database, preferably Salesforce;
• Takes initiative, self-motivated, resourceful, strong attention to detail; 
• Experience in a not-for-profit and international environment preferred;
• Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects and using project management tools;
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally and domestically;

Salary: Commensurate with experience.

Job Level: 2A

Location: California, United States

Deadline: April 9th, 2023

Notes: Only candidates authorized to work in the USA will be considered.

If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: recruitment@ra.org