Director, Strategic Partnerships + Philanthropy

Eden•Murrieta, CA

8h•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Strategic Partnerships + Philanthropy leads fundraising and partnership efforts that secure early philanthropic capital for carbon project development, enabling critical feasibility work, project design, and community engagement before carbon credit revenue begins. The role translates technical milestones and community safeguards into compelling donor cases that unlock investment and accelerate climate and community impact. In close partnership with the Finance team, the Director also supports buyer/offtake discussions, blended-finance proposals, and corporate partnerships to align philanthropic and carbon-market funding strategies for maximum impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in a relevant field such as environmental science, climate/forestry, international development, business/finance, or nonprofit management.
Minimum of 5, preferably 8+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience, including managing $5M+ annual portfolios and securing major gifts, $1M+ grants, and partnerships for international conservation or climate initiatives.
Experience engaging foundations, corporate social responsibility programs, and high-net-worth donors is essential; experience cultivating specialized philanthropic channels, such as family offices, climate philanthropists, donor-advised funds, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, is highly desirable.
Proven experience with CRM / donor management systems, with a track record of leveraging data for strategic decision-making and ensuring data integrity across fundraising and related functions required.
Demonstrated familiarity with voluntary carbon markets and nature-based carbon projects strongly preferred.
Candidates without direct experience must quickly grasp technical concepts and communicate them clearly to funders and partners.
Experience working in entrepreneurial, high-growth, startup, or rapidly evolving environments, preferred.
Experience fundraising for international conservation, climate, development, or community-based programs in developing contexts, strongly preferred.
Consistently upholds the Ethos and conduct standards in all professional interactions.
Skilled at understanding climate finance, spotting opportunities and risks, and adjusting strategies as carbon market trends and donor interests change.
Able to connect with a wide range of individuals from varied backgrounds and cultures, interacting warmly and effectively in a respectful and engaging manner.
Proven written and verbal skills and able to craft compelling narratives linking donors to Eden’s work; excels in presentations and storytelling; able to communicate complex ideas in a manner relevant to the applicable audience.
Utilizes best-practice approaches to manage multiple funding initiatives and deadlines and competing priorities effectively.
Advanced proficiency with CRM and analytics tools; capable of managing data for multi-department use and driving data-informed fundraising strategies.
Builds trusts, engages donors, cultivates long-term relationships and networks effectively.
Able to creatively solve problems quickly and adjust to dynamic and high-pressure environments, adjusting tactics to increase impact.
Demonstrates consistent collegiality in working with other functional areas, offering mentorship and leading by example.
Demonstrated enthusiasm for Eden’s mission and Ethos; upholds and models high ethical and professional standards and organizational values in all interactions.
Must be eligible to work in country of residence.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree
Experience cultivating specialized philanthropic channels, such as family offices, climate philanthropists, donor-advised funds, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals
Candidates without direct experience must quickly grasp technical concepts and communicate them clearly to funders and partners.
Experience working in entrepreneurial, high-growth, startup, or rapidly evolving environments
Experience fundraising for international conservation, climate, development, or community-based programs in developing contexts

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a philanthropic fundraising strategy that supports early-stage carbon projects and organizational growth.
Build a diverse portfolio across foundations, individual donors, corporations, and climate funds to secure capital for project design, assessment, community engagement, and startup needs.
Identify and qualify new funding prospects through proactive outreach and strategic research; cultivate, and steward relationships to secure multi-year commitments and catalytic grants that bridge the multi-year gap to carbon credit revenues.
Create compelling proposals and pitch materials that translate carbon project details for donors, highlighting climate impact, community benefits, safeguards, and the catalytic value of early philanthropic support.
Provide timely progress updates, financial reports, and success stories to partners, showing measurable climate, community, and carbon outcomes.
Ensure transparency in fund usage and highlight how donor contributions drive future carbon credit revenues.
Represent Eden in climate finance and conservation forums, build partnerships with aligned organizations and private-sector actors, and advance philanthropic support for carbon projects.
Partner with Eden’s Finance team to shape carbon-market positioning, align philanthropic messaging with future revenue pathways, and support pitches for offtake, impact-investment, and blended-finance opportunities.
Translate project concepts into compelling narratives for corporate and impact audiences.
Support commercial partnerships by preparing investor and buyer materials, coordinating due diligence, tracking the partnership pipeline, and driving cross-functional follow-through on buyer and structured-finance activities.
Own fundraising pipeline management within the CRM, ensuring all opportunities, donor interactions, proposal submissions, reporting obligation, and forecasting information are maintained in real time.
Manage the full lifecycle of grants and philanthropic investments, including submissions, agreements, compliance, donor recognition, and timely delivery of funding requirements.
Coordinate with program and finance teams on reporting and accountability.
Coordinate with program and finance teams to align fundraising goals with project milestones, ensuring funding supports timely project progress.
Explore opportunities to blend philanthropic capital with other funding sources to maximize impact.
Contribute to organizational discussions on creative financing mechanisms to enhance project financial sustainability and risk mitigation.