Region Director of Philanthropy - California

Trust for Public Land•Los Angeles, CA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is seeking an entrepreneurial and results-oriented individual with proven leadership experience to serve as the California Region Director of Philanthropy. This role is part of the Advancement team and is responsible for leading the fundraising strategy for the California Program. The Director will manage a team of six staff and work closely with philanthropy and programmatic leadership across the organization, particularly the Pacific Region Vice President and CA State Director. The position requires a commitment to high-quality work, the ability to work independently and collaboratively, and the capacity to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. The Region Director will also collaborate with various internal teams, including Center for Community Impact, Finance, Marketing, Philanthropy Operations, Philanthropy Programs, and Gift Planning, to integrate an organization-wide philanthropy program.

Requirements

Minimum ten+ years of fundraising experience, including direct major gift solicitations.
Experience supervising philanthropy staff, ideally in multiple geographies.
Ability to organize and motivate others, including direct reports, peers, and volunteers.
Demonstrated understanding of best practices across all disciplines of fundraising (institutional giving, working with volunteers, major gifts, planned giving, etc.).
Experience in planning, leading, and managing action plans, campaigns, and projects, including coordinating with peers to achieve desired outcomes, tracking and reporting on progress to management.
Demonstrated ability to build a team with a variety of disciplines and departments.
The ability to train non-philanthropy staff in the discipline of fundraising as appropriate.
Strong skills in creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications for fundraising.
The ability to convey complex ideas via presentations, e-mails and face to face communications.
The ability to work with others to reach common goals and objectives.
Experience establishing and cultivating strong relationships with staff and ability to use good judgment, take initiative, and make recommendations.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, along with organizational skills and attention to detail.
Demonstrated ability to utilize database tools to manage donors and build fundraising strategies.
Available for significant, independent travel (up to 25%).
Carry a balanced portfolio of 75 prospects with the capacity to make 6-figure+ gifts and effectively move them through the four stages (qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship).
Make at least 60-80 visits with donors and prospects, annually.
Contribute to Philanthropy’s overall success by assuring budget and goals are met or exceeded in the state programs this position directly supervises.
Develop, implement, and follow up on the fulfillment of annual and long-range Region and State Philanthropy strategic plans.
Model TPL’s shared values (Belonging, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Hope) to effectively work across the organization.

Responsibilities

Manage a mixed portfolio of approximately 75 donors and prospects with an emphasis on major ($50K+) and principal gift ($1M+) individual donors, including donor visits, cultivation, stewardship, and solicitations.
Create comprehensive engagement strategies, lead cultivation teams, and spearhead the creation and delivery of solicitation and stewardship materials.
Promote blended gifts and planned giving, involving peer volunteers, leadership, senior management, and project staff in cultivation as needed.
Oversee the fundraising performance of programs reporting directly to the position, focusing on identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors.
Ensure the development of an annual philanthropy work plan, moves management plans for $100K+ donors, revenue forecasts, and annual/long-range fundraising goals.
Collaborate with the CA State Director and Field Program leadership to establish fundraising priorities.
Facilitate collaboration between California philanthropy and all areas of advancement and programs, providing consultation and coaching on effective strategies and best practices.
Identify and advocate for needed resources for the state program.
Resolve disputes and make decisions to ensure efficient, effective, and cohesive teams.
Deliver annual performance assessments.
Work with the State Director, Advisory Board Manager, and California Advisory Board Co-Chairs to sustain and grow the program’s Advisory Board, including member recruitment, directing fundraising efforts, and overseeing cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of board members to meet giving metrics.