The Advancement Director is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic vision and management of SELT’s vibrant and successful fundraising and donor engagement programs. This position leads efforts to secure the philanthropic resources necessary to advance the organization’s mission by leading major gifts, planned giving, and place-based capital campaigns, overseeing membership programs, and collaborating on foundation and corporate relations. The Advancement Director works closely with the Executive Director, Board members, and staff to deepen donor relationships and grow philanthropic support of SELT.

SELT has set the ambitious goal to increase participation among the general and major donor pool by 50% by the year 2030 to support the visionary Strategic Plan. In addition, SELT anticipates launching a comprehensive campaign in the next 2-3 years. These endeavors, including contracting professional counsel to advise SELT on growth and campaign strategies, will be led by the Advancement Director.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy and Leadership

• Develop, manage, and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with SELT’s organizational goals.
• Set annual engagement and revenue targets; track and report progress regularly.
• Partner with the Executive Director, Leadership Team, and Board to foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization and SELT’s donor community.

Leadership and Major Gifts

• Lead SELT’s major gift program (SELTie Conservation Circle), identifying and engaging high-potential donors to build long-term relationships that result in significant contributions to support SELT’s annual operations, land conservation projects, and select programs.
• Manage and grow a personal portfolio of major donors; regularly solicit and secure gifts in the four- to seven-figure range.
• Support the Executive Director’s cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation of major donors through the development and management of a portfolio, strategy development, material and donor visit preparation, and regular donor outreach.
• Design and manage capital campaigns, major fundraising initiatives, and micro-campaigns, as needed, for place-based conservation priorities such as Merrymeeting Clean Forever, coordinating across departments and with consultants as needed.
• Manage Advancement’s extensive operations, including two direct reports, to meet ambitious annual and project-based goals.
• Lead Salesforce platform strategy, including overseeing donor data management analyzing metrics, and reporting on donor giving trends to course correct as needed and refine strategy to increase impact.

Planned Giving

• Continue to grow SELT’s planned giving program (Conservation Legacy Society) to secure increased long-term support.
• Understand simple and complex planned giving vehicles to educate and inform donors of the options to support SELT while meeting personal estate planning needs.
• Recognize and steward relationships with donors who have made planned gifts.
• Identify and cultivate new planned giving prospects to secure gifts at the 5 – 7-figure range as part of major donor portfolio management.
• Engage with professional advisors (e.g., estate planners, financial advisors) to support planned gift arrangements.
• Develop and manage planned giving events and marketing materials to raise awareness about estate gift options among donors and external professionals such as realtors, CPAs, and financial advisors.

Membership Program and Foundation Support

• Oversee administration of SELT’s membership program, including appeals, communications, and events to deepen member engagement. Ensure a seamless integration of membership efforts with overall fundraising strategy.
• Plan and implement membership growth strategies to help SELT achieve a 50% increase in its donor base by 2030.
• In collaboration with the Outreach and Education Director, identify and pursue foundation funding opportunities; maintain select institutional donor relationships.

Strategic Leadership and Team Management

• Serve on the Leadership Team, contributing to strategic planning, organizational development, and operational decision-making.
• Supervise advancement staff and consultants, fostering a collaborative and results-driven work culture.
• Support Board committees related to fundraising and development and engage Board members in donor cultivation and solicitation efforts.
• Conduct fundraising practices in accordance with the Donor Bill of Rights and to the highest ethical standards to gain and maintain the trust of SELT’s supporters.
• Ensure compliance with applicable Land Trust Alliance Standards

Key Qualifications, Skills and Competencies

• Deep commitment to SELT’s mission and a passion for land conservation and the natural world.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, including major gifts, planned giving, and capital campaigns.
• Proven track record of securing six- and seven-figure gifts from both new and established donors.
• Deep expertise in donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship best practices.
• Strategic thinker with a track record of developing successful and engaging fundraising initiatives.
• Experience cultivating and developing relationships and community-based partnerships with people of a variety of socioeconomic and political backgrounds.
• Experience supervising staff, leading teams, and motivating volunteers in a collaborative, high achieving environment.
• Exceptional interpersonal, relationship-building, and communication skills.
• Ability to present an organization to a broad audience and speak publicly and engagingly about its vision, mission, initiatives, and impact.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and the strategic, data-driven use of donor management systems (Salesforce experience ideal); familiarity with fundraising analytics tools.
• Background in land conservation, environmental nonprofits, or related sectors is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., fundraising, communications, business); Master’s degree preferred.

Compensation
The Director of Advancement position has a salary of $125,000+ commensurate with experience. Benefits package includes health insurance plan; long-term and short-term disability insurance; NH paid family and medical leave; employer match to 403(b)(7) retirement plan; and paid vacation, sick time, and holidays. Free solar-powered EV charging is available on site for SELT employees.

To express interest in the position, please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence here. For more information, please visit www.developmentguild.com.

The Donor Engagement Manager plays a key role in supporting the organization’s fundraising and donor engagement efforts, including the strategic goal of increasing SELT’s donor base and SELTie Circle donors by 50% by 2030. As the primary manager of data and information related to our donors, the Donor Engagement Manager administers the organization’s database within Salesforce Nonprofit Service Pack, coordinates and implements membership and annual giving campaigns as well as place-based campaigns, and provides strategic and administrative support to the Advancement team for the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors. The ideal candidate is highly organized, data-driven, and comfortable balancing relationship-based fundraising with systems management and execution. This full-time position is part of the Advancement team working closely with the Executive Director and Advancement Director. The ideal candidate will have nonprofit development experience, strong communication skills, and a customer service focus.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Data Management (30-40%)

• Work closely with gift entry staff to ensure data integrity, gift accuracy, and adherence to data standards so that data is accessible and serves the needs of the organization
• Serve as the primary administrator for the organization’s database (Salesforce Lightning - NonProfit Service Pack), including user setup, roles, profiles, permission sets, and workflow
• Design and deploy customizations, such as page layouts, picklists, custom fields, and application integrations (Fundraise Up and Give Lively)
• Build and deploy dashboards and reports and train users to develop their own reports and dashboards
• Conduct queries and generate lists for SELT’s mailings, meetings, and events
• Develop and maintain system documentation, training materials, and support resources; provide training and guidance to existing and new staff
• Identify areas for database improvement, enhancement, and automation to improve workflows and productivity, and work with consultants to implement
• Serve as the primary Salesforce support contact for the Advancement, Outreach, and Finance team

Membership & Annual Campaign (25-30%)

• Coordinate and implement the organization’s membership program, Evergreen monthly giving program, annual giving campaign, and place-based campaigns, including direct mail and digital appeals as well as renewal, lapsed, and acquisition strategies
• Execute campaign timelines, segmentation, messaging coordination, and performance tracking
• Monitor giving trends and donor retention, and prepare regular reports, analysis, and recommendations
• Collaborate with Senior Communications Advisor and vendors to execute campaigns
• Track and analyze donor engagement by considering the full donor profile including volunteerism, event attendance, and contribution history

Major Giving Program (20-30%)

• Work with the Advancement Director to develop and implement an annual series of exciting events that inspire, engage, and cultivate SELT’s major donors (SELTie Circle members) and prospective donors
• Provide support to Advancement Director and Executive Director to allow them to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors, including conducting research and preparing donor profiles, briefing materials, solicitation proposals, and acknowledgement letters
• Coordinate meetings, acknowledgements, and stewardship activities for major donors
• Maintain accurate major donor records by updating contact, account information, and touch points, including tracking major gift activity, moves management, and follow-up tasks

General Support (5-10%)

• Contribute to overall advancement strategy and continuous improvement to SELT’s processes
• Attend organization’s major annual events (Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Annual Meeting, State of SELT, Volunteer Appreciation Event, and Trailfest)
• Provide backup coverage for gifts entry, thank you letter creation, and front desk (processing mail, answering phones, talking to visitors) as needed (occasional)
• Assist with other duties as may be assigned

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, or related field
• 2+ years experience administering or managing data in Salesforce
• The ideal candidate will have a strong working knowledge of the core responsibilities listed in the Donor Data Management section above, plus either experience in the core responsibilities listed in Membership & Annual Campaign section OR in Major Gift Program section
• Ability to translate needs of colleagues and the organization into actionable data and reports from the database
• Highly organized and systems-minded with strong attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Relationship-oriented and donor-centered, with strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working with Microsoft Office 365 including Sharepoint, Excel, and Outlook
• Commitment to SELT’s mission and values, including a passion for land conservation and stewardship

Preferred

• Salesforce Administrator certification or willingness to obtain certification
• Experience supporting major gift fundraising or moves management
• Knowledge of nonprofit fundraising best practices and donor stewardship

Compensation
Competitive salary commensurate with level of directly relevant experience, with a starting range of
$62,000 to $70,000. Benefits package includes health insurance plan; long-term and short-term disability insurance; NH paid family and medical leave; employee match to 403(b)(7) retirement plan; and paid vacation, sick time, and holidays. Free solar-powered EV charging is available on site for SELT employees.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please email a resume and cover letter (both in PDF format) to Human resources at careers@seltnh.org with “Donor Engagement Manager” and your name in the subject line. No phone calls please.