ABOUT SEMPERVIRENS FUND (SVF)

Sempervirens Fund is California's first land trust. Since 1900, The Sempervirens Fund community has been passionate about protecting and permanently preserving redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains and promoting safe, welcome, and inclusive access to parks and public lands.

The habitats, waterways, and resiliency of the Santa Cruz Mountain region are at risk without healthy, connected coast redwood forests. Sempervirens Fund utilizes conservation and restoration, forged by foresight. Acre by protected acre, and with donor support, SVF purchases, restores, and safeguards redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains, ensuring they will never be developed, degraded, or destroyed.

Protecting the remaining old-growth redwoods and second-growth redwood forests relies on donor support, cutting-edge science, and robust and dynamic partnerships with public agencies and landowners, to ensure public parks and protected forests are unified into a resilient, protected, and thoughtfully managed system.

For more information, please visit https://sempervirens.org/.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

"Sempervirens Fund acknowledges that redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains are among the ancestral lands for many Indigenous Peoples who cared for these lands for millennia until they were forcibly removed. We are grateful to work with their descendants, including the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, to restore their cultural and traditional relationships to these magnificent lands." 

SEMPERVIRENS FUND COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE AND EQUITY

"We believe redwoods and their interconnected ecosystems should be accessible to all people. We acknowledge historical and systemic inequities–including the forcible removal of indigenous peoples from the lands we protect and the historic, systemic exclusion of people of color from land ownership. We envision a day when public spaces feel welcoming and safe for everyone. We align our actions to our commitments by reimagining power structures–ensuring that our leadership is diverse and reflective of the communities we serve. We hire and cultivate people with deep commitments to equity and justice, and we engage the communities most impacted by our decisions in the decision-making process. We are building a comprehensive strategy to bring the organization's commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) to life."

YOU ARE:

·        Passionate about protecting and preserving redwood forests

·        Motivated to bring a community together around this critical and shared vision

·        Enthusiastic about working in a dynamic, collegial, fun, and growing team

OPPORTUNITY HIGHLIGHTS:

·        Salary range is $75,000 - $80,000 per year

·        Great benefits (See details below)  

·        Opportunity to preserve and protect magnificent redwood forests

·        Opportunity to hike with donors in beautiful settings!

POSITION OVERVIEW

Sempervirens Fund seeks a Manager of Philanthropic Engagement (MPE) who will be responsible for identifying, cultivating relationships, and soliciting current and prospective mid-level gift donors ($1K-$5K). This involves researching prospects, making qualifying calls, and developing effective cultivation and stewardship strategies. Solicitations are developed in partnership with the Direct Response consultants.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The MPE will report to the Chief of Philanthropy and has a close working relationship with other staff. This is a full-time position. This position requires transportation and is hybrid, working remotely but attending in-person staff meetings once a month in the Bay Area. The MPE mostly engages with donors remotely and through events in the Bay Area and in the Santa Cruz mountains on Sempervirens Fund protected land, and In California State Parks.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify, cultivate, solicit (mostly in writing but some in-person), and steward current donors and prospects with the capacity to make gifts in the $1,000 - $5,000 range (mid-level donors)

• Work with the more than 600 donors who give between $1,000 - $5,000 and increase these annual donations, using moves management and other techniques

• Grow relationships with your portfolio donors with regular personal phone calls, mailings, emails, videos, and small events, including hikes and other outdoor events

• Work with the Director of Legacy and Tribute Giving to solicit donors for tribute gifts and identify legacy prospects

• In partnership with the Director of Major Gifts, help qualify major gift prospects to proactively cultivate for future gifts

• Maintain ongoing communication with the Philanthropy and Marketing team to ensure consistent brand messaging and solicitation activities with donors and prospects

• Work with the Manager of Annual Philanthropic Giving and consultants to manage the Direct Response mailings and emails to Mid-level donors, including importing and exporting data, and reviewing ask amounts

• Work with the team to plan and coordinate events as needed to accomplish fundraising goals.

• Research donor prospects and produce donor briefs as needed

• Occasionally, create donor gift proposal documents, as needed

• Achieve personal fundraising and activity goals monthly, quarterly, and annually and produce reports to track progress towards goals

COMPETENCIES

·        Two to three years of fundraising experience that demonstrates an ability to engage and connect with donors and strategize to increase annual individual donations (or comparable experience)

·        Ability to engage or connect with donors remotely via phone and zoom

·        Proven track record of building strong donor relationships

·        Strong communicator – in person and on the phone

·        Strong writer, with strategic thinking, analytical skills, and attention to detail

·        Outstanding stewardship and relationship management skills

·        Discipline, and ability to be a results-oriented self-starter

·        Ability to travel locally, regionally, and once a year, out of state.

o   Some weekend and evening work may occasionally be required

·        Technology competency, including knowledge of Microsoft 365, and experience with a fundraising CRM, Raiser's Edge preferred

·        Attention to confidentiality and discretion required

·        Passion for and commitment to the mission of Sempervirens Fund

SALARY RANGE

·        The salary range for this position is $75,000-$80,000 with full benefits.

·        Benefits include:

• Collaborative and supportive team environment

• Work-life balance culture

• Family-friendly policies

• Employer paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for the employee

• 13 paid holidays per year

• Three weeks’ vacation in the first year

• Twelve days paid sick leave per year

• Employer retirement plan match of 5% of annual salary for the first five years and then 8% after that

• Professional development

• Remote-from-home work environment

• Access to Regus co-working spaces

• Cell phone and home internet stipend

·        Opportunity to preserve and protect magnificent redwood forests

·        Opportunity to hike with donors in beautiful settings!

TO APPLY

To apply for this position, please send a copy of your resume with a cover letter to Victoria Silverman at apply@cooksilverman.com.

All applications and inquiries will receive a response and be kept strictly confidential.

Sempervirens Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer.