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’S 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 $100,000 – $115,000 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 Director of Major Giving (DMG) who will be responsible for identifying, cultivating relationships, and soliciting current and prospective major gift donors ($5,000+). This involves researching prospects and developing effective cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies. The Director of Major Giving will manage a donor portfolio of 120-150 donors/prospects.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The Director of Major Giving (DMG) will report to the Chief of Philanthropy and work closely with other staff in the development and communication teams. 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, and once a year out of state. The DMG meets with donors and attends events in the Bay Area and the Santa Cruz mountains on Sempervirens Fund protected land and In California State Parks.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

●       Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of 120-150 current donors and prospects with the capacity to make gifts of $5,000 and above

●       Make direct, face-to-face solicitations, and assist the board and other staff with their solicitations. (e.g., provide portfolio development support, strategic counsel, and help with donor communications)

●       Actively participate in regular major gift prospect strategy sessions and engage with other
members of the fundraising team to identify potential collaborative strategies

●       Create and implement individualized cultivation/stewardship/solicitation plans for each
donor within their portfolio

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

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

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

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

●       Research donor prospects and produce donor solicitation briefs

●       Create donor gift proposal documents and other donor collateral, as needed

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

COMPETENCIES

·        Three to five years of progressively challenging fundraising experience that demonstrates
strategic thinking and solicitation strategies and behavior, or comparable experience

·        Proven track record of building strong donor relationships, closing major gifts in the five-
and six-figure range, as well as expertise in prospect “moves management” systems

·        Exceptionally strong communicator and writer, with strategic thinking, analytical skills and
attention to detail

·        Strong interpersonal, listening, verbal, and public speaking skills

·        Outstanding stewardship and relationship management skills

·        Great relationship builder who understands how to motivate donors and internal stakeholders

·        Work from home, with once-a-month travel to in-person staff meetings, and occasional travel to the Santa Cruz Mountains area for donor meetings and events once a week. Some weekend and evening work may occasionally be required (once a year).

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

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

·        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 $100,000 to $115,000.

·        Great benefits including:

• 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.