Director of Philanthropy

Position Details 

• Employment type: Full time; exempt 

• Compensation: $105,000 - $120,000 

• Benefits: Includes employer-paid medical/dental/vision insurance, 3% Simple IRA match, 12 sick days per year, 12 holidays, and vacation starting at 3 weeks per year (increasing to 5 weeks over six years). Sabbatical offered after 8 years. 

• Location: Seattle (hybrid) - 1-2 days per week in the office. Some nights, weekends, and travel within Washington are required. 

Position Summary: 

The Director of Philanthropy has primary responsibility for all fundraising activities. The position oversees strategy, planning, management, and directing all fundraising activities for the organization 

Responsibilities: 

Organizational Capacity Building and Strategy 

• Partner closely with the Executive Director, the Senior Director of Finance and Operations, and the Board ensuring fundraising approaches align with organizational values, equity commitments, and community relationships. 

• Balance revenue growth with organizational health by building realistic plans that prioritize staff sustainability, donor trust, and long-term relationships. 

• Lead the development of an annual fundraising plan and strategy in collaboration with Board and staff, that reflects organizational priorities reflected in the annual budget and workplan. 

• Actively promote a culture of philanthropy amongst staff and board, with a vision to strengthen and deepen donor and member engagement. 

• Seek to embed community-centric fundraising principles into CNW’s fundraising strategy, policies, systems, and team culture. 

Team Management  

• Oversee the three pillars (Institutional Giving, Major Giving, Events) of the Philanthropy team and all activities to achieve annual fundraising goals of $4M+ 

• Serve on Conservation Northwest’s senior leadership team and provide monthly updates to leadership and the board 

• Draft and manage the Philanthropy budget  

• Oversee management of and facilitate improvements to fundraising systems (such, but not limited to, as Salesforce, GoFundMe Pro, Double the Donation, Active Campaign, Wealth Engine, Freewill, etc.) 

• Collaborate with Finance to ensure reconciliation between Salesforce and Quickbooks and coordinate revenue reporting to Finance and to the board. 

Individual Giving 

• Develop, implement, and/or support donor recruitment and stewardship communications (direct mail, email campaigns, social media, etc.) 

• Oversee community level donor strategy and stewardship  

• Create strategies to identify and secure new individual supporters, fully leverage existing relationships, and increase annual and planned giving. 

• Lead creation of the annual report 

• Support major gift stewardship, including donor letters, events and annual appeals  

• Lead planned giving strategy, including partnership with FreeWill, and settlement of realized bequests and estate gifts. 

• Coordinate with Communications Director on external communication strategy and content 

• Maintain a mature portfolio of donors and work closely with the Board to cultivate giving from prospective supporters. 

Events 

• Oversee strategy, planning, and day-of-event engagement for our annual auction and dinner.  

• Collaborate and think strategically with the Philanthropy team to re-envision and implement donor engagement and fundraising events throughout the year. 

Institutional Giving 

• Collaborate with Philanthropy Partnerships Manager on grant research, writing/editing, reporting, compliance, tracking and strategy with institutional funders (foundations, corporate, and government) 

• Support the cultivation of new foundation, agency and other grant funding prospects. 

• Cultivate and steward relationships with company partners for non-grant giving (1% for the Planet, sponsorships, etc.) 

Desired Qualifications 

Conservation Northwest recognizes that successful applicants may have a variety of backgrounds that do not perfectly match the desired qualifications. Candidates that align with a majority of the job description and have an aptitude and interest in acquiring new skills or experience are encouraged to apply.  

• 7-10 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience with at least 3+ years in a leadership or management role 

• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach and inspire a development team 

• Demonstrated success in developing and managing a pipeline of donors, including individuals, corporations, foundations and community partners 

• Strong ability to use data and metrics to drive decision-making, forecasting, segmentation, and portfolio management 

• Experience with capital campaigns or multi-year fundraising initiatives 

• Familiarity with CRM systems, preferably experience with Salesforce 

• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey mission impact compellingly 

• Ability to develop deep, trust‑based relationships with donors, community leaders, and institutional partners  

• Strong public-facing presence; comfort with representing the organization at events, meetings, and donor engagements 

• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and uphold ethical fundraising standards 

• Mission-driven, collaborative, strategic thinker 

• Results-oriented, with a high degree of initiative and follow‑through 

• Comfort working in a dynamic, evolving nonprofit environment 

• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and community-centered fundraising practices