The Foundations Officer will be responsible for the effective, strategic development and management of relationships for a portfolio of foundations, including the successful cultivation and solicitation of five to seven figure gifts that provide significant support for EDF to carry out its mission.
This position is part of Institutional Giving within EDF’s Development Department. The Development Department raises 90% of EDF’s $100M+ budget annually. The Institutional Giving team is responsible for raising about half of the department’s revenue. This position may be located in one of the following EDF office locations: New York City, Austin, Raleigh or San Francisco.
The Foundations Officer reports to the Director of Institutional Giving, located in New York, NY.
Key Responsibilities
- Working closely with program and development staff, raise $1 million plus annually from donors – primarily foundations – across the country to support the work of EDF.
- Identify, cultivate, solicit and strategically manage a portfolio of donors, primarily foundations, including a strong emphasis on pro-actively managing donor relationships.
- Effectively represent, in both written and oral communications, a wide array of regional, national, and global environmental programs to inspire donors to support EDF.
- Conduct a range of development activities including the preparation of proposals, reports and other communications to donors, and maintain accurate donor and revenue information in management databases.
- Work effectively with development staff in New York and in other EDF offices.
- Assist other development officers on special projects or efforts that contribute to the organization’s development goals.
- Co-manage a development administrative assistant.
Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
- A minimum of five years of demonstrated success in non-profit fundraising, including strong track record of securing large gifts from foundations; additional experience raising major gifts is preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and computer literacy, including Word, Excel, and donor management databases.
- Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage an administrative assistant and the ability to work effectively across long distances from other project participants.
- The ability to work both as a strong team player and independently, as a self-starter.
- Outstanding interpersonal and public speaking skills.
- The ability to travel frequently.
- The ability to work with frequent interruptions and handle multiple tasks and a demanding work load with grace and humor.
- An understanding of and commitment to EDF’s mission.
Term
This is a full-time, permanent position, starting immediately.
Compensation
Compensation is commensurate with experience.
Application
Interested applicants should submit their cover letter, resume and salary requirements to jobs@edf.org. Due to the volume of employment applications and queries received, EDF is unable to respond to each application individually. Applicants will be contacted directly if selected as a candidate.
Environmental Defense Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer