As Development Manager, you will manage a fundraising campaign that builds financial resources for a significant expansion of Potomac Conservancy’s programs, accelerating successes for cleaner water and a healthier Potomac River. You will oversee and support the activities of multiple campaign leaders, Potomac Conservancy Board Members, the President, and key staff members. You will also oversee the smooth and professional handling of donations, an essential element of Potomac Conservancy’s fundraising operation. The Development Manager ensures all donations are recorded, properly inputted into the donor database, acknowledged in a timely manner, and that donation management follows gift processing protocols.

As a member of the Potomac Conservancy team, you will play a key role in our mission to protect the Potomac River and ensure clean water for all in our community.

This position reports to the Vice President of Development and enjoys the teamwork of four development professionals as well as close collaboration with the President. The person in this role will work hand in hand with Potomac Conservancy’s board members, committed donors, and staff. This can be a remote or hybrid role; the office is in Silver Spring, MD. Around one-third of the hours are to be worked in person at the office in Silver Spring, Maryland and the rest of the time may appropriate for remote/home-office work. When necessary, it will be important to attend meetings in person or online during business hours.

*This is a full-time position. It is also advertised as two part-time positions with one role focusing on the campaign initiatives and the other on management of donations

Founded in 1993, Potomac Conservancy is a nationally accredited land trust and clean water leader in the Potomac River region. Our mission is to restore the Potomac to full health for the five million people who rely on the river for drinking water and outdoor enjoyment. We improve water quality through land conservation strategies that reduce polluted runoff and strengthen our community’s natural defenses against the climate crisis. Our passionate movement of 30,000 supporters empowers us to protect and restore streamside forests, pass water protection laws, and conserve shoreline habitats. The Conservancy is empowered by community support; 64% of the organization’s funding comes from individuals, including around 3,000 active members.

 

 Leadership Support for Campaign Outreach (40%)

  • Support all campaign activities with research, materials, and background material and presentations to prepare Potomac Conservancy President and staff leads for discussions about the plans for and progress toward the campaign’s goals.
  • Lead and prepare materials for weekly strategy calls to maintain campaign momentum.
  • Research and document opportunities to expand the donor community supporting Potomac Conservancy’s mission.
  • Track results, maintaining an established protocol for recording gifts.
  • Run meetings of volunteer leaders, engaging them in progress toward the goals they set together with appropriate materials, and talking points, and running regular checkups with the team to ensure timelines and goals are met.
  • Prepare presentations on Potomac Conservancy’s strategies and progress for several audiences, including Potomac Conservancy’s board of directors.
  • Create acknowledgement and update drafts for donors.

Donor Experience Stewardship (25%)

  • Manage the donation acknowledgment process by writing, editing, and regularly refreshing acknowledgement letters.
  • Prepare acknowledgement letters for mailing at least twice a month, handling a large volume of mail assembly at various times of the year.
  • Identify when donor stewardship would be well served by personal outreach or special communications from others on the team.
  • Analyze donor trends, and initiate improvements for fundraising and donor stewardship.
  • Update protocols and operate data cleaning processes to ensure continual improvement and reflect best practices.

Donation Processing (25%)

  • Track, input, and code all donations (check, credit card, electronic fund transfer, stock, and workplace giving) in the donor database.
  • Deposit donations weekly using a secure office scanner or at the bank.
  • Manage gift documentation.
  • Maintain and create gift coding systems to make databased donation information accessible.
  • Create reports for fundraising initiatives, mailings, and campaigns using the donor database.
  • Coordinate with finance team to ensure accurate reporting of all donations.

Organization Team Support (10%)

  • Support implementation of the Potomac Conservancy Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice plan by participating in discussions and periodically co-leading whole team learning sessions.
  • Assist with special projects and events as time is available, such as volunteer or fundraising events
  • Attend all-staff gatherings four times/year – strategy discussions, and four board meetings a year.
  • Co-create messaging for Potomac Conservancy audiences, in partnership with the leads in communications and fundraising.

Qualifying Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities ++

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in education, training, or experience.

  • Experience with nonprofit initiatives and/or fundraising.
  • At least two years of project management, volunteer management, office management, or customer service management experience, showing progressive responsibilities.
  • At least two years of data entry or other data organizing or customer service management experience, showing progressive responsibilities.
  • Excellent written communication capabilities.
  • Confident speaking skills and ability to lead groups through a set of discussions or activities.
  • Strong organizational skills.
  • Accuracy and attention to detail.
  • Aptitude for analyzing a problem, and then formulating and proposing a logical solution.
  • Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
  • Prioritization skills and confidence to recognize changes in priorities, think independently, and recommend or make decisions.
  • Proficiency with MS Office programs including MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel.

Additional – Preferred, not Required Skills and Abilities

  • Database experience. We use EveryAction, a model similar to most donor databases.
  • Passion for our environment and for making our community a healthy and rewarding place to live.

++This position uses a wide variety of skills. We encourage you to apply if you think you would be a good fit, even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications.

Compensation, Benefits, and Location

  • The salary range is $55,000 to $57,000 a year.
  • This position enjoys the potential for hybrid work with in-office work in our Silver Spring, MD office but could also be done with a remote work schedule with the exception of in-person meetings.
  • Potomac Conservancy prioritizes adaptive scheduling to accommodate for work-life balance.
  • Benefits include medical and dental coverage, with 80% of premiums covered by the Conservancy.
  • 18 days paid time off, 11 holidays, and 3 floating personal holidays per year.
  • Half-day Fridays in July and August are time off, as well as a one week ‘end-of-year’ break.
  • Work and learning benefits include outdoor and learning excursions with the full staff team three times a year and summer Friday afternoons off when the office is shut.
  • Travel reimbursement for work-related trips (other than work in the Silver Spring office).
  • Working with bright, fun coworkers and interacting with a supportive board of directors.

To Apply

Email a cover letter and resume to Mary Vasse at vasse@potomac.org with “Development Manager full-time” in the subject line. The position will remain open until filled with priority given to applications arriving before October 15. Potomac Conservancy is an equal-opportunity employer.

We recognize the environmental movement has not been an inclusive one and has a history of excluding historically discriminated communities — including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other communities that have been historically excluded from the environmental movement.