Senior Director of Principal Gifts - Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C.   

Position Summary   

NRDC is seeking a skilled Senior Director of Principal Gifts to join its National Principal Gifts team to increase leadership gifts from family foundations and ultra-high-net-worth individuals in the US. 

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Principal, Institutional and Major Giving, the Senior Director of Principal Gifts will execute prospecting and renewal strategies across the US (at least 20% travel is expected) with the goal of growing leadership support for NRDC’s work. In collaboration with the Principal Gifts team, which includes a Director of Principal Gifts Operations, Associate Director, Grant Manager, two writers, and a program assistant, this position will manage a portfolio of NRDC donors and prospects who are capable of giving $5M+.  

The Senior Director of Principal Gifts will work with a diverse range of development and program staff, including senior leadership, advocates, scientists, and litigators, as well as our Membership, Planned Giving, NRDC Action Fund and E2 teams. This position may have management responsibilities as the team grows in the years ahead.  

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a portfolio of approximately 20 individuals with the capacity to give at the seven and eight figure levels.    
• Partner with and support NRDC’s leadership with respect to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts, using their time and talents appropriately; ensure their effectiveness as representatives of NRDC.
• Collaborate with leadership to implement cultivation and stewardship strategy, including developing new concepts to attract large philanthropic investments.
• Collaborate with research to identify new prospects.
• Lead the planning of leadership visits for donor meetings in collaboration with the Principal Gifts team, President’s Office, and Development leadership.
• Contribute to the creation of fundraising materials and regular communication that will resonate with top philanthropists.
• Develop tailored proposals for high-net-worth individuals and family foundations, ensuring alignment with NRDC’s mission and priorities.
• Develop and maintain expert familiarity with programmatic needs, budgets, and institutional priorities.    
• Adeptly manage Salesforce and other processes for your portfolio, such as tracking donor gift projections and list management.   
• Collaborate with NRDC Action Fund to deploy effective fundraising tactics to raise non-deductible 501(c)4 funding.   
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications

The Senior Director of Principal Gifts must be a highly skilled major gifts fundraiser with a track record of successfully and strategically identifying, cultivating, and stewarding donors with capacity to give seven to eight-figure gifts. Other desired skills and qualifications include:    

• Commitment to NRDC mission and values  
• 10+ years of fundraising experience with a proven track record of successfully and strategically identifying, cultivating, and stewarding principal gift prospects and donors. 
• Experience developing proposals for high-net-worth individuals and family foundations.
• Eagerness to pursue new potential high-net-worth supporters with significant capacity. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Familiarity with high-net-worth philanthropic communities.
• Collaborative and inclusive approach to inter- and intra-departmental work. 
• Professional demeanor when interfacing with NRDC donors and senior staff members.
• Willingness to travel 20%.    
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience with political or 501(c)4 fundraising a plus.
• Experience with advocacy or environmental groups a plus.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is essential. 

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $200,000 to $230,000.  

Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, and we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues. We call this purposeful presence. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.