National Park Foundation
About The Opportunity
On March 1, 1872, the United States
became the first country in the world to create a national park when it opened
Yellowstone. Today, Yellowstone is one of 400 national parks spanning the United
States and U.S. territories. These national parks tell America’s story. They
offer Americans the opportunity to experience nature, history, and culture; to
learn about biodiversity and the environment; and to engage with each other in
the great outdoors. Furthermore, they are becoming increasingly relevant as our
nation faces the challenges of reduced scientific literacy and decreased
physical activity among our youth.
Established
by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation, in partnership with the
National Park Service, is dedicated to enriching America’s national parks and
programs through private support, safeguarding our heritage, and inspiring
generations of national park enthusiasts. Although the National Park Service is
funded by an annual congressional appropriation, strong financial support from
the private sector is essential in order to protect and preserve our national
treasures and to develop new programs to enhance the visitor experience.
Government funding is limited to maintenance and operations, and as such
provides limited support of educational programs, restoration of habitat, and
protection of wildlife. In times of limited government resources and severe
budgetary constraints, public funding alone is insufficient.
The National Park Foundation is the
only national philanthropic organization that directly funds programs and
projects in our national parks that meet both immediate needs and long-term
initiatives. These national programs are aimed at promoting leadership and
innovation in conservation and preservation, educating youth and adults,
encouraging volunteerism, enhancing the park visitor experience, and connecting
diverse communities to our shared heritage. In the past five years alone,
nearly $60 million raised by the Foundation has been reinvested back into the
parks to support a myriad of preservation and educational projects.
In
2016, the National Park Service will celebrate a significant milestone –its 100th
anniversary. It will be a moment to celebrate and reflect, but most
importantly, an opportunity to re-introduce the American people to their
national parks. As the centennial of the National Park Service approaches, the
National Park Foundation is expanding its partnerships with national and local
corporations and foundations and individual park Friends groups in order to
significantly leverage private support for our national parks.
The
organization is seeking an experienced, energetic, and team oriented Director
of Major and Planned Giving to join the growing organization at this exciting,
pivotal moment in its history. This
position offers amazing opportunities for the successful candidate to make a
significant impact on the future of private philanthropy benefiting the
national parks. This individual will be
responsible for soliciting and closing major and planned gifts of $25,000 and
above, as well as contributing to the campaign for the 2016 National Park Service
Centennial celebration. The Director of
Major and Planned Giving should be a seasoned and proven fundraiser, strong
communicator, and collaborative leader who will be proactive in building the
donor base and supporting senior leadership in their fundraising efforts. This position will report directly to the
Vice President, Major and Planned Giving.
About the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation
The National Park
Service manages more than 400 national parks that span 84 million acres of
spectacular scenery, historic landmarks, and cultural treasures. More than 90
million unique visitors make 280 million visits to the parks annually. Nearly
three million K-12 students participate in in-park educational experiences and
several million more students participate via in-school programs, electronic
field trips, and online curricular tools for teachers.
The National Park
Foundation focuses on three important values: to advance, to provide, and to
empower. Building on vital cornerstones like community outreach, conservation,
stewardship, and education, the National Park Foundation is dedicated to raising
private sector resources to protect our national parks. The Foundation is dedicated to elevating
the value of national parks as recreational, cultural, ecological, and
educational resources.
The
Foundation has identified three current areas of focus to maximize impact:
The Foundation is dedicated to protecting,
conserving, and expanding treasured natural sites, habitats, and historic
structures so they may be experienced now and always. The Foundation will
continue to fund long-term improvement projects and leverage public-private
partnerships to ensure that these American crown jewels will continue to shine
for the next hundred years. Ongoing partnerships between the Foundation and
local Friends groups will leverage matching funds for a series of important
park-based projects that will fund high-priority enhancements.
The Foundation is dedicated to
making national park experiences available to all people, fostering equal and
abundant opportunities for everyone – especially youth, multicultural
audiences, and low-income communities. With a growing number of national monuments
and historic sites that speak specifically to the diverse story of America, the
Foundation promotes and expands opportunities to attract diverse and urban
youth and families to these places. Recent grantees include the Camp Moreno
Project, which provided “Camping 101” skills for first-time Latino campers.
The Foundation is dedicated
to enhancing the education experience, especially in-park learning
opportunities that reflect the latest developments in science, the environment,
history, and culture. They are expanding authentic educational experiences that
deliver hands-on learning about the environment, climate change, and other
scientific concepts relevant to each park, local and national history, and
culture. They will also enhance place-based and experience-based field
curricula for educators that reinforce both state and federal school standards.
IMPACT
Thanks to private support, the
National Park Foundation has been able to preserve more trails, educate more students,
and engage more local communities than ever before. Recent accomplishments include:
·
Restoring
250 miles of waterways and trails.
·
Embracing
diversity with the African American Experience Fund, which supports over 30
national park sites including the Ebenezer Baptist Church and Little Rock
Central High School.
·
Providing
over $30 million to build the Flight 93 National Memorial.
·
Bringing
over 40,000 students to national parks this year through the Ticket To Ride
program.
About the Director of Major and
Planned Giving
The
Director of Major and Planned Giving will be expected to structure and solicit
a combination of major gifts and planned gifts by undertaking the responsibilities
and duties listed below.
Responsibilities
will include:
Major Giving
- Responsible
for soliciting and closing major and planned gifts of $25,000 and above.
- Develop
and manage a national portfolio of 50+ prospective donors.
- Engage
prospects and donors in giving to NPF strategic priorities, unrestricted
and restricted giving programs, and measurable impact and outcomes of
donations.
- Monitor
all prospect contacts to ensure positive and purposeful prospect and donor
relations.
- Recommend
strategies and assist with planning and programming involving NPF’s
president and senior management team for donor appeals.
- Participate
in all aspects of the giving cycle:
- Initiate contacts with potential leadership
and major donors.
- Develop appropriate cultivation strategies for
donors.
- Move donors in appropriate, timely, and
strategic fashion toward solicitation and closure.
- Maintain stewardship contacts with donors.
- Develop
an increased affinity with and sense of value giving to NPF and national
parks.
- Work collaboratively and as a team with volunteer leadership, board members, and staff to cultivate and solicit prospective donors.
Planned Giving
- Conversant
in, and familiar with, all relevant forms of planned giving including
will/bequests, trusts, estate planning, and deferred giving, as well as
basic knowledge of current gift tax law.
- Assist
in developing and directing a structured planned giving marketing program
including print and on-line advertising, brochures, and other materials.
- Assist in developing and directing planned giving workshops and seminars for small groups of interested donors, and prepare presentations and/or other supporting materials as take-away items.
Ideal Experience
The Director of Major and Planned
Giving must have a minimum of ten years of experience in major and planned
giving. The successful candidate will display a strong passion for national parks.
S/he should have a proven track record growing fundraising programs.
·
Bachelor’s
degree required; advanced degree and/or record of continuing professional
development preferred.
·
Demonstrated
organizational and communication skills as well as ability to work with and
motivate other development professionals and volunteers.
·
Ability
to work independently and within a team environment.
·
Excellent
donor, vendor, volunteer, and board communications/relations skills.
·
Excellent
communication and negotiation skills.
·
Strict
adherence to ethical and confidentiality guidelines.
·
Demonstrated
success communicating the case for support to individuals of various
backgrounds, including high-net-worth individuals.
·
Understanding
of and experience with prospecting, reporting, acknowledgement, and stewardship
systems, as well as database management, preferably Raiser’s Edge.
·
A strong track record as an effective, team-oriented
leader and a thoughtful, diplomatic mentor.
·
Familiarity
with current planned giving vehicles and estate-planning trends and ability to
provide basic calculations in response to planned giving inquiries.
·
Demonstrated
leadership and the ability to successfully manage multi-functional areas.
The ideal
candidate will possess:
·
Strong
affinity for national parks with the ability to serve as a compelling ambassador
for the National Park Foundation.
·
Excellent
interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively and
concisely (both in writing and orally); listens as well as gives advice, and
respects the abilities of others.
·
Exceptional
organization, analytical, strategic planning, and research skills.
·
Strong
attention to detail with the ability to solve problems and excel in a
high-performance culture.
·
Ability
to maintain professionalism while completing responsibilities in a precise,
dedicated, and flexible manner.
·
Creativity
and an entrepreneurial spirit; someone who is willing to try new ideas and think
“outside the box,” and will motivate the team to do the same.
·
A
positive attitude and proven success as a strong, diplomatic mentor.
·
Demonstrated
ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines while maintaining disciplined
adherence to program goals. Must work well under pressure.
To
Apply
The
National Park Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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