About Pacific Environment
Pacific Environment works to stop climate change and ensure healthy ecosystems around the Pacific Rim for the benefit of people and our planet. The organization has worked in alliance with locally led initiatives and catalyzed game-changing policy wins for the region’s people, ecosystems, and climate. Pacific Environment is currently headquartered in San Francisco, with regional offices or staff across the United States, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand, and with partnerships that span the Pacific Rim.
Pacific Environment campaigns to stop climate change by working to fast-track industries to zero carbon emissions. The strategies employed focus on major global industries that have received less public attention but whose carbon emissions are significant and still growing: the maritime shipping and petrochemical (plastics) industries. Additionally, Pacific Environment works to ensure healthy marine ecosystems. Local staff focus on the Arctic and Southeast Asia countries to protect threatened coastal habitats and areas that have already experienced some of the most extreme impacts of climate change.
Pacific Environment operates as a campaigner, coalition-builder, and thought partner. The organization provides direct funding and technical assistance to grassroots environmental organizations in the regions where they work.
The organization complements community-led efforts with national and international coalition-building and advocacy to decision-makers to support policy changes. Pacific Environment has a strong track record of local and international achievements, addressing the root causes of environmental challenges.
The Opportunity
Pacific Environment seeks an experienced Senior Director of Development to lead and manage all aspects of fundraising activities. This is an exciting opportunity for a professional to join a highly motivated team and organization with a $10M+ and growing budget. This position is best suited for someone who has successfully led long-term fundraising strategies, with an emphasis on foundations, major donors, and online giving.
Reporting to the Executive Director, this role involves developing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies to support the organization’s mission and goals. The Senior Director of Advancement will lead a team of two other fundraisers and work closely with the executive director, senior leaders, board of directors, and other staff to cultivate donor relationships, secure funding, and enhance the organization’s financial sustainability.
Key Responsibilities
The Senior Director’s specific areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to:
Fundraising Strategy
Develop and execute a strategic fundraising plan to meet annual revenue goals and long-term objectives. This includes identifying fundraising opportunities, setting targets, and implementing tactics to achieve results.
Team Leadership
Lead, mentor, and manage a team of fundraising professionals, fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment. Ensure that team members have the resources, training, and support needed to achieve their goals and contribute to the organization’s success.
Grant Writing and Management
Research, write, and submit grant proposals to foundations, government agencies, and other grant-making organizations along with other staff. Manage the grant application process, ensuring timely submissions and compliance with funder requirements. Oversee grant reporting and ensure grant deliverables are met.
Donor Cultivation and Stewardship
Build and maintain relationships with individual donors, values-aligned business, foundations, and other funding sources. Cultivate new prospects and steward existing donors through personalized communications, meetings, and recognition efforts.
Fundraising Events and Digital Campaigns
Organize and execute fundraising events and digital campaigns to engage donors and raise funds. This may include in person events, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, and online giving initiatives.
Major Gifts and Planned Giving
Identify and cultivate major gift prospects capable of making significant financial contributions to the organization. Develop and implement strategies for soliciting major gifts, as well as planned gifts such as bequests, trusts, and gift annuities.
Collaboration and Leadership
Collaborate with senior leaders, board of directors, and other stakeholders to integrate fundraising efforts with the organization’s overall mission and objectives. Provide leadership and guidance to staff members involved in fundraising activities.
Financial Management
Monitor and analyze fundraising metrics and financial data to track progress towards fundraising goals and reports on fundraising performance, revenue projections, and budgetary needs.
Ideal Candidate
Pacific Environment seeks a creative, results-driven, and collaborative leader with a proven track record of successfully fundraising for organizations driving meaningful impact in the environmental, climate change, and environmental justice spaces. The Senior Director will quickly familiarize themselves with Pacific Environment’s value add and theory of change to be a strategic leader and advisor to programmatic and organization-wide strategies.
The Senior Director will have experience with tracking results and key objectives, producing fundraising communications, and working closely with colleagues in strategy development of an evolving organization. This leader has a strong understanding of the environmental funders landscape and the ability to align organizational goals and impact to donor interests. The Senior Director has successfully managed concurrent and various fundraising efforts utilizing grant proposals, digital campaigns, events, along with individual and major donor engagement. The right candidate will have great management skills, a creative spark, attention to detail, excellent writing and editing skills, and close familiarity with environmental and social justice issues. The Senior Director’s leadership abilities will be evident in their building and managing donor relationships, creating compelling narratives, and working directly with diverse teams.
Qualifications
With the understanding that no person will offer every desired skill and characteristic outlined below, compelling candidates will offer much of the following:
- 8+ years of environment or environmental justice nonprofit fundraising, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in a leadership role.
- Strong understanding of fundraising principles, techniques, and best practices, including grant writing, donor cultivation, and event planning.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate the organization’s mission and impact to diverse audiences.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and execute effective fundraising strategies in alignment with organizational goals.
- Demonstrated leadership ability, with experience managing staff and external stakeholders.
- Technology savvy with proficiency in multiple platforms and an interest in adopting new software. Experience with EveryAction a plus.
- Ability to consider challenges as opportunities and be unafraid to try new approaches.
- Experience as a creative and compelling storyteller who can combine research and data with strong narratives to communicate organizational impact and objectives.
- A results-oriented mindset with a focus on achieving measurable outcomes and impact. Experience developing, monitoring, and reporting on metrics and key progress indicators to track fundraising strategies and execution.
- Excellent organizational and planning skills with demonstrated success in meeting deadlines over long time horizons.
- Passion for working with diverse teams and a demonstrated commitment to promoting environmental protection and building a just, equitable and sustainable society.
Location, Salary, & Start Date
Pacific Environment staff currently work from home. West Coast residents are preferred, followed by candidates located in other states. This position primarily works West Coast Time Zone hours and requires flexibility to align with Asia time zone working hours, plus potentially some evenings or weekends. Some travel to the Bay Area may be required if the successful candidate is based outside the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The position will require domestic and international travel.
Pacific Environment provides competitive compensation commensurate with experience and equitable with others on our team, plus a full benefits package for staff positions. The salary range for this position is $140,000 to $160,000, which is carefully considered to account for equity, and the final offer will be based on the candidate’s qualifications. The employee will enjoy a flexible working environment with a dedicated, diverse group of colleagues.
The preferred start date for this position is mid-September to ensure a smooth transition though there is flexibility to accommodate the right candidate’s availability.
Physical Requirements
The Senior Director’s work involves remaining in a stationary position and looking at a computer for long stretches of time, communicating with co-workers electronically, and occasional travel (including overnight travel), in-person meetings, or events. The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation. Pacific Environment has an organization-wide policy that staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Pacific Environment’s EEO Statement
Pacific Environment is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people from communities harmed by environmental degradation and from backgrounds underrepresented in the environmental movement to apply. We welcome diversity to do our best work and believe that creating teams in which everyone can be their authentic self is key to the change we seek.
Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on Pacific Environment. Please inform the GoodCitizen team using one of the emails below if you need any assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application or interview process.
Pacific Environment participates in the E-Verify Program: https://www.e-verify.gov/employees.
To Be Considered
Please submit your resume and cover letter expressing your interest in the position and fit for the role via the “Become a Candidate” button. Letters may be addressed to Martens Roc.
Applicants applying by Monday, July 22nd, will be given priority consideration, with the position open until filled.
GoodCitizen has been exclusively retained by Pacific Environment to lead this search. For questions, please contact:
GoodCitizen has been exclusively retained by Pacific Environment to lead this search. For questions, please contact:
Martens Roc
Managing Director
Direct: 202.933.7616
martens@goodcitizen.com
Cody McCarthy
Engagement Manager
Direct: 206.309.5591
cody@goodcitizen.com
Gabe Sapuay
Senior Associate
Direct: 206.792.4221
gabe@goodcitizen.com