Annual Giving Manager TEST at The Conservation Fund – Arlington, Virginia

Annual Giving Manager TEST
Base Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 / Year
Employment Type: Full Time

DescriptionTHE CONSERVATION FUND
The Conservation Fund protects the land that sustains us all. We are in the business of conservation, creating innovative solutions that drive nature-based action in all 50 states for climate protection, vibrant communities and sustainable economies. We apply effective strategies, efficient financing approaches, and enduring government, community and private partnerships to protect millions of acres of America’s natural land, cultural sites, recreation areas and working forests and farms. To learn more, visit www.conservationfund.org.
JOB HIGHLIGHTS

The Farms Fund is a first-of-its-kind conservation program designed to buy and permanently protect threatened farmland around metropolitan areas while creating a patient path to farmland ownership for next generation farmers. The Farms Fund Operations Manager will be based in any existing Farms Fund geography and serve to implement the systems and infrastructure necessary to build a robust program and expand into new locations. The Operations Manager will also contribute to the support for Program Managers in identifying and securing easement funding for farm outsales. The position will report directly to the Farms Fund Director, with responsibilities to liaise with the full Farms Fund team on issues including conservation easement funding, program design, internal and external program support, managing program operations, and facilitating program expansion to new geographies. This team member will work highly independently, with self-led projects, and under minimal direction while maintaining a high level of communication with the Farms Fund team, especially the Farms Fund Director.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING
To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Conservation Easement Support (50%)
• Work with public and private funding partners to identify easement funds and navigate policies to secure funding for farmland protection
• Provide direct support for Program Managers to complete documentation and establish efficient easement and fee outsale methodologies
• Collaborate with conservation easement funding agencies and land trust partners to help close projects across all geographies in the program[ES1]
• Provide support to Program Managers to guide farmers into acquisition and support farm business lending relationships
• Liaise between Farms Fund staff and GR to provide consistent input on federal easement funding strategies

Program Support (20%)
• Assist the Program Director in developing the strategy, processes, and procedures for the Farms Fund program and operations.
• Collaborate with the Fund’s internal departments (Legal, Marcom, Development, HR, and Finance) to ensure the program is integrated with internal processes and procedures.
• Monitor and disseminate website, media, and program content. Collaborate with program staff to ensure content is prepared and up to date (Farmer snapshots, Program one pagers, Slide Decks)
• Lead the production of the program’s impact reports for funders and partners
• Design gatherings: provide meeting support at all levels including coordination and support for team meetings, program retreats, travel meetings, advisor and stakeholder groups, and donor cultivation
• Represent Farms Fund and its programs at certain events, attend meetings, and/or deliver presentations.
• Conduct budget analysis and coordinate the annual budget processes across the program

Program Operations (15%):
• Work with the team to set and track program goals for the Farms Fund program and projects.[ES2] [ER3]
• Collaborate with team members in ongoing learning and process improvements, incorporating external and internal feedback to constantly improve how we do our work.
• Exhibit and maintain trust-based and productive relationships with a wide range of organizations and individuals, including focus regions, funding partners, advisory council members, and staff.
• Manage and maintain data including Form Assembly, Locate, annual reports, real estate pipeline, and measurable program outcomes & metric building to help inform program decision making
• Conducts analysis of project success, financial returns, and program viability.
• Support grant reporting; develop tools and systems to measure impact via calls, surveys, bimonthly dashboards and reports, and annual surveys and evaluations.
• Support all aspects of the design and implementation of the Farms Fund program.
• Coordinate Farms Fund investment committee meetings and agendas.
• Manage and update file systems as appropriate for efficiency and file stewardship

Expansion Support (15%):[ER4]
• Build strong relationships with expansion partners.
• Support Farms Fund team with market assessments and project management in expansion regions.
• Support coordination of special programming for outreach and engagement efforts.
• Assist in coordinating events such as trainings and meetings as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS
• At least 4 years of experience with federal and state funding for conservation easements, purchase of development rights, and other land conservation and planning tools
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to manage multiple projects at one time.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with an interest in building a program and growing a team.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, maintain your own schedule, coordinate with other staff, and demonstrate flexibility and the ability to shift priorities quickly.
• Attention to detail, ability to think critically, and the ability to work within deadlines, but set them for a geographically, temporally, and programmatically far-reaching team[ES5] .
• Ability to initiate and participate in fundraising efforts. Familiarity with grant writing and reporting preferred.
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse mix of individuals and groups as well as comfortably coordinate and communicate with those individuals and groups. Demonstrated ability to work as a team player with other staff members in a small office environment.
• The physical and mental requirements described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
• Work is performed in both an office setting and across project sites, including small vegetable and livestock farms in Georgia, Illinois, the Carolinas, and Arkansas.
• Estimated travel: Occasional travel to facilitate meetings, support program expansion, and assist regional programs in easement outsales. Expect a total of 5-10 overnight trips/year.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The salary range for this position is $70,000-$80,000, and the position is eligible for opportunities to earn performance-based bonus compensation. Please note: Salary range provided is an estimate and will be evaluated on an individual basis, taking into consideration the candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, and education. The final salary offer will be determined accordingly.