Development Director

The Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust (LP&CT) is a private, non-profit land trust dedicated to creating community through conservation within the City of Lowell, MA. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for the people of Lowell through education and through the creation, conservation and preservation of parks, open spaces, and special places. This small, dynamic organization has six staff, a nine-member Board of Directors, and a strong membership base. Our programming is diverse, including land protection, environmental education, historic preservation, and urban forestry.

LP&CT is looking for a candidate who believes in, is motivated by, and inspired by LP&CT’s conservation work in a diverse, urban community. We are seeking a Development Director who has a strong commitment to our unique field of work in urban conservation. You will be joining a team of dedicated staff that share a tree house-like office space with baby Blanding’s turtles, a threatened species. We are a team that’s committed to building diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging into our work in community conservation.

The Development Director is a key leadership role responsible for developing and implementing strategies to advance LP&CT’s fundraising and donor stewardship. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Development Director will play a vital role in cultivating philanthropic support, building strategic partnerships, and enhancing the organization’s visibility and impact.

This position is a full-time, exempt position. We are currently bringing in $1M from private and governmental sources for ongoing programming and operations. The Development Director will be responsible for building upon and developing strategies to sustain that budget level. As an organization, we have also committed to raising an additional $1-2M to support our Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary campaign by 2026, which the Development Director will have a critical role in.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Develop and implement comprehensive fundraising strategies to meet annual fundraising goals and support the organization’s mission and programs.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with board members, individual donors, corporate sponsors, foundations, and other potential funders.
• Manage a robust grant cycle, writing grant proposals (across subject areas), reports, and related correspondence for foundations, corporations, and governmental fundraising in a timely manner.
• Develop research, cultivation, and stewardship plans for prospects, including corporate sponsors.
• Develop and produce creative and engaging fundraising collateral.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of LP&CT’s programs and initiatives.
• Research and compile background materials for proposals and reports.
• Assist with direct mail campaigns and revolving membership appeals.
• Assist in collecting outcomes to measure and report on program impact.

Qualifications:

While the qualifications below may indicate a successful candidate, we understand there are valuable areas of lived and professional experience that you may have and that we may not have captured here. We encourage you to apply, even if you are not certain you possess all the qualifications below.

• At least 3-5 years of full-time professional experience in development with excellent references.
• Experienced and comfortable working in multi-cultural, inclusive settings.
• Excellent writing, editing, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain personal relationships with a diverse range of supporters at the local, regional, state, and national level, and to engage diverse groups in conservation efforts
• Flexible, nimble thinker; strong ability to look ahead and plan effectively, anticipating and avoiding roadblocks.
• Demonstrated talent in the art of crafting fundraising marketing content, and a sharp eye when editing for accuracy and maximum emotional impact.
• Strong grant writing skills.
• Proficiency with CRM software
• Strong ability to be proactive, multi-task/prioritize and provide attention to detail and follow-up.
• Proven strengths in financial management, including developing and managing budgets, and financial reporting.
• Ability to balance, prioritize, and manage multiple competing projects and deadlines.

Preferred:

• Leadership role in a capital campaign.
• Knowledge of, and interest in, the Lowell community.

Working conditions: Primarily indoor office work. Occasional outdoor events and field work, sometimes in inclement weather, during which sufficient mobility is required to navigate uneven terrain. This position will require some evening/weekend hours. We are serious about our work, but do not take ourselves too seriously. We treat each other with care and respect and there are ample opportunities to take personal initiative on projects of interest.