Original Posting

General Position Summary:

The Development Manager will play a vital role on Oregon Wild’s development team by focusing on grants, business partnerships, & events. Their primary responsibilities will be expanding the organization’s grant support, growing its partnerships in the business community, and maximizing the impact of key events – most notably, our annual camp-inspired Call of the Wild benefit. This individual is a compelling writer, detail-oriented, charismatic and passionate about Oregon Wild’s mission to protect our public lands, rivers, and native species. The Development Manager is a new position aimed at bolstering the Oregon Wild’s investment in its Development team and its fundraising capacity.

Strong, steady, and diversified funding enables Oregon Wild to be a more effective and nimble advocate for the public lands, old-growth forests, pristine rivers, and keystone species that make Oregon so special. While Oregon Wild’s annual fundraising has steadily grown over the past decade, we see tremendous opportunities to grow the organization’s grant funding, recruit and steward new business supporters, and expand the potential of events, like Call of the Wild. 

Our annual Call of the Wild event is the organization’s signature fundraising event. In recent years, it has hosted 300-400 attendees, involved dozens of business supporters, and raised over $100,000 to propel the organization’s conservation work. This event has typically been hosted in October, so the bulk of the planning is expected to begin in the spring. 

The ideal person for this role will have a strong ability to work both collaboratively in a team and individually to implement and execute the organization’s membership growth strategies. Oregon Wild prides itself on having a collaborative culture that encourages creativity, so there will be ample opportunities to work with others and craft unique, effective ways to further our mission. 

Position Responsibilities

Grants (35%): 

• Identify new potential grant opportunities
• Coordinate with the Development Director to draft and submit grant proposals
• Manage the organization’s grants calendar and coordinate grant applications with the Development Director to ensure that grant applications and reports are submitted by the corresponding deadlines
• Other duties as assigned 

Event Planning / Coordination (35%) 

• Lead the planning and execution for all aspects of Oregon Wild’s signature camp-inspired Call of the Wild benefit event. This includes:
• • Facilitating planning meetings with the Membership Coordinator, Development Director, and Executive Director to determine the annual event’s theme, logistics, budget, planning, and attendance
  • Develop and track the event’s annual budget, accounting for both expenses and revenue. Call of the Wild has grossed over $100,000 the past three years and has potential to grow even more
  • Recruiting business sponsors for the event with a goal of $50,000 in cash sponsorships
  • Securing donations from local businesses for the event’s silent auction
  • Promoting attendance through ticket sales and tent sponsorships
  • Spearheading the planning for the event’s games, raffle, and other fun activities to make it a fun, inspiring event for attendees
  • Coordinating booking and details with the venue, caterers, and other vendors
  • Coordinating volunteers and staff roles for the event
  • As Call of the Wild is held in October, the expectation is that the bulk of the time dedicated to it begins in the spring 
• Work with the Development Coordinator to develop and host events such as Wild Wednesdays, membership appreciation events, etc.
• Provide support for major donor events such as appreciation brunches and happy hours
• Explore the viability of hosting other potential events, which could include the return of the Brewshed® Brewfest, a Public Lands Summit or Conference, special hikes, and events with business partners
• Develop and coordinate the planning of events as determined by the team

Business Partnerships (30%) 

• Lead and grow Oregon Wild’s Business Partnership Program to raise $100,000 annually
• Coordinate outreach with the Development Director to steward current business supporters and identify, conduct outreach to, and recruit new business partners
• Provide support to the Development Director for the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance
• Manage the Business Partners webpage 

Qualifications: 

• A passion for protecting and restoring Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and waters
• A minimum of two years grant writing experience, as well as experience organizing large events and cultivating business partnerships
• Strong writing skills. A writing sample is requested - preferably a grant proposal or report.
• Familiarity with Google Workspace and donor databases is a plus
• Ability to be flexible with assignments/priorities reflecting changing needs of the team and to implement and follow-through on tasks with minimal oversight 

Salary and Benefits: 

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Portland. Benefits include monthly phone and technology reimbursement; fully paid medical, dental, vision, alternative care, and life insurance; optional Health FSA and Dependent Care FSA; optional disability insurance; 403(b) retirement plan option with organizational match; and generous vacation and other paid time off including 11 paid holidays, two weeks of administrative leave time and an initial two weeks of vacation that increases with tenure, and sabbatical eligibility after five years. This position will report to the Development Director. Some evening and weekend hours may be required. Salary range is $70,000-$80,000. 

About Oregon Wild: 

Oregon Wild is a non-profit organization with a mission to protect and restore Oregon's wildlands, wildlife, and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations. Founded in 1974, Oregon Wild’s victories include safeguarding nearly 1.8 million acres of Wilderness and 2,200 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers through federal legislation, protecting hundreds of thousands of acres of old-growth forests, and the preservation and recovery of numerous endangered species, from Coho salmon to gray wolves. Oregon Wild enjoys a national reputation as a pioneering organization that is both highly strategic and effective, with strong policy expertise. 

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: 

Oregon Wild is committed to building a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization and society, and we are actively recruiting and encouraging applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and communities to apply for this position. Important voices have been missing from the environmental movement for far too long, and building a stronger, more just, and more inclusive community starts by creating a more welcoming environment within Oregon and Oregon Wild. Our organization believes that by embracing, respecting, and valuing individuals regardless of their race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, or ancestry, we can become a stronger, more effective defender of Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and waters.

Read more about our organizational values here:
https://oregonwild.org/about/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/