About Land Trust Of Santa Cruz County

Founded in 1978, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County brings diverse communities and organizations together to protect and connect people to the lands that define this special place. We protect and steward farmland, watersheds, wildlife habitat, and land for public access in and around Santa Cruz County to support the environment, economy, and quality of life for future generations of people and wildlife.

We understand the critical role land plays in addressing climate change and calibrate our preservation efforts through this lens. At the same time, we know that land is cherished when people connect to it directly. From that perspective, we partner with groups and individuals to preserve and steward land that people can access, enjoy, and fall in love with.

We engage the entire county in our efforts to get bikers, hikers, birders, farmers, ranchers, and everyone who cares about the local environment and our uniquely beautiful vistas to become active stewards of the land.

The Land Trust aspires to be an organization that is representative of the communities we serve. We are looking for people with a passion for nature, land protection, and teamwork. We encourage everyone to apply for our available positions even if they don’t meet all the hiring criteria listed in the job description.

Overview of the Position 

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, a nonprofit organization that has made substantial headway in environmental conservation by helping to protect more than 19,000 acres of important habitat and farmland over the last 45 years, is seeking an organized, creative, collaborative, events coordinator who excels at designing meaningful experiences, building strong relationships, staying calm under pressure, and guiding staff and volunteers to deliver impactful events. 

The Events Coordinator is an integral member of the Land Trust Engagement team and leads the development, planning, and execution of impactful, high-quality experiences for Land Trust members, donors, partners, and the broader Santa Cruz County community—strengthening support for land conservation, stewardship, and climate resilience. The Events Coordinator oversees all aspects of event creation and production, from concept to follow-up, ensuring that events are mission-aligned, inclusive, well-organized, and reflective of the Land Trust’s values. This position may supervise others in the future. The ideal candidate is a highly organized, creative, and collaborative professional who enjoys building relationships, innovating event experiences, and working across teams to inspire community investment in conservation.

Compensation and Benefits

The Events Coordinator role is a full-time position with excellent benefits and a great work environment. The Land Trust offers excellent health, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off and holidays to support work-life balance, a green commute stipend to encourage sustainable transportation, ongoing professional development opportunities, fun and inclusive staff events (with fantastic food!), and a dog-friendly office environment. Work hours total 40 hours per week. While most positions work between 8 am and 6 pm, Monday through Friday, this position frequently works a modified schedule to accommodate events held early, late, or on weekends. This position is an office and field-based role with off-site events at Land Trust properties and elsewhere throughout the community. Events may require physical activity such as transporting supplies, outdoor setup, and hiking in uneven terrain. The starting salary range: $62,400 - $84,000/year, dependent on candidate qualifications and experience. 

Responsibilities

Event Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute an annual events plan aligned with organizational priorities, member engagement goals, and fundraising objectives. 
• Serve as the lead project coordinator for all public-facing events, including member appreciation gatherings, donor cultivation events, public community events, educational outings, fundraising events, and special partnership programs. 
• Build event concepts in collaboration with the Engagement Team that highlight the Land Trust’s mission, programs, and impact while creating memorable, inspiring experiences. 

Events Planning and Implementation 

• Plan and implement an annual calendar of member, donor appreciation, public outreach, and staff events.
• Manage all event logistics: venue selection, permits, vendor coordination, catering, equipment transportation, safety plans, event setup and breakdown, and ADA accessibility considerations. 
• Oversee event communications: invitations, RSVPs, collateral, signage, scripts, run-of-show, and post-event follow-up. 
• Coordinate with the Engagement team to ensure strategic donor engagement opportunities and to ensure brand-aligned promotion and storytelling. 
• Ensure all aspects of events are delivered on time, in quality fashion, and within budget. 
• Communicate and coordinate with Stewardship Department staff to prepare properties for events. 

Administrative & Budget Management

• Develop and manage event budgets, track expenses and revenue. 
• Coordinate with and oversee payment of contracted vendors 
• Maintain event systems, calendars, timelines, and vendor relationships. 
• Ensure events follow organizational policies, safety protocols, and risk management standards. 
• Develop an annual events budget and ensure expenses are within the approved amount. 
• Develop and run reports on event attendance, feedback, and subsequent member interaction in conjunction with financial reports to provide return-on-investment data for annual events. 

Partnership & Community Engagement

• Build strong relationships with community partners, local agencies, landowners, businesses, and tribal and cultural organizations to broaden event opportunities and inclusivity. 
• Represent the Land Trust professionally at public events and outreach opportunities. 

Supervision & Team Support

• Supervise the Volunteer and Educational Outreach Coordinator, including goal setting, coaching, professional development, and performance reviews. 
• Collaborate on volunteer engagement opportunities that support successful events and community education. 
• Support integration of educational content into events, ensuring accessibility for diverse audiences. 
• Track all events across departments and help coordinate support as needed. 
• Manage the implementation of staff event hours policy and coordinate staff involvement/support of Engagement events. 
• Other duties as assigned 

Required Knowledge, Skills, Ability & Experience:

• 3–5+ years of experience in event planning, community engagement, or related fields. 
• Demonstrated success producing events of varying scales (indoor, outdoor, virtual, public-facing, and donor-focused). 
• Excellent project management, time management, and organizational skills. 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills; comfortable interacting with diverse community groups and stakeholders. 
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends for events. 
• Comfort working in outdoor settings, including on trails, open space properties, and in variable weather conditions. 
• Commitment to the mission and values of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, including equity, inclusivity, and environmental stewardship. 

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Ability & Experience:

• Experience in nonprofit, conservation, environmental education, or land stewardship organizations. 
• Familiarity with Santa Cruz County communities, history, and cultural landscape. 
• Spanish language proficiency. 
• Experience supervising staff, interns, or volunteers. 
• Experience managing budgets and negotiating with vendors. 
• Experience operating 4WD vehicles, ATVs/UTVs, or similar equipment in off-road or field settings (Land Trust will provide training as needed). 
• Basic knowledge of outdoor safety practices or event safety, including first aid or emergency preparedness (Land Trust will provide training as needed). 

The pay range for this role is:

62,400 - 84,000 USD per year (Santa Cruz Office)

Apply Here: https://www.click2apply.net/ARpKbKiNOQdOBhYrKs5Eq8
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