EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOB DESCRIPTION

Location: La Veta, Colorado / Spanish Peaks Region
Schedule: 25–30 hours per week
Compensation: $28–$40 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications

About La Veta Trails

La Veta Trails connects people with the trails, landscapes, and natural and cultural resources of the Spanish Peaks region through stewardship, restoration, and education, inspiring a deeper understanding, meaningful relationships, and a lasting commitment to caring for these places for generations to come.

LVT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing, improving, and maintaining trails and public lands while creating opportunities for people to learn about, experience, and care for the landscapes and cultural resources of the Spanish Peaks region.

LVT has evolved from a community trail organization into a broader regional stewardship organization. Its work is grounded in the belief that meaningful connections to place can inspire understanding, responsibility, and long-term care for the lands and communities of the region.

About the Position

LVT is seeking an experienced nonprofit leader to serve as Executive Director and help lead the organization into its next chapter as a regional stewardship organization.

The Executive Director will strengthen the organizational and financial foundation needed to sustain and expand LVT’s impact across trails, volunteer stewardship, ecological restoration, environmental education, geoheritage, and community engagement.

Fundraising and resource development are central responsibilities of the position. The Executive Director will develop the financial resources and relationships needed to sustain LVT’s programs and operations, strengthen organizational capacity, and position the organization for long-term impact.

This is a hands-on leadership position in a small, growing rural nonprofit. The successful candidate will be comfortable moving fluidly between strategic leadership and day-to-day work—from fundraising and financial management to partnership development, community engagement, volunteer stewardship, and program coordination.

Most importantly, LVT is seeking a leader who is inspired by the opportunity to connect people with place and help cultivate the knowledge, relationships, and responsibility that lead people to care for the lands and communities of the Spanish Peaks region.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Resource Development — 40%

• Establish annual fundraising and revenue goals with the Board and develop strategies to achieve them.
• Lead annual giving campaigns and other fundraising initiatives.
• Identify, research, and pursue foundation, government, corporate, individual, and other funding opportunities.
• Write competitive grant proposals and oversee grant reporting, compliance, and funder stewardship.
• Cultivate relationships with donors, funders, sponsors, and prospective supporters, working with Board members on introductions and fundraising.
• Develop business sponsorships and other funding partnerships aligned with LVT’s mission.
• Develop and communicate compelling stories about LVT’s impact, programs, and role in building a culture of stewardship.
• Track fundraising progress, prospects, commitments, and revenue, and regularly communicate results to the Board.

Organizational Leadership & Financial Management — 25%

• Provide overall leadership for LVT and ensure that organizational decisions and activities advance its mission, vision, and strategic priorities.
• Manage day-to-day operations and build the organizational capacity needed to support sustainable growth.
• Develop annual priorities, goals, work plans, staffing plans, and budgets in partnership with the Board.
• Monitor revenue, expenses, cash flow, and overall financial performance.
• Work closely with the Treasurer and Board on budgeting, financial oversight, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Prepare regular financial, operational, and programmatic reports for the Board.
• Maintain effective organizational records, policies, agreements, and administrative systems.
• Ensure grant, financial, legal, and organizational compliance.
• Oversee contractors, consultants, and other service providers as appropriate.
• Foster an organizational culture grounded in stewardship, collaboration, learning, service, and respect for place.

Programs, Stewardship & Partnerships — 20%

• Lead the implementation and continued development of LVT’s stewardship, ecological restoration, environmental education, geoheritage, and trail-related programs and initiatives.
• Ensure that LVT’s programs meaningfully connect people with the trails, landscapes, and natural and cultural resources of the Spanish Peaks region.
• Develop annual program priorities, project plans, and measures of success in collaboration with staff, partners, volunteers, and the Board.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with land managers, public agencies, community organizations, conservation partners, and other stakeholders.
• Develop collaborative projects and partnerships that expand LVT’s reach, strengthen its programs, and advance its mission.
• Support effective stewardship practices that contribute to the health and resilience of local landscapes and public lands.
• Monitor program outcomes, participation, volunteer engagement, and other measures of impact, using results to inform future work.

Volunteers & Community Engagement — 10%

• Recruit, engage, support, and recognize volunteers as essential partners in LVT’s stewardship work.
• Coordinate and support volunteer stewardship activities, workdays, and other opportunities for people to contribute to the care of local trails and landscapes.
• Create meaningful opportunities for people of different ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience to connect with and care for the land.
• Represent LVT at community meetings, events, trail activities, and partner gatherings.
• Serve as a visible, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable ambassador for LVT and its mission.
• Strengthen LVT’s relationships throughout the community and help cultivate a shared culture of stewardship.

Communications & Outreach — 5%

• Oversee newsletters, website content, social media, and other communications that connect people with LVT’s work and mission.
• Develop compelling donor communications, impact stories, educational materials, and promotional content.
• Communicate LVT’s accomplishments, opportunities, needs, and impact to funders, partners, volunteers, and the broader community.
• Help tell the story of the trails, landscapes, and natural and cultural resources of the Spanish Peaks region—and why caring for them matters.
• Elevate LVT’s role in cultivating a culture of stewardship through connection, education, restoration, and hands-on service.

Qualifications

Core Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in fundraising, grant writing, resource development, donor cultivation, or comparable nonprofit development work.
• Experience securing support from foundations, government agencies, businesses, individual donors, or other funding sources.
• Experience providing nonprofit leadership, organizational management, program leadership, or comparable responsibilities.
• Ability to develop and manage budgets and understand organizational financial performance and sustainability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tell compelling stories about mission, impact, and place.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to develop productive, respectful partnerships with donors, volunteers, community members, public agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively with a Board of Directors and engage volunteers as partners in advancing the organization’s mission.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, deadlines, and relationships in a small, evolving organization.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, solve problems, and adapt to changing organizational needs.
• Genuine interest in trails, public lands, conservation, stewardship, education, and the natural and cultural resources of the Spanish Peaks region.
• Willingness and ability to participate in occasional evening, weekend, and outdoor activities.

Additional Qualifications

• Experience with conservation, trails, parks, outdoor recreation, environmental education, ecological restoration, public lands, or related fields.
• Experience working with rural communities, small nonprofits, volunteers, or community-based organizations.
• Experience developing partnerships among nonprofits, public agencies, land managers, businesses, funders, and community organizations.
• Familiarity with community-based stewardship and approaches that connect people with place through education and hands-on engagement.
• Knowledge of the Spanish Peaks region and southern Colorado, or demonstrated interest in becoming deeply connected to the region and its communities.
• Experience working in a small organization where leadership requires both strategic thinking and hands-on participation.

Compensation & Benefits

• 25–30 hours per week. Potential for increased hours as funding permits
• $28–$40 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications
• Mileage reimbursement
• Professional development opportunities
• Paid leave, including sick, bereavement, and personal leave.
• Flexible schedule appropriate to organizational, program, and community needs
• Opportunity to help shape the next chapter of a growing regional stewardship organization and contribute directly to a culture of stewardship in the Spanish Peaks region

Location: La Veta, Colorado / Spanish Peaks Region

[Application instructions/contact information to be added]