About Common Outdoor Ground

Common Outdoor Ground (COG) is a community-focused organization dedicated to supporting the sustainability and stewardship of public lands in Southeast Wyoming. We bring people together to care for the places we all enjoy through volunteer stewardship projects, partnerships with public land managers and community organizations, outdoor education, and hands-on work in the field. COG’s work ranges from trail maintenance and restoration to campground and facility projects, habitat stewardship, cleanups, and educational programming. As our national public lands management needs grow, COG aims to responsively and sustainably work with communities to fill the gaps. We believe that strong communities are built through shared experiences and that caring for our public lands is something we can all contribute to.

Position Overview

Common Outdoor Ground is seeking a motivated, dependable, and community-minded Executive Director to lead the organization into its next phase of growth.

The Executive Director will be a hands-on leader responsible for coordinating COG’s day-to-day operations while building the partnerships, volunteer networks, and financial resources necessary to sustain and expand our impact. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys spending a day working outside with volunteers just as much as sitting down to write a grant, or meet with and develop ideas with a new partner or funder.

The Executive Director will work closely with COG’s Board of Directors, volunteers, local land managers, community partners, donors, and other stakeholders. The successful candidate will be comfortable working independently, taking initiative, managing multiple priorities, and representing COG professionally in the community. COG is a small growing non-profit and this is an opportunity to serve as COG’s first Executive Director. The right candidate will be excited by the potential to grow the organization, staff and resources, depending on needs and in partnership with the Board.

Key Responsibilities

Volunteer Programs & Field Operations: 

• Plan, coordinate, and host a diverse calendar of volunteer stewardship events throughout Southeast Wyoming.
• Develop project plans, timelines, budgets, volunteer needs, equipment requirements, and logistics for field projects.
• Recruit, communicate with, and build relationships with volunteers.
• Lead volunteers in a safe, positive, productive, and welcoming environment.
• Coordinate tools, materials, transportation, food, safety needs, and other event logistics.
• Participate directly in field projects, including undertaking or supervising trail work, restoration, maintenance, cleanup, construction, and other manual labor.
• Evaluate completed projects and maintain records of volunteer participation, project outcomes, and organizational impact.

Partnerships & Community Engagement

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with local, state, and federal land managers, including agencies and other organizations responsible for public lands.
• Build partnerships with volunteer organizations, outdoor recreation groups, schools, nonprofits, businesses, and community organizations.
• Identify opportunities for COG to support land managers and community partners through volunteer labor and stewardship projects.
• Represent COG at community meetings, events, conferences, and other public gatherings.
• Communicate COG’s mission and impact effectively to a wide range of audiences.

Fundraising, Donor Stewardship, Grant Writing and Administration 

• Support long-term financial sustainability and organizational growth.
• Research and identify relevant grant opportunities.
• Develop, write and submit compelling funding proposals that align with COG’s mission and capacity.
• Maintain organized records of grants,funding deadlines, reporting activities, and grant compliance.
• Identify new funding opportunities, submit letters of inquiry, and develop and sustain relationships with prospective funders. Cultivate and sustain relationships with individual donors, businesses, foundations, and other funding partners.
• Manage donor communications and stewardship, including acknowledgments, updates, and impact reporting.

Organizational Leadership & Administration

• Manage COG’s day-to-day operations according to annual goals.
• Develop annual work plans and priorities consistent with COG’s goals.
• Maintain accurate organizational records and documentation.
• Coordinate communications, including email, website, social media, and newsletters.
• Prepare regular updates for the Board of Directors according to organizational goals.
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational efficiency and impact.
• Supervise employees and volunteers to deliver on programs & operations. 

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

We are looking for a well-rounded candidate who brings a combination of outdoor stewardship experience, nonprofit development skills, and strong interpersonal abilities. Candidates do not need to have experience in every area listed below, but the following are particularly valuable:

• Experience with land management, natural resource stewardship, conservation, or outdoor recreation.
• Nonprofit management or organizational leadership experience.
• Hands-on experience with trail work, restoration, construction, maintenance, landscaping, or other manual labor.
• Experience working with volunteers or leading volunteer groups.
• Experience working with public land managers or government agencies.
• Fundraising and donor development experience.
• Grant writing, grant administration, and reporting experience.
• Experience developing community partnerships and working collaboratively across organizations.
• Familiarity with Southeast Wyoming’s outdoor recreation and conservation community.
• Experience managing budgets and organizational finances.
• Experience with communications, social media, newsletters, or other public outreach.

The successful candidate will be:

• An excellent communicator who can build trust and positive relationships with volunteers, donors, land managers, partners, and community members.
• A strong interpersonal leader who enjoys working with people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
• Reliable and dependable, with the ability to follow through on commitments.
• Independent and self-motivated, able to identify what needs to be done and take initiative without constant direction.
• Diligent and organized, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Hands-on and willing to get dirty, with the ability and willingness to participate in physical outdoor work alongside volunteers.
• Adaptable and resourceful, comfortable solving problems in the field and navigating changing circumstances.
• Mission-driven, with a genuine interest in stewardship, outdoor recreation, community engagement, and caring for the lands and places that make Southeast Wyoming special.
• Comfortable balancing big-picture strategic thinking with day-to-day execution.
• Receptive to feedback from the Board of Directors, volunteers, and community partners, and committed to applying it to strengthen the organization.

Work Environment

This is a highly varied position. The Executive Director should expect to spend time both outdoors in the field and indoors working on organizational development and administration.  This salaried position is compensated based on year round, full time employment but has seasonal variability in intensity (expect approximately 50 hours/week in the summer and 30 in the winter).

Field work may involve hiking, lifting, digging, hauling materials, using hand tools, working in variable weather, and spending full days outdoors. The position will also require regular weekend events and occasional evenings. 

A successful candidate should be comfortable shifting between roles: leading a volunteer workday, meeting with land managers to identify future work, and writing a grant or communicating with donors.

The Executive Director will also be responsible for communicating regularly with and collaborating with the Board of Directors, and balancing multiple timelines and deadlines across events, grant applications, and reporting, all while staying on track and self-directed with limited daily oversight.

What Success Looks Like

During their first year, the Executive Director will work to:

• Build a strong and sustainable calendar of volunteer stewardship projects.
• Strengthen COG’s relationships with local land managers and community partners.
• Develop systems that support efficient day-to-day operations.
• Grow and diversify COG’s volunteer base.
• Establish consistent fundraising and donor stewardship practices.
• Increase grant funding and improve grant administration.
• Increase awareness of COG’s work throughout Southeast Wyoming.
• Position COG for continued organizational growth and long-term impact.

Common Outdoor Ground is committed to building an inclusive, welcoming community of people who care about our shared outdoor spaces. We encourage applicants with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Learn more about Common Outdoor Ground: https://www.commonoutdoorground.org/