Sustainable Iowa Land Trust · 2 weeks ago
Director of Philanthropy
Iowa, United States
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$70K/yr - $70K/yr
5+ years expSustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to conserving productive farmland for growing food in Iowa. The Director of Philanthropy leads SILT’s fundraising strategy and execution to secure revenue needed for land protection, stewardship, and program growth, while managing major gift and annual giving programs.
AgricultureFood and BeverageNon Profit
Responsibilities
Lead philanthropic funding functions and processes, working with the SILT team, on all philanthropic funding strategies through execution to include individual giving, corporate partnerships, private foundations, planned giving, events, and annual campaigns
Provide strategy support for prospect moves-management, cultivation plans, and solicitation strategies to secure funding; create, manage, and track cultivation, acknowledgement, and stewardship processes in ways that foster long‑term engagement, partnership, and investment
Coordinate with the Organizational Development Manager and program teams on strategy, grant applications, institutional relationships, site visits, reporting, and compliance to ensure fundraising asks align with program outcomes
Work with the board of directors to define board fundraising roles, prepare briefing materials, support board solicitations, train and coach board members on donor conversations, and provide regular pipeline and performance updates
Embody and adhere to philanthropic funding best practices, ethical gift acceptance policies, and equity‑centered fundraising approaches; stay current on sector trends and incorporate new approaches that improve effectiveness and donor experience
Lead data‑driven research, national and local funder prospecting, planning, and implementation of activities, meeting preparation, appeals, and follow‑up for aligned opportunities; leverage funding and marketing expertise and resources to achieve goals
Design structure for a scalable funding prospect pipeline and portfolio management process, including moves‑management stages, qualification criteria, and forecasting
Manage strategy and execution of key cultivation and stewardship events in consultation with the internal team and board of directors; track attendance, engagement metrics, costs, and provide accurate and timely post‑event follow‑up and ROI reporting
Emphasize stewardship in all activities: ensure timely acknowledgements, personalized stewardship plans, impact reporting, and donor recognition that build trust and long‑term retention
Manage donor database migration, implementation, and ongoing daily activity; ensure integrity of donor and prospect data, enforce entry standards for portfolios, and produce database reports, tracking, and analytics to meet team goals
Maximize database functionality by working in close partnership with staff and vendors to identify and implement process improvements, automation, segmentation, and better reporting workflows
Prepare meeting materials (memos, agendas, briefing notes, and collateral), reports, and presentations for board meetings, committees, partners, and key stakeholders
Monitor and track assigned expense budgets, revenue goals, and KPIs; recommend adjustments to tactics and resource allocation based on performance
Play an active role in defining and refining this new position; provide input on priorities, scope, performance expectations, and operational needs during the first 90-180 days and ongoing as the role evolves
Perform other duties as assigned; remain flexible to changing organizational needs while maintaining high standards of professionalism and accountability
Contribute as a collaborative team member: share knowledge, support colleagues across programs and operations, participate in cross‑functional planning, and help build a positive, mission‑focused workplace culture
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience/certification
5-7+ years professional fundraising; success closing major gifts and managing portfolios
Strategic planning, donor cultivation, data-informed decision-making, clear communication
Proficiency with donor CRMs (LGL or similar), analytics, and Google Workspace
Mission-driven, relationship-focused, accountable, collaborative
Background check prior to final offer; valid driver's license for donor travel
Must reside in Iowa or be willing to relocate
Benefits
Medical offered to employee only
Employee only pays $150 per month, and SILT picks up the remainder
Dental
Two dental plan options available through Delta Dental
100% employee paid
Vision
Two vision plan options available through Delta Vision
100% employee paid
$50,000 of Guaranteed Life Insurance provided by SILT, with the option for employees to purchase additional Vol Life
Internal Short-Term Disability
Employer Paid Long-Term Disability
60% of salary up to $10,000 per month
Voluntary critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity
Legal and Identity Theft
FSA and DCA
PTO
Years 0-1: 14 days
Years 2-3: 19 days
Years 4-7: 24 days
Years 8+: 29 days
Employees have the opportunity to earn additional PTO throughout the year
Paid Holidays: SILT offers 13 paid holidays + Birthday PTO
Reduced Work Week: SILT offers a reduced work week between Christmas and New Year’s
Sabbatical Leave: Eligible employees may take a paid sabbatical after five years of continuous service.
Remote Work: All SILT staff can work from home. We do have an office in West Branch for anyone wishing to work from a traditional office.
Remote Work Month: To support work-life balance and flexibility, our organization offers a "Fully Remote Month" benefit for our staff. We are committing to not scheduling any SILT events during the month of March & employees can work remotely from anywhere in the world with WiFi.
Other: Employee Development, Bereavement
Company
Sustainable Iowa Land Trust
Sustainable Iowa Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that protects land and grows healthy food.
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase