Director of Development

Position: Director of Development
Start Date: August 20, 2024
Salary: $70,000-$85,000
Reports to: VP of Community Engagement

Position Overview:

Adventure Cycling seeks a highly collaborative leader who will cast a bold vision for the organization’s fundraising potential, leveraging the strengths of the fundraising team to amplify the mission and impact of Adventure Cycling Association. This is a unique opportunity to grow the resource base for North America’s largest bicycling membership group, at a time when our members and donors are becoming more supportive than ever of Adventure Cycling’s mission and program work.

About Adventure Cycling:

As the largest nonprofit cycling organization in the country, Adventure Cycling has an impactful voice in policies and programs that advance the safety and accessibility of cycling. Adventure Cycling serves through its members and the bike travel community. Our cycling community encourages and supports countless cyclists each year as they explore the beauty and history of America while tending to their mental and physical well-being. For nearly half a century, Adventure Cycling has created life-changing experiences that deepen appreciation for our country’s diverse cultures, communities, landscapes, and people. Adventure Cycling headquarters are based in Missoula, MT, and we acknowledge and honor the Indigenous peoples who consider this land their home. The area’s natural abundance was stewarded by many peoples including the Blackfeet, Crow, Shoshone, Cheyenne, Kootenai, Pend d’Oreilles and Salish for millennia before colonization, and continues to be to this day.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

The Staff and Board of Directors of Adventure Cycling Association believes in the power of bicycle travel to open minds and change the way the world explores. We envision a future where this organization draws staff, tour leaders, members, board members, and riders from the whole of our society. For this to occur, bicycle travel has to be available for everyone.

We are committed to listening to BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized peoples and understanding the systems contributing to oppression while also working to provide more resources and support for these communities.

The Adventure Cycling Association acknowledges its place in this power dynamic. As an organization we have benefitted from white privilege omnipresent in the United States and must use our power to hire, support, empower, and create safe spaces for Black, Indigenous and People of Color, LGBTQIA+, and Femme/Trans/Women communities.

Key Responsibilities:

The Director of Development will be responsible for building and deploying the strategies needed to grow fundraising revenue to $3M through prospecting, cultivation, and stewardship of individuals, foundations, and corporate supporters. Key areas of focus include:

Donor Management & Pipeline Development (75%)

  • Donor Management + Solicitation: Develop and execute annual donor engagement and stewardship plans to expand and diversify Adventure Cycling’s major donor pipeline. Secure annual and multi-year donations from Adventure Cycling’s top donors (6 figure gifts). Engage with primary funders, and other key stakeholders around organizational impact and plans for the future.
  • Pipeline Building: Develop strategies for expanding the ACA donor base; complete prospect research to support and augment approach. Cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of individuals to grow annual fundraising revenue from $1.4M to $3M in the next 2 years.
  • Activating ACA Executive Director: Support Adventure Cycling Association Executive Director to assist in cultivating and closing key donations. Develop a strategy to fully leverage executive director in key donor engagement via travel, virtual meetings, and written updates etc.
  • Special Fundraising Campaigns: Develop and implement a fundraising campaign as part of the organization’s 50th anniversary. Optimize and oversee the organization’s planned giving program.
  • Budgeting and Reporting: Set, manage, and meet revenue targets for the Development budget. Develop measurable key performance indicators and growth goals for members of the team, and yourself and provide regular reporting on the progress of the fundraising goals. Assist with creation of internal and Board communications such as quarterly updates, annual reports, board memos, and summaries of strategic initiatives.

Leadership and Collaboration (25%)

  • Collaborative Leadership: Collaborate with and assist VP of Engagement to ensure strategic alignment and continuity between the membership, annual giving, and major giving functions. Collaborate with program teams to secure funding for program development and expansion. Collaborate with the communications team to develop compelling, donor and partner-centric fundraising materials and campaigns. Coach staff and peers to effectively contribute to fundraising strategies.
  • People Management: Directly supervise and support 1-2 people. Develop annual goals and measures to reflect strong accountabilities and provide regular feedback on progress towards goals. Outline professional growth and development opportunities. Maintain excellent work papers and documentation for yourself and the team.
  • Executive Leadership: Lead and facilitate the Board/Staff Development Working Group. Support and equip the Board and Management team to take a more active role in fundraising activities. Attend ACA Board Meetings and relevant Committee meetings. Participate in management team and director’s meetings and provide leadership voice to/from team with annual and strategic planning.
  • Organizational Culture: Work to create a great place to work, support overall morale, staff retention, and inspire commitment to shared company vision. Ensure compliance with current ACA policies and procedures. Play a key role in supporting ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Required Qualifications:

  • 5-8 years of fundraising experience, with 5+ years’ experience focusing full-time on generating philanthropic revenue from a portfolio of individuals and foundations.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio of donor relationships and grow revenue from that portfolio year-over-year.
  • Proven experience at building and deploying strategies into action plans, meeting 7 figure annual fundraising goals and experience soliciting and closing $100,000+ gifts.
  • Experience leading major capital campaigns or capacity building campaigns
  • Ability to travel domestically (20-25% of the year) to visit with donors and partners and to attend events.
  • Understanding and willingness to engage with issues of institutional and structural racism or bias and their impacts on our organization and community.
  • Commitment to equity and inclusion and to learn and respect differences of race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, ability, religion and socio-economic circumstances and class.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Combined background of membership, fund development, corporate sponsorships, grant writing, campaigns, events and all aspects of donor engagement. Deep understanding of value drivers in multi-channel fundraising models.
  • Data-driven decision making and excellent analytical skills. Able to extract and analyze data to evaluate KPIs, provide recommendations grounded in performance, best practices, data, and actionable insights.
  • Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”. Excellent interpersonal skills with individuals and teams. Quickly builds rapport and credibility with all levels of the organization.
  • Outstanding problem solving and conflict resolution skills. Creative thinker, able to balance strategic and financial implications of decision-making. Handles pressure well and utilizes a collaborative approach to achieve results.
  • Able to communicate effectively verbally, through presentations, and in writing with various personalities and stakeholders, internally and externally. Quickly writes routine correspondence, reports, and memoranda.
  • Proficient computer skills with marketing automation and database platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Marketing.

Physical Requirements:

Elements of job duties may require occasional moving of up to 15 pounds and the ability to occasionally stoop, kneel or crouch; candidates not able to meet such demands can possibly work with staff or others to accommodate.

Compensation, Schedule and Benefits:

This is a full-time, exempt position (average 40 hrs/week). Schedule varies by supervisor, but is generally M-F, 8am-5pm MST. We are located at Adventure Cycling’s headquarters in beautiful and bike-friendly Missoula, Montana, but welcome remote applicants. Benefits include paid time off, holidays, an additional fully paid one-week bike vacation (a.k.a. “bike respite”), medical, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance, and retirement plan. We have a wonderful office in downtown Missoula, with plenty of bike racks! Adventure Cycling Association is an equal opportunity employer.

How to apply:

Please submit a resume and cover letter through this Submittable link.

Please answer the following question in the last paragraph of your cover letter: “Describe why inclusive and accessible opportunities in the outdoors are important to you?”