Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting America's wild horses and burros. The Philanthropy & Development Director will lead the strategic growth and diversification of revenue, focusing on building a sophisticated fundraising program and cultivating donor relationships to support the organization's mission.
Responsibilities
• Build and execute multi-year fundraising strategy
• Develop annual revenue goals and forecasting
• Diversify funding streams across:
• Major gifts
• Foundations
• Institutional grants
• Corporate partnerships
• Planned giving
• Partner with leadership on long-term organizational sustainability
• Build long-term, values-aligned donor relationships rooted in stewardship, trust, and sustained philanthropic engagement
• Manage and grow portfolio of high-net-worth donors
• Develop donor journeys and stewardship strategy
• Create meaningful donor experiences:
• Field visits
• Salons
• Retreats
• Impact briefings
• Range experiences
• Support board fundraising engagement
• Partner closely with communications and program teams to translate organizational priorities into compelling funding opportunities for institutional partners and foundations
• Lead foundation strategy and relationship management
• Build institutional funding pipeline
• Identify aligned conservation, animal welfare, environmental, and family foundations
• Oversee grant strategy, narrative development, and reporting
• Transition organization from reactive fundraising toward a scalable, strategic, relationship-based engine
• Build donor segmentation systems and lifecycle strategies
• Establish KPIs, dashboards, and reporting cadence
• Partner with communications to align storytelling with fundraising strategy
• Build operational structure, discipline, and accountability across all development functions
• Mentor and manage existing development team
• Collaborate cross-functionally with:
• Marketing & communications
• Conservation
• Government relations
• Finance
• Executive leadership
• And board
Skills
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and 6+ years of relevant experience in nonprofit development
• Proven experience working with nonprofit boards and managing donor acquisition and retention programs, including multi-year campaigns
• Strong managerial and leadership skills, with a track record of driving significant fundraising results
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with proficiency in Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Suite, Slack, and Canva
• Experience with Every Action or equivalent CRM platforms
• Ability to conduct advanced research using internet resources and a readiness to travel up to once per month for 2-3 days (primarily within the Pacific and Mountain time zones)
• A demonstrated commitment to animal/wildlife conservation, equine protection, and to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Emotionally intelligent
• Systems-oriented
• Strategic and Polished
• Able to bridge conservation + culture
• Metrics-driven
• Movement minded
• Someone who understands that donor stewardship is not extraction
• CFRE certification is highly preferred
Company Overview
• The American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation’s leading wild horse advocacy organization. It was founded in 2016, and is headquartered in Davis, CA, US, with a workforce of 11-50 employees. Its website is http://americanwildhorse.org.