Corporate Relations Manager

Overview

The Land Trust Alliance is the voice of the land trust community. As the national leader in policy, standards and education, we work passionately to support land trusts across America so they can save more land and better serve their communities.

Our natural places and working lands are a lifeline to clean air, water, food and good health. These lands also bring us together, inspire us and provide opportunities to recreate and recharge. The land trust community is a crucial component in this equation. With important places under continual threat, land trusts need access to the best tools, information and policy advocates. Armed with a diverse network and valuable resources, the Alliance is the land trust community’s source for the knowledge and capabilities they need to reach their goals. From tax and funding policies on Capitol Hill to innovative ideas, partnerships and initiatives, we ensure our land trust members can always be heard and achieve more. 

The Alliance is seeking to elevate land conservation as a priority nationwide. We envision a reenergized, more relevant conservation movement in which land trusts join with partners that have not traditionally identified as conservation organizations, including from the for-profit sector, around our shared interest of protecting special places.

Position Summary

The Corporate Relations Manager is a key external and internal facing position in the Development department, and reports to the Associate Director of Corporate Relations. The position works with the Associate Director of Corporate Relations to implement the corporate fundraising strategy including growing and maintaining unrestricted revenue streams through Corporate Circle, marketing campaigns and other opportunities within Alliance programs. Additionally, the position manages the Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference sponsorship program and supports other events’ sponsorship programs. The Corporate Relations Manager plays an essential, lead role in program oversight, managing key administrative duties including database management and fundraising analysis, cross-departmental communications regarding corporate donors and assists in informing short- and long-term team fundraising goals. 

Key Duties

• Work with the Associate Director of Corporate Relations to implement the corporate fundraising strategy.
• Support colleagues in their assigned fundraising key performance indicators in addition to the overall Development team targets.
• Maintains a portfolio of new and returning unrestricted corporate donors for the organization’s annual revenue goals ($15,000 and above donors).
• Manages the sponsorship fundraising and fulfillment for Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference ($5,000 to $50,000 donors).
• Supports cross-departmental strategies for solicitation and stewardship for other sponsorship programs, such as regional conferences, Advocacy Days and others as assigned.
• Coordinates prospect research focused on corporate donors and prospects, conducting research and preparing research profiles and lists.

• Provides white-glove relationship management to all corporate donors in portfolio ensuring regular communication and timely fulfillment of deliverables, acknowledgements and long-term cultivation.

Specific Responsibilities

New Business Development (50%)

• Develop a list of prospective new corporate donors, with a primary focus on unrestricted revenue streams, by identifying and analyzing corporations with capacity and propensity to give.
• Manages the cultivation, solicitation, fulfillment and stewardship of a portfolio of unrestricted corporate partners and sponsors ($15,000 and above).
• Develop and deliver pitches in coordination with the Associate Director of Corporate Relations and other departments as needed.
• Collaborate on the design and implementation of short- and long-term fundraising plans to support strategic goals.
• Maximize fundraising by successfully identifying, soliciting and securing opportunities for corporate partnerships including the Corporate Circle program, Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference, employee giving, marketing campaigns, matching gifts, in-kind support and other Alliance programs.
• Initiate and strengthen corporate relations with key prospects and stakeholders through systemic cultivation.
• Execute appropriate Gift Acceptance Policies that reflect legal and ethical standards as well as current landscape of land trusts and land conservation.

Event Sponsorship (20%)

• Manages all aspects of Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference sponsorship program including creation and coordination of strategies and fulfillment across multiple departments.
• Supports all aspects of other sponsorship programs, with a focus on regional conferences, Advocacy Days and other events, including administrative support and coordination of strategies and fulfillment across multiple departments.

• Creates and manages the timeline for event sponsorship related tasks including development of sponsorship deck, outreach to prospective sponsors, fulfillment of sponsorship benefits and follow up stewardship.
• Tracks Rally corporate donor and sponsorship recognition and benefits and ensures fulfillment.
• Cultivates and solicits new sponsors through phone calls, written correspondence, in-person and virtual meetings with guidance from the Associate Director of Corporate Relations.

Account Management (20%)

• Support the Associate Director of Corporate Relations in the design, implementation, tracking and management of corporate partner and sponsor deliverable fulfillment. Fulfill organization deliverables and maximize benefit to both parties.
• Renew and increase corporate partnership from existing portfolio, both restricted and unrestricted.
• Identify and capitalize on growth and broadening opportunities for existing donors in corporate portfolio, cross-pollinating donors from programs and events into other areas of the organization.
• As needed, work with program and Communications staff to facilitate the creation of resources that advance corporate land conservation efforts and celebrate successful corporate-land trust partnerships.
• Work with colleagues across departments to ensure corporate donors are given regular reports about the progress of the work they are funding.
• Ensure all corporate donors are suitably thanked for their support. Prepares corporate and sponsorship acknowledgements and other stewardship documents in coordination with the Development Coordinator.

Program Management (10%)

• Liaise with Communications to ensure communications to corporate prospects and donors are of a high standard and fulfill agreements.
• Maintain accurate and current information of portfolio on Alliance fundraising database in order to improve the targeting and effectiveness of our approaches.
• Support the analysis of results of all funding received within the corporate strategy.
• Maintain awareness of sector activity and general trends.
• Maintains a communication strategy for the positions’ portfolio to include outreach, acknowledgement letters, event outcome information and stewardship.

• Performs other duties as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications or related field preferred. Reasonable combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of corporate fundraising and development experience, including direct sponsorship and solicitation. Experience in marketing a plus.
• Proficiency in fundraising and donor management software required. Familiarity with Salesforce NPSP preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking, writing, group facilitation, and communicating with diverse partners highly desired.
• Strong networking, presentation and diplomatic skills highly desired.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‐paced environment with multiple priorities and frequent deadlines.
• A proven track record of success with proactive and reactive prospect identification and research, preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite highly desired.
• Ability to work independently, with supervision and as part of a team.
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule including occasional travel, up to 10 percent annually.
• Passion for land conservation and our natural world with a preference for experience within the land trust community highly desired. A willingness to understand and enthusiastically promote the Alliance’s conservation mission and programs is essential.

Compensation

The nationwide salary range for this position is $75,000 -- $90,000. Actual salary will be commensurate with the skills, years of experience, physical location, and unique background and qualifications of the candidate.

The Land Trust Alliance offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, vision and other health coverage; life and disability insurance; paid time off including vacation, sick and multiple holidays and 403(b) retirement benefits.

Application

Please submit your application for this position, attaching your resume and cover letter, on the application link. If the electronic application is not an option, applications will be accepted by mail to Human Resources, Land Trust Alliance, 1250 H St, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005.

The Land Trust Alliance’s mission is to save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation across America.  The Land Trust Alliance is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or marital status.