The Georgia Forestry Foundation is looking for a capable and enthusiastic leader to serve as its Director and to further its mission by cultivating, soliciting and stewarding individual, corporate and foundation gifts. The successful candidate will spearhead the implementation of the Foundation’s strategic plan to raise funds for leadership development, policy studies and education.
The Georgia Forestry Foundation is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation established in 1988. The Foundation’s mission is to sustain Georgia’s forests through funding and support of leadership development, policy studies and education to enhance the economic, environmental and community value of working forests for Georgia.
The Director of the Foundation will report to the President and CEO of the Georgia Forestry Association. The Director will serve as an ex-officio Trustee of the Foundation and provide regular reports to the Board of Trustees with regards to the status of funding and programs. The scope of work of the Director will develop overtime in line with the Foundation’s growth, but initially, the role is envisioned as follows:
Fundraising (Primary deliverable comprising 70 percent of committed time)
Develop fundraising plan that identifies budget, and prioritizes activities to enable GFF to meet its strategic objectives. Activities include: Major gifts
- Annual giving
- Planned giving program
- Donor cultivation and outreach
- Develop and manage donor database
- Work closely with the Foundations Board of Trustees
Program Development (30 percent of committed time)
- Leadership
- Support the forestry community’s involvement in Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry (AGL), Leadership Georgia (LGA) and the Institute for Georgia’s Environmental Leaders (IGEL).
- Direct the development of a forestry specific leadership program designed to expand the scope of knowledge of those individuals who wish to be leaders in Georgia’s forestry community.
- Policy Studies
- Develop strategic relationships that will help develop a greater understanding of the long-term implications of public policy on Georgia’s working forests.
- Education
- Develop strategic relationships that can help advance environmental education initiatives for multiple audiences at scale throughout the state.
Prospective candidates should have a professional demeanor, non-profit or academic work experience, knowledge of fundraising principles and strategies, strong written and oral communication skills, good listening skills and be committed to follow-up regularly with donors and others. In addition, candidates should have demonstrated excellent writing and reporting skills.
The successful candidate should be entrepreneurial and have experience launching fundraising efforts. He/she must also be a team player and be accountable to others, one’s self, and to the core values of the organization.
Prospective candidates should have attained a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution. A minimum of 6 years of work experience with experience securing major gifts is required. In addition, candidates should be proficient in the Microsoft Office suite of programs and a donor management system.
Preferred skills that are not required include the following:
- General knowledge of forestry, natural resources or agriculture
- Be at ease in a corporate office or in the middle of a tree farm
- General understanding of federal and state laws and regulations governing non-profit organizations
This position will require travel throughout Georgia and some travel within the United States. The location for this position is flexible, but candidates should be able and willing to report to the Association headquarters in Forsyth, GA on a regular basis.
Applications received by November 30, 2016 will be given full consideration. Interested candidates are encouraged to send a cover letter outlining his/her qualifications including contact information, salary requirements and credentials in PDF formatted files to: michele@gfagrow.org.
Georgia Forestry Foundation
P.O. Box 1217
Forsyth, GA 31029
478-992-8110