[Hiring] Philanthropy & Development Director @American Wild Horse Conservation

Role Description

The Philanthropy & Development Director will lead the strategic growth and diversification of revenue at American Wild Horse Conservation, building a best-in-class development program that advances philanthropy, institutional funding, donor stewardship, and long-term sustainability in service of protecting America’s wild horses and burros.

The ideal candidate is both strategic and relationship-driven, someone who can build sophisticated fundraising systems while cultivating meaningful donor relationships and translating AWHC’s mission into compelling philanthropic opportunities. This role is focused on fundraising strategy, donor development, and revenue generation, in partnership with Marketing & Communications who lead storytelling and audience engagement efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Development Strategy & Revenue Growth
  • 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
• Major Donor Cultivation
  • 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
• Institutional Giving & Foundations
  • 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
• Campaigns & Fundraising Architecture
  • 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
• Leadership & Team Management
  • 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
    • board

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and 6+ years of relevant experience in nonprofit development.
• CFRE certification is highly preferred.
• 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.

Travel

Travel will be necessary approximately once per month for 2-3 days within the US. Most travel will be in the Pacific and Mountain time zones.

Company Description

American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit protecting wild horses and burros on public lands, and trusted wild horse conservation experts. Our purpose is to Keep America’s promise to wild horses and burros. We honor and uphold their federal protections under the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and work to ensure humane, sustainable management through advocacy, public reform, and on the range conservation programs. Through collaboration with lawmakers, scientists, advocates and communities, AWHC is building a future where wild horses and burros can thrive on the western landscapes that define our national heritage. We value Integrity, Grit, Humanity, and Collaboration.