Associate Director of Philanthropy

Flexible in Canada

To apply for this position, submit your cover letter and resume through Gerard Search

What We Can Achieve Together: 

The Associate Director of Philanthropy (ADoP) reports to the Director of Major Gifts and is a key member of the frontline fundraising team, responsible for securing major gifts in support of Nature United’s conservation priorities. The ADoP manages a portfolio of donors and high-potential prospects, including US-based individuals, and develops and executes multi-year cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies.

They build strong, trust-based donor relationships through personalized outreach, meetings, proposals, presentations, and events. The ADoP advances relationships toward significant philanthropic investments—including annual, multi-year, and campaign gifts—while contributing to a sustainable major gift pipeline. The ADoP develops donor strategies aligned with priority initiatives such as Indigenous-led conservation, large landscape protection and sustainable resource management. They prepare high-quality briefing materials for leadership and program staff, translating complex priorities into clear, compelling messaging and supporting the development of proposals, budgets and reports in collaboration with donor communications, program staff and finance. Working closely with The Nature Conservancy’s global fundraising network, the ADoP supports cross-border fundraising by engaging US-based and international donors and collaborating on shared prospects and solicitations, aligning donor interests with high-impact funding opportunities.

The ADoP coordinates across teams to advance key opportunities and ensures effective stewardship by managing reporting requirements, maintaining alignment with funding terms, and identifying renewal and upgrade opportunities. They contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team culture, demonstrating initiative and a commitment to learning while staying informed on Nature United’s priorities and the broader philanthropic landscape to strengthen donor engagement and performance.

Responsibilities and Scope

• Build and manage a portfolio of 75-125 qualified donors and prospects with the capacity to give $100,000+ through one time or multi-year gifts.
• Annual fundraising goal of $1,000,000+
• Collaborate with the Major Gifts team to build a major donor pipeline, including qualifying and disqualifying leads.
• Develop and execute thoughtful strategies to engage, cultivate, solicit and steward prospects and donors.
• Collaborate with internal teams to develop cases, proposals, budgets and reports.
• Refine and lead the fundraising strategy for within the organization, including working with business unit counterparts to identify, cultivate and solicit US based prospects.
• Support the stewardship of US based middle donors as part of a pipeline building strategy.
• Support donor cultivation and stewardship events, collaborating colleagues across the organization.
• Understand and comply with all Nature United gift-related policies and procedures and ensure ethical compliance, as defined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
• Demonstrate an active commitment to being in right relations with Indigenous Peoples through philanthropy practices within the team and fundraising community more broadly.
• Bring an active commitment, and contribute to, a culture of inclusion and belonging.
• Readily take on additional responsibilities as this growing philanthropy program evolves into one of Canada’s leading development teams.

We’re Looking for You: 

Are you looking for work you can believe in? Nature United is a workplace where we care about each other and know that what we do matters, and that our work makes a difference. We currently have a vacancy for an Associate Director of Philanthropy.  We’re looking for someone who builds strong, trust-based relationships and will contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team culture. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by supporting the work of our team. Join us as we impact conservation across Canada and 80+ countries and territories around the globe! 

What You’ll Bring: 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years related experience or an equivalent combination.  

• Experience building and maintaining long-term relationships with fundraising constituents. 

• Experience in asking for and closing gifts of $25,000 or more.  

• Experience in managing and tracking multiple prospects and donors. 

• Experience working with cross-functional teams. 

• Experience, coursework, or other training in fundraising principles and practices. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated. 

• Ability to determine an individual’s interests, capacity and potential for helping the organization meet its goals, and act appropriately to tie those interests with the organization’s work. 

• Ability to educate and inform prospective and existing donors about appropriate giving vehicles. 

• Ability to implement and manage fundraising plans, including individualized cultivation, solicitation and recognition plans. 

• Knowledge of current trends in charitable giving in the areas of capital campaigns, major gifts or planned giving. 

• Demonstrated experience using listening, diplomacy and tact to build strong relationships and motivate donors and volunteers. 

• Proven ability to negotiate high profile or sensitive agreements. 

• Working knowledge of the basics of charitable gift planning. 

To apply for this position, submit your cover letter and resume through Gerard Search

Please do not click the Apply button on our career site to apply for this position.

The estimated starting salary for this position is dependent on experience, qualifications and location.

• Salary range in Canada is: $104,000 - $112,000 CAD annually

Who We Are:

Nature United’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s many reasons to love life inside TNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube   to hear stories from staff or visit  Glassdoor.

One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. In addition to the requirements in our job postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job and consider each applicant’s unique experience. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and stay for the people.”

What We Bring:

Nature United offers a comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our Benefits and Perks here.

We’re proud to offer a work environment that is supportive of the health, well-being, and flexibility needs of the people we employ!

Our recruiting process includes a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we may review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role, so we highly encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Employees must submit their application by logging into Workday and applying via the Jobs Hub.