Philanthropy Associate

Rhode Island Land Trust Council (rilandtrusts.org) works to permanently conserve open and natural lands in Rhode Island by supporting land trusts, promoting responsible use and stewardship of conserved lands, and advocating for sound land conservation policy.

There are over 45 land trusts in Rhode Island formed by citizens to protect the open spaces, natural areas, scenic landscapes, farms, forests, shorelines and other special places in our communities. 19 of these land trusts are affiliated with town governments. The others are non-profit organizations.  Most do not have staff and are run entirely by volunteers. As the state coalition, the Council:

• Advocates for land conservation and land trust issues at the state level;
• Facilitates communication, networking and collaboration among land trusts;
• Helps land trusts improve their land conservation, stewardship and community engagement;
• Increases public awareness and enjoyment of Rhode Island's protected lands and builds public support for land conservation.

RI Land Trust Council is a fiscally sponsored project of TSNE (tsne.org).

The Philanthropy Associate supports RI Land Trust Council’s (RILTC) development program. 

Responsibilities include:

• Support RILTC’s Executive Director and Board of Directors to enhance the growth of philanthropic initiatives and revenue; 
• Identify, research, and steward individual, corporate and foundation prospects capable of supporting RILTC;
• Support the Executive Director’s and Board Members prospect cultivation, solicitation and stewardship meetings with scheduling and donor information;
• Oversee the implementation of all donor relations events, including receptions to introduce prospective donors to RILTC, events to thank and celebrate contributors, and signature fund raising events; support virtual and in person convenings;
• Support the engagement and management of leadership contributors and corporate partners with acknowledgement letters, organization updates and other communications;
• Manage the design, production, and tracking of RI LTC’s future annual appeal program;
• Manage all facets of the organization’s donor database, from entry of demographic information and visitation reports to generating reports and helping the Executive Director use data to inform their management decisions;
• Support the completion of and/or draft grant proposals and reports as required by institutional funders; 
• Provide marketing and communications support to educate and update stakeholders on RI LTC’s work;
• Engage and steward donors by exposing them to RI LTC’s training and program opportunities. 

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below:

• Commitment to the mission of RI Land Trust Council; 
• BA degree; must have a minimum of 3 years experience in a non-profit fundraising environment; 
• Extensive experience using development databases for tracking, reporting, lead cultivation, and prospecting required; 
• Excellent customer service, problem solving, writing and verbal communication skills required;
• Strong attention to detail and neat handwriting are essential; 
• Ability to work independently without close supervision but at the same time providing strong accountability and ongoing progress reports to department leadership; 
• Must maintain confidentiality and be able to deal with highly confidential donor material without compromise; 
• Knowledge of fundraising;
• Comfort and experience maintaining donor databases;
• Superb interpersonal skills with both internal and external audiences;
• Must be highly organized, possess the ability to multitask, have a very positive attitude, and a commitment to meeting deadlines;
• Must have some flexibility to work periodic nights and weekends.

Compensation and Benefits

This position is part-time and benefited at 20 hours per week with a flexible schedule. The position includes a benefits package of health, dental, vacation, sick and other benefits. The candidate who fills this position will work out of RI Land Trust Council’s office at the Social Enterprise Greenhouse, 10 Davol Square, Providence. 

Physical Demands/Work Environment 

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Handle, or feel objects, tools or controls;
• Reach; traverse; sit (usually for longer periods of time); occasionally ascend/descend; and position self (to) move;
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;
• Job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

To Apply

Please include a resume and cover letter with your application.  Please indicate where you saw the job posting in your cover letter.

TSNE/Rhode Island Land Trust Council envisions a society grounded in the principles of social and economic justice. As such, we strive to achieve excellence through a diverse and inclusive workplace that honors the unique talents and lived experiences of each person. Our vision and values are reflected in all our employment-related decisions, including hiring practices. Accordingly, TSNE actively seeks people who bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives to join us in our work.

As an EOE/AA employer, TSNE/Rhode Island Land Trust Council will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, genetic information, veteran or disability status or any other factor prohibited by law.