Director of Philanthropy - Advancing Forest and Community Impact

Director of Philanthropy – Advancing Forest and Community Impact – Portland, Oregon

Title: Director of Philanthropy – World Forestry Center

Reports to: Managing Director

Location: Portland, OR (Hybrid – 3 days onsite)

About the World Forestry Center

Acumen is deeply honored to collaborate with the World Forestry Center (WFC) to support their mission of championing knowledge, stewardship, and sustainable futures for forests, wildlife, and people.

The World Forestry Center seeks a seasoned Director of Philanthropy. This is a 60-year-old institution at a pivotal moment -- reimagining how forests connect to climate, public health, natural resources and wildlife sustainability, education, arts & culture, and the economy.

With a stunning physical campus, national partnerships, and a $22.4M campaign that is gaining momentum and has substantial funds already raised, WFC is accelerating toward a bold new future. This is a chance to partner with an organization that is actively addressing the impacts of climate change.

We are not looking for a caretaker. We are looking for a mission-driven builder. A visionary.

The Opportunity

This is a rare chance to architect and lead the entire development engine of a mission-driven organization undergoing transformation. You will inherit strong assets: a committed team, a national platform, growing momentum, and an ambitious campaign, and be empowered to build the systems, strategy, and culture needed to scale impact.

The Director of Philanthropy will report into the Managing Director and partner closely with the Chief Advancement Officer to:

• Lead a small, but mighty team of fundraisers.
• Finish and strengthen a major campaign.
• Build a modern, data-driven fundraising operation.
• Expand membership, annual fund, major gifts, and institutional giving.
• Serve as the connective tissue across programs, finance, marketing, and leadership.

This role is hands-on, high-impact, and deeply strategic -- ideal for a leader who wants to own outcomes, not just manage process.

Key Responsibilities

Campaign & Annual Fund

• Collaborate with Chief Advancement Officer and ED on WFC’s $22.4M campaign.
• Lead strategy and execution of WFC’s Annual Fund with a budgeted goal of $548,000 for 2026.
• Manage and grow a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors.
• Support leadership and board members in solicitation and stewardship.
• Build and strengthen donor pipelines at the $100K–$1M+ levels.

Development Systems & Operations

• Own, fully integrate, and modernize WFC’s fundraising systems (Raiser’s Edge).
• Establish disciplined portfolio management, forecasting, reporting, and accountability.
• Build operational rigor across the department to ensure reliability and scalability.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a growing development team.
• Create a collaborative, high-performance culture grounded in trust, clarity, and accountability.
• Structure the department for scale, including roles, workflows, and priorities.

Revenue Growth & Diversification

• Expand and strengthen:
• Annual fund and membership programs
• Institutional giving (foundations, government, corporate).
• Sponsorships and partnerships.
• Align fundraising with WFC’s cross-disciplinary strategy and national positioning.

Board & Executive Partnership

• Serve as a key partner to the Chief Advancement Officer, Executive Director, and Managing Director on revenue strategy.
• Support and activate the Board in fundraising, accountability, and donor engagement.
• Provide clear, actionable reporting on progress, performance, and pipeline health.

Who You Are

You are a creative builder-operator — equally comfortable setting strategy and rolling up your sleeves. You bring structure to complexity, momentum to opportunity, and clarity to teams.

You likely:

• Have 10+ years of progressive fundraising experience.
• Have worked inside a capital campaign and been exposed to $1M+ gift strategies (even if you haven’t personally closed one).
• Are strong in fundraising operations.
• Have personally closed six-figure gifts ($50K–$500K+).
• Have led people, built systems, and had success mobilizing a team towards ambitious goals.
• Are deeply fluent in CRM platforms (Raiser’s Edge or similar).
• Are energized by growth, change, and accountability.
• Are collaborative, emotionally intelligent, and mission-driven.
• Want a seat at the leadership table and ownership over outcomes.

Experience in conservation, cultural institutions, or national nonprofits is especially relevant, but sector experience is less important than fundraising fundamentals and operational excellence.

Why This Role Matters

• WFC is in a rare moment of alignment: leadership, strategy, funding opportunity, and national relevance are converging.
• You will shape not just fundraising, but the organization’s trajectory.
• You will build an engine that powers real-world impact across climate, public health, education, sustainability, and forestry.
• This is not a maintenance role -- it is a creation role.

Compensation & Benefits

The World Forestry Center offers competitive compensation as well as a generous suite of benefits.

• Salary: $120,000 - $130,000 annually plus approximately $10K in additional benefits.
• Medical 90% Employee Coverage & 50% for spouse & dependents
• Health Savings Account
• 401K 3% employer contribution, 1% match
• 13 Paid Holidays
• PTO - 20 days year 1-4, 25 days year 5-9, 30 days year 10+
• Sick Leave - 8 hrs. accrued per month
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• Supplemental Insurance
• World Forestry Center Parking Pass
• TriMet Pass
• Employee REAP attraction pass (free entry to Portland museums and attractions for 2 people)
• Hybrid work environment (2 days remote/3 days on-site)
• Professional development and education stipend
• Collaborative, values-driven culture
• Positive & energized environment

Procedure for Applying:

To apply or see our other positions available, please go to Acumen Executive Search to submit a resume and brief cover letter indicating your interest in the opportunity. If our current open positions are not the right fit for you and you would like us to share relevant opportunities, please send your resume and a brief cover to info@AcumenExecutiveSearch.com.

About Acumen:

Established in 2007, Acumen Executive Search is a 3-time recipient of the Portland Business Journal’s “Most Admired” Award and is recognized as the leading certified woman-owned Executive Search Partner in the Pacific Northwest with a global clientele. We deliver high-impact results and higher than national average retention rates while nurturing genuine long-term relationships. Acumen works shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients to deliver customized, meaningful, and proven leadership solutions that empower organizational success.

Keywords:

Development Director, Director of Philanthropy, team leadership, nonprofit, forestry, arts, culture, public health, conservation, climate, education, sustainability, strategy, parks, fundraising, project management, fundraising operations, operations, CRM, Raiser’s Edge, team, management, gifts, financial stewardship, growth, philanthropy, major gifts, campaigns, annual budgets, year-end objectives, organizational growth, pacific northwest, Portland, Oregon, Washington