Job Description

The Opportunity: Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, in the New York metropolitan area, the Garden Conservancy is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, sharing, and celebrating America’s gardens and diverse gardening traditions. Through its programs and partnerships, the Garden Conservancy advances the appreciation and stewardship of gardens for the education and inspiration of the public. Our offices are easily accessible by public transportation.  

Position Summary: The Director of Institutional Advancement is a high-impact executive leadership role responsible for designing, executing, and scaling a comprehensive nationwide fundraising strategy for The Garden Conservancy. Reporting directly to the President and CEO, the Director aligns annual contributed revenue goals with the organization’s broader strategic vision, providing senior oversight for a robust portfolio that includes major gifts, membership, capital campaigns, planned giving, and flagship events.  

As a key partner to the Board of Directors, the Director manages the Development Committee, reporting on performance trends while mobilizing board members to maximize their philanthropic impact. This role blends high-level strategic cultivation—leading the execution of exclusive national and domestic garden-study tours and stewarding high-net-worth relationships—with a commitment to organizational data integrity, ensuring departmental fundraising data and donor records accurately support the Conservancy’s cultivation and retention goals.  

Duties and Responsibilities  

Strategic Leadership & Board Governance  

• Develop the overall fundraising strategy and annual contributed revenue goals in consultation with the President and CEO to ensure alignment with the larger strategic plan.  
• Manage the Development Committee of the Board of Directors, working closely with the Chair to ensure deep engagement and maximize value from participation.  
• Represent the development department to the Board of Directors, reporting regularly on revenue progress, identifying challenges, and collaborating on growth strategies.  
• Monitor fundraising performance , trends, and results to recommend forward-thinking revenue and growth strategies.  
• Collaborate across departments to ensure all fundraising efforts accurately reflect organizational program priorities and institutional needs.  
• Partner with the President to strategically design and implement upcoming capital campaigns.  

Major Gifts, Stewardship & Tour Experiences  

• Provide strategic direction for donor acquisition, cultivation, solicitation, retention, and stewardship across the organization.  
• Actively cultivate and identify opportunities to strengthen relationships with major and high-level donors to increase philanthropic support.  
• Participate directly in donor meetings , cultivation activities, solicitations, and stewardship efforts as appropriate.  
• Oversee the planning and execution of the organization’s garden-study tours and special donor experiences designed to engage high-level donors.  
• Develop tour goals, budgets, schedules , participant communications, and donor engagement strategies in coordination with leadership and staff.  
• Attend domestic garden-study tours , Open Days, preservation, and educational events to cultivate attendees, prospects, and hosts.  
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit planned gifts on an individual donor basis while implementing strategies to advance the overall planned giving program.  

Annual Fund, Membership & Events  

• Provide strategic oversight of the membership and annual fund programs.  
• Oversee the management of fundraising events , ensuring all event activities are tightly coordinated with wider cultivation and stewardship strategies.  
• Leverage events strategically to drive donor acquisition, cultivation, retention, and increased giving.  
• Work closely with communications staff on newsletters, website articles, invitations, annual reports, and printed materials to ensure unified mission messaging.  

Fundraising Operations & Data Integrity  

• Provide strategic oversight of departmental data and record keeping, ensuring the proper filing of solicitations, acknowledgments, and data entry workflows.  
• Ensure significant donor correspondence , strategic data, and institutional background are accurately logged into the constituent database.  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities  

Fundraising & Strategic Expertise  

• Philanthropic Domain Knowledge: Deep understanding of non-profit fundraising principles, ethics, and modern advancement practices.  
• Strategic Execution: Proven track record of developing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies that verifiably increase contributed revenue  

Communication & Relationship Building  

• Executive Communication: Exceptional written, verbal, and public presentation skills.  
• Stakeholder Stewardship: Natural ability to build, nurture, and maintain productive, high-value relationships with donors, board members, volunteers, staff, and community stakeholders.  

Operations & Project Management  

• Campaign & Event Management: Highly skilled at simultaneously balancing multiple competing priorities, major campaigns, timelines, and specialized donor events.  
• Rigorous Follow-Through: Strong project management capabilities with a disciplined focus on execution and measurable outcomes.  
• Discretion & Data Privacy: Impeccable judgment and absolute discretion when handling highly confidential donor profiles, financial histories, and organizational information.  

Computer Skills  

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have comprehensive knowledge of non-profit database software and CRM applications, specifically Salesforce, Microsoft Office Suite, and email marketing software  

Education/Experience  

Bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S.) in Nonprofit Management, Communications or Business Administration; minimum seven years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit fundraising; experience managing cultivation and membership programs, experience working directly with board members and high-level donors. Proven track record of soliciting and closing major gifts.  

Compensation  

The hiring salary for this position is $102,500 - $115,000. The starting salary within this range will be determined based on the successful candidate's depth of experience, leadership background, and specialized qualifications.  

This position includes a substantial benefits package:  

• Generous Paid Time Off: Balance work and life with approximately 32 combined days of vacation, personal, and sick time annually, plus approximately 15 paid holidays.  
• Healthcare Support: We cover 90% of your individual medical policy premium and provide an employer-contributed Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to help manage out-of-pocket costs.  
• 403(b) Retirement Plan: Secure your future with up to a 5% company match after one year of employment.  
• Income Protection: Stay protected with fully employer-funded group life and disability insurance policies  

The Garden Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages candidates with diverse backgrounds to apply. It does not discriminate against any candidate or employee on the basis of race, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or veteran status.  

TO APPLY  

Please send your resume and letter of interest to:  

hr@gardenconservancy.org  

Mention “Director of Institutional Advancement” in the subject line.  

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