Job Title
Development Director
Company / Organization
Adventure Cycling Association
Job Description
Job Description
Development Director
Adventure Cycling Association
Missoula, MT
Adventure Cycling Association seeks an energetic, well-organized, and goal-oriented person
to serve as our leader in fundraising and development. This is a unique opportunity to grow
the resource base for North America’s largest bicycling membership group, at a time when our
members and donors are becoming more supportive than ever of Adventure Cycling’s mission
and program work. We seek a team player who loves to raise (and help others raise) financial
resources for good causes – in our case, bicycling and bicycle travel. The position is based at
Adventure Cycling’s headquarters in beautiful and bike-friendly Missoula, Montana.
General Summary
Plans, coordinates, and implements development and fundraising activities for Adventure
Cycling Association. Duties include managing major donor cultivation and solicitation, grant
research and writing, overseeing annual fund activities such as quarterly appeal letters, email
solicitations and monthly giving program, and promoting and managing planned gifts. The
director will work with a Development Committee, made up of members of the Adventure
Cycling Board of Directors and select volunteers. The director supervises two full-time staff
and occasionally an intern and/or work study student.
Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic and budgetary direction
● Establishes and refines the Development Department’s strategic direction and plans
and implements a development program to raise financial support for Adventure Cycling.
● Implements the resulting annual development plan with the Executive Director, the
Board of Directors, and the Development Committee.
● Works with the Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer on preparing and
adhering to the annual Development Department budget.
Donor management
● Develops strategies and techniques for continual expansion and cultivation of
prospective donors through giving programs with an emphasis on growth of donations.
● Directs research to identify donor prospects and to obtain information concerning
financial capacity, special interests, past history and relationship with Adventure Cycling.
● Assigns major gift prospects to appropriate individuals (staff leadership, Board
members, volunteers, Development Committee members or others as appropriate).
● Seeks out and facilitates major donor meeting opportunities with leadership staff,
Board members or volunteers.
● Establishes and oversees donor recognition programs, including thank you
calls and letters, the annual report, articles in Adventure Cyclist magazine.
● Makes direct asks to donors or donor prospects, where appropriate.
● Helps train and advise staff, Board members and other volunteers in fundraising
techniques such as gift solicitation and cultivation.
Grant research and solicitation
● With development and project staff, coordinates grant research, and submits
proposals for special funding from private and public funding entities.
● Tracks progress on project work related to grants and oversees and participates in
preparation of reports.
Planned Giving and Campaigns
● Solicits estate gifts and promotes Adventure Cycling’s Legacy Society, in order to grow
Adventure Cycling’s endowment.
● Plays a primary role in special fundraising campaigns to grow support for special
projects or possibly a capital campaign to support improvements in Adventure Cycling’s
physical plant and /or growth in the endowment.
Supervisory and internal responsibilities
● Supervises a team of two, the Development Manager and Development Coordinator,
per the employee policies and annual work plan of Adventure Cycling.
● As a staff director of Adventure Cycling, attends regular management team meetings
and all-staff meetings.
● Maintains a positive, energetic, and harmonious working relationship with Board
members, volunteers, department directors, and staff.
● Works with administrative personnel, especially on database and information
technology management, to develop and maintain systems that support the development
program.
● Collaborates with the Membership Department to insure that donation programs and
membership recruitment and renewal programs are well aligned.
● Establishes and maintains an internal reporting system on fund development progress.
● Works with appropriate staff to establish an ongoing effective communication and
marketing program for Adventure Cycling’s development program.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Outstanding interpersonal and management skills. Excellent team player; enjoys working with
others to achieve great outcomes. Relishes raising financial resources for good causes.
Strong communication skills, both verbal and written. Able to spin details into coherent
narratives. Outstanding ability to write clearly and concisely for various audiences — from
members to philanthropists. Understands and knows how to work with databases and track
performance metrics. Well-organized and able to meet deadlines. Unquestionable
commitment to setting and meeting goals. Ideally enthusiastic about the outdoors, recreation,
and bicycling.
Education and Experience
Completion of a four year degree program from a college or university. Coursework in
fundraising and affiliation with professional fundraising associations are a big plus. Top
candidates will have at least 4-6 years of professional experience in development or related
fields. Management and supervisory experience are important assets. Special note will be
made of candidates’ experience working with mission-driven non-profit organizations. Of
course, attention will be paid to candidates’ bicycling experience and ability to bring humor
and good spirits to the job and workplace.
Compensation and Workplace
The position will be competitively compensated in the Northern Rockies region. Excellent
benefits include paid time off for holidays, vacation and sick leave, an additional fully-paid one
week bike vacation, full medical and dental coverage, life insurance, and retirement plan. We
have a wonderful office in downtown Missoula, with a friendly and committed staff. Adventure
Cycling Association is an equal opportunity employer.
Application
Please submit a resume, cover letter, and writing sample directly to Submittable. The writing
sample will preferably be something related to fundraising activities, such as a short grant
proposal, a solicitation letter or appeal, or an annual report with a focus on donors.
Application deadline: The position is open until filled. We will begin reviewing resumes and
requesting interviews on January 10, 2020.
About Adventure Cycling Association
Adventure Cycling’s mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to travel by bicycle.
Adventure Cycling was founded in 1974 and is the largest bicycling membership organization
in North America, with 50,000 members. Our work includes producing the best bicycling
routes and maps in America, publishing Adventure Cyclist (one of the top cycling magazines
in North America), managing more than 100 bicycle tours and leadership trainings, and
achieving better bike travel conditions through advocacy at the federal, state and local
levels. For more information, visit www.adventurecycling.org.
How to Apply
https://www.adventurecycling.org/about-us/employment/development-director/