Job Description

Mission: Queens Botanical Garden is an urban oasis where people, plants and cultures are celebrated through inspiring gardens, innovative educational programs and demonstrations of environmental stewardship.

Queens Botanical Garden (QBG) is a private non-profit cultural institution located on 39 acres of New York City public land in Flushing, New York. In FY20, the Garden served 164,546 visitors, including 14,378 schoolchildren. A recently completed visitor survey reveals that 45% of visitors speak a language other than English at home. This fact underscores the importance of the mission and the challenges and opportunities QBG faces daily in creating programs, exhibits and landscapes that serve the needs of people who live in and visit one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the nation. The Garden has committed itself to addressing the complex and ever-changing needs of its diverse community and to being the place where people, plants and cultures meet.

The Director of Development is expected to provide leadership in development of the Garden and its contributed support and oversee all aspects of fundraising including solicitation of individuals and representatives from foundations, corporations and different levels of government. The Director is expected to help broaden the donor base and create a culture of development within the organization as it meets current needs, formulates and takes the next steps for institutional development.

Working with the Executive Director, board, staff, volunteers and community members, the Director of Development (DOD) plays a major role in moving the ideas envisioned in the Strategic, Master, Budget and other plans forward and will help complete the Education Center Project. This $33-35M project is approximately 83% funded and includes a 13,000 sf Education Building, which is in Design Development, adjacent landscapes and the Kids Culture Garden. They will also be involved in Strategic Planning, as we “right-size” our organization to adjust to current world financial realities and consider how to bring Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion ideas more strongly into our work.

The Director of Development is part of the Senior Staff leadership team and reports to the Executive Director. In the absence of the Executive Director and the Assistant Director, the DOD may be called upon to be in charge and/or be asked to be in charge of a broader swath of responsibilities, as the situation requires.

The Director of Development is expected to:

• Work with the Board to strengthen its fundraising capacity and ambassador roles,
• Establish, attain, and strive to exceed fundraising goals for and per the adopted budget,
• Shift the mix of funding to more private support and to more unrestricted revenue,
• Help articulate and develop funding for the next phases of the Garden’s capital development, which includes working with the Executive Director, Board, other staff and consultants, to raise $1.65M in private funds for the Education Center Project, along with additional governmental dollars,
• Work with senior and programmatic staff to gain support for their areas,
• Provide leadership for the Rose Gala and other fundraising events,
• Continue to develop the membership program, including through corporate, community and cultural involvement, with the idea to turn visitors into members into donors,
• Devise and take the next steps in developing a major gifts program, the endowment, and in planned giving,
• Increase internal capacity, especially in the use of technology,
• Be involved in Garden-wide initiatives, such as in strategic planning,
• Supervise staff that currently comprises 2-3 people and which may include interns, event staff and volunteers. The DOD is the liaison for various consultants, depending on the project.

Qualification Requirements:

1. Leadership, consensus-building, organizational, planning, sales and supervisory skills,
2. Superb communication skills, both verbal and written,
3. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with sufficient non-profit experience; Master’s degree and some fundraising credentials preferred,
4. Five years of progressively increasing experience and success in fundraising,
5. An interest and ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds,
6. Ease with using technology and in using new technology; currently the Garden uses Donor Perfect, Fund EZ, and Microsoft Office,
7. Knowledge of government, cultural organizations, museums, public gardens, and educational organizations a plus,
8. Driver’s license, willingness to work evenings & weekends.

How to Apply

Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: culture, Fundraising, Garden, and nonprofit.

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