Director of Development

Overview

Tyler Arboretum seeks a creative and collaborative Director of Development at a crucial moment in the organization’s history, to support strategic goals for capacity-building, sustainability, and robust community engagement.

About Tyler Arboretum

Located in the heart of Delaware County, PA, Tyler Arboretum is a place of fantastic natural beauty, with a rich history dating back to the time of William Penn. Today, Tyler serves the Greater Philadelphia region through horticulture, education, and preservation. With renowned collections of gardens and champion trees as well as 550 acres of natural lands and 17 miles of hiking trails, Tyler’s diverse and unique habitats ranging from woodlands to meadow offer a rare glimpse into the natural world right outside of Philadelphia.

In 2024 Tyler Arboretum is celebrating its 80th anniversary as an arboretum with the mission to preserve, develop, and share diverse horticultural, historic, and natural site resources to stimulate stewardship and an understanding of our living world. Tyler fulfills its mission through high-quality educational programs, extensive horticultural collections and displays, preservation of its historic buildings, and stewardship of 650 acres of woodlands, meadows, and stream valleys. Tyler Arboretum is a delight for nature lovers, birders, botanists, and those who want to rediscover the natural world.

As Tyler looks toward the decade ahead, it sees increased popularity for the natural resources and wonder found within its property, as Philadelphia and Delaware Counties develop further and green space becomes more needed than ever for public respite. With challenges from climate change, invasive species, and stormwater management, Tyler is looking to grow its ecological management capacity to better care for the 550 acres of natural lands beyond its 100 acres of manicured gardens. Tyler will also be looking to connect with more culturally and geographically diverse communities, to learn from the Indigenous Nations and stewards of the land it is situated on, and to amplify its impact in connecting people to the natural world.

The Opportunity

The new Director of Development will lead fundraising and institutional growth for Tyler Arboretum, drawing on a large membership base, strong existing donor base, and a deep history rooted within the community, while also building new donor pathways for the growing demographics the Arboretum serves. This role will have the ability not only to reorganize and optimize existing Development staff roles and positions, but also to create new support positions within Tyler’s fundraising engine.

Overview of Responsibilities

This senior staff position will supervise four employees (two full-time and two part-time) at the Arboretum working in diverse functions including events, annual fund, membership, and major donor cultivation. This role will create new intersections with marketing staff efforts and will raise the level of customer service, donor appreciation, and training on Tyler’s culture of philanthropy across all departments.

Drive organizational revenue growth: Enhance visitor-to-member and member-to-donor conversion, identify new donors, contribute to capital campaigns, and optimize staff responsibilities through software recommendations.

Foster a cohesive department and team: Train and motivate staff, recommend growth strategies aligned with fundraising goals, and ensure efficiency and resource preservation.

Boost membership growth: Develop and execute plans for membership programs, including corporate memberships, and organize exclusive events to surpass current membership levels and increase revenue.

Annual Giving Strategy: Formulate and execute strategies for sustaining annual individual donors, manage appeals and campaigns, solicit and steward large gifts, and track results to achieve a 10% annual revenue increase.

Event Coordination: Coordinate donor and member events, actively participate in organization-wide events planning, and maximize membership revenue from these initiatives.

Board Engagement: Cultivate meaningful relationships with Board members, encourage involvement in fundraising, and develop a philanthropic culture that supports key initiatives, corporate giving, and fundraising events.

Advancement and Marketing: Collaborate with leadership to establish marketing best practices, ensure alignmentwith the 2022 Strategic Plan, and communicate strategies to achieve the goal of a $5M annual operating budget by 2032.

Candidate Profile

While it is understood that no one candidate will bring every desired skill, characteristic, and experience, the following offers a reflection of the ideal candidate profile:

Breadth of Expertise in Development

This individual will be a catalytic fundraiser who will leverage Tyler’s resources and strengths, think creatively about revenue generation strategies, and bring curiosity and a passion for community-building as they grow resources for Tyler’s future. Results-driven, they will have a proven understanding of a wide range of fundraising channels, particularly individual giving, annual giving, events, and capital campaigns. In addition, this individual will have an eye consistently focused on emerging fundraising trends and how to best adapt Tyler’s efforts in a rapidly changing environment. As an integral member of the senior team, this leader will be a thoughtful and collaborative partner to the Executive Director, colleagues, and Board members.

Engaging Connector and Communicator

An engaging and warm “people person,” this individual will have the capacity to build rapport with a wide range of supporters—current and prospective—and get them excited about Tyler’s mission and vision. Skilled in diplomacy, with an open and curious mind, they will encourage collaboration and buy-in among partners and constituents through empathy, active listening, and the ability to motivate and inspire. Internally, they will develop healthy, respectful working relationships and will be a proactive, clear communicator.

Collaborative and Inclusive Team Builder

This leader will have a proven record of building efficient and effective development shops, hiring and motivating high-achieving teams, and converting strategy into successful execution. Leaning into strategic thinking, a metrics-based approach, and an operational skillset where necessary, this individual will be able to drive towards development goals while maintaining a focus on details and follow-through. As a collaborative leader, this individual will have the ability to set priorities decisively, engage others in shared responsibilities, allocate resources to ensure results, and celebrate successes with colleagues.

Passion for the Mission of Tyler

This individual will bring a deep respect for and enjoyment of the natural world. They will also balance an appreciation for Tyler’s legacy while continually innovating alongside colleagues and Board to help expand its visibility and reach. Moreover, they will be an individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values—someone who can be trusted without reservation.

In addition, strong candidates will have the following qualifications: 

• Undergraduate degree in marketing, business, non-profit administration, or related field, with 6-10 years’ experience in development/fundraising roles of increasing responsibility.
• Candidates must have exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills across diverse audiences and settings.
• Candidates will be empathetic, diplomatic, curious, and creative. 
• They will develop trust through respect, transparency, and accountability with staff, volunteers, and Trustees.

Compensation and Benefits

The compensation range for this position is $110,000 to $120,000, based on experience and ability to have broad impact quickly. Tyler provides a flexible/hybrid work schedule and generous employee benefits including medical benefits and personal time off. Note that the final salary will reflect internal equity and the selected candidate’s individual experiences and qualifications.

Tyler Arboretum is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or disability.

Contact

Tenley Bank and Naree Viner of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials at this link. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. 

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email nonprofitsearchops@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.