Position Opening: Executive Director
Wild Whatcom is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering lifelong connections to nature. We provide experiential learning opportunities that inspire participants of all ages to build healthy relationships with nature, community, and self. We serve more than 4,000 individuals each year through our school programs, weekend outings, nature preschool, summer camps, community programs, and projects with many community nonprofits. With a talented staff of 19, we provide more than 50,000 nature hours to individuals in Whatcom County each year.
Wild Whatcom board, staff, and volunteers are united in a vision of organizational development that continues to increase opportunities for diverse populations to connect with nature and deepen our programs and partnerships. We seek an Executive Director with excellent fundraising, financial management and organizational skills, and a focus on collaboration, equity, and distributed leadership.
Leadership Opportunity
The Board of Directors is looking for a dynamic leader to further the mission of Wild Whatcom. The high quality of our programming and staff and strong organizational culture draw participants, partners, and donors to our organization. We have deep roots in distributed leadership, prioritizing shared decision-making, and stakeholder engagement. We seek someone to cultivate these strengths and bring new capacities, vision, and perspectives to the work.
The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and holds responsibility for the daily operations of the organization as well as the strategic implementation of its vision and mission. The Director has a network of internal and external support including, but not limited to: several working Committees (Finance, Fundraising, Outreach, Grant Review), a strong staff leadership team with long histories with the organization, and long standing community and funder partnerships.
The priorities for the first 12-36 months will be to lead Wild Whatcom in making significant progress on the following goals:
- Increase our fundraising capacity to sustain and grow our free and by donation programs, and youth program scholarships. This includes donor engagement, support of annual fundraising event and collaboration with our Grants and Communications Manager
- Continue and augment our financial footing through exemplary fiscal management, including an annual fiscal strategy review in support of the Finance Committee.
- Support our wide array of programming to offer outdoor enrichment and education with reduced barriers to access, including assessing current pilot programs and balancing increased demand for programs with strategic and sustainable growth.
- Continue to develop a diverse Board of Directors and group of working Committees (Governance, Outreach, Finance, and Grant Review) to hear from a wide range of stakeholders in decision making, strategic direction, and public engagement.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have excellent people and communication skills to develop, build, and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Proven fundraising skills, non-profit management, and budgeting experience are essential, as is the ability to build teamwork in a collaborative manner so that board members, volunteers, and staff are supported and empowered to use their collective skills and experiences to advance the mission. Wild Whatcom is also seeking a leader with a background and commitment to equity and brings energy and a sense of humor.
While no one can be an expert at everything, candidates who meet most of the following qualifications will receive strong consideration:
Non-profit organizational or business management and leadership
- Experience in non-profit or business management, preferably in youth, environment, sustainable communities, educational activities, and/or public programming.
- Strong financial management skills, including experience developing and managing a budget, generating and interpreting financial reports, performing business and program analysis within an organization, and when necessary, making organizational changes to maintain a balanced budget
- Professional work habits: punctual, responsive, organized, ability to manage multiple projects, attention to detail, and the executive function to see projects to completion.
- Experience developing and successfully implementing a strategic plan and annual operating plans.
- Experience working with and supporting a board of directors and advisory individuals.
- Knowledge of nonprofit compliance, laws, and regulations; knowledge of human resources best practices and regulations.
- Competency with Google systems, Quickbooks, Microsoft Office Suite, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems, among others.
Fundraising and donor cultivation
- Philanthropic non-profit fundraising expertise, including demonstrated success soliciting major donors, corporate partners, and private foundations. Experience with effective annual fund (individual giving) programs.
- Successful grant writing experience as well as other income-generating strategies, and the ability to lead a team (staff, board, and volunteers) in support of fundraising goals.
- Ability to represent the organization to funders, participant families, program partners, and the broader community.
Working Environment
We expect that the Executive Director will live in or near Western Whatcom County with easy access to the Bellingham office in the Lettered Streets Neighborhood. The position will involve a mix of computer-based work, staff meetings, in-person stakeholder meetings, and community outreach. We offer a flexible work environment that includes a regular presence in our open floor-plan office and several days working remotely.