The Director of Advancement is an essential leadership position within a dynamic, dual entity organization: Farm & Wilderness Foundation (FWF) operates six summer camps, off season rentals, and a small-scale farm; and Farm & Wilderness Conservation (FWC) preserves and protects two water bodies (Woodward Reservoir and Lake Ninevah) and surrounding land spanning over 5,000 acres for low impact recreation, outdoor education and wildlife habitat. Additionally, FWC holds all the land and buildings of FWF, and supports community education programming, aquatic greeter programs for each water body, and land management. A shared board structure supports both Farm & Wilderness entities.
Reporting to and working in close partnership with the Executive Director, the Director of Advancement will foster a culture of philanthropy and lead all fundraising and advancement initiatives to support the long-term sustainability of Farm & Wilderness. This position requires an agile leader who enjoys a variety in their work due to the nature of the in-season/off-season cycle of summer camps, including working with a small tight-knit crew of 21 year-round staff that increases by almost 250 staff in the summer.
Work location: Plymouth, VT. This role is required to work in our Main Office 1-2 days per week year-round. 3-4 days per week can be done remotely.
Job Type: This is full-time exempt position.
Company Scale: 5MM annual operating budget with 21-year-round employees
Farm & Wilderness has been engaging in joyful play and purposeful work with young people in the Green Mountains of Vermont for over 85 years. The community it has built is one of its greatest assets. Generations of campers, families, and alumni are motivated by the mission and their own personal transformations, and this translates into a deeply engaged and motivated donor base.
The Director of Advancement will drive our annual $1M fundraising goal, ~90 % for FWF, with an intentional focus on our Affordable for All Initiative, and ~10% on behalf of FWC, and bring a unified vision to fundraising, marketing, communications, and alumni engagement across the organization. At F&W, our staff are designers and builders in equal measure — a well-crafted campaign is not just a hand-off, it gets executed by the same person who designed it, in close partnership with a small, committed team. If you are energized by both the strategy and the work itself, by deep community relationships and the satisfaction of personally seeing a plan through to the finish line, this is a remarkable place to do that work.
Direct Reports: Development Operations Manager, Marketing Director & Major Gifts Officer, a fundraising volunteer, and two part-time seasonal Development & Communications associates
At Farm & Wilderness summer camps in Vermont, we believe that a diverse community makes us stronger and more resilient. Our Quaker heritage lays out the concept of the ‘Light of the Spirit’ in each person and we work each year to live up to this ideal. Our goal is to provide an open and affirming space for children, young people and staff, where they feel welcomed for who they are, not feel pressured to be something else.
The Board annually reviews our Inclusivity & Equity plan. Currently, we are focused on:
• Recruiting BIPOC campers and staff through partnerships, outreach, and affiliations.
• Refining age-appropriate curricula for campers.
• Refining staff training.
• Funding and growing partnerships with organizations that share our values and commitment to experiential learning.
• Giving campers a summer that enhances their school-year activities.
• Each of our camps being a place where all campers and staff feel they belong.
Our Vermont summer camps are designed to provide age-appropriate curricula that nurtures a camper’s or teen’s sense of self and community identity, promotes each child’s comfort in socializing with people of varied backgrounds, fosters critical thought about bias, and cultivates a child’s ability to stand up in the face of bias.
Our Board of Trustees has an Inclusivity and Equity Committee.
