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Quick Question:

Which best describes your total NONPROFIT Program Leadership experience?
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Quick Question:

Within the last 5 years, what role did the following play in your job:
focus on public urban work and/or land conservation.
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Quick Question:

Within the last 5 years, what role did the following play in your job:
Non-profit fundraising focused on foundations
Please note that this position is no longer available.
If you would like to be considered for similar opportunities now or in the future, feel free to apply and/or set up a notifier for yourself.
Ohio State Director
OH - Cleveland


Opportunity Snapshot
Top reasons to consider aligning your career with The Trust for Public Land
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Help us deliver equity, public health and climate resilience through innovative, proven approaches

Proven relationship-building skills, an executive presence, and a passion for improving community wellbeing. If this sounds like you, this position offers you some very compelling opportunities. You will:
  • Make your mark on our Ohio program by strengthening existing programs and building capacity for growth.
  • Take point on implementing the Trust for Public Land's strategic plan in Ohio, supporting our mission to deliver equity, public health and climate resilience through land conservation and parks. Quick question for you - click here
  • Enjoy the immense satisfaction of making an on-the-ground local impact, backed by the resources of a leading national organization.
  • Serve as the face of the Trust for Public Land in Ohio, working with government and private sector leaders, major donors, thought leaders and others to promote our objectives.
  • Enjoy a unique culture that promotes teamwork and welcomes fresh ideas in an environment of positive change.
Celebrating 50 years of outside for all. At the Trust for Public Land, our mission is to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Every park, playground, and public space we create is an open invitation to explore, wonder, discover, and play. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year.

Pictured: Since our founding, The Trust for Public Land has preserved nearly 7,500 acres in the Cuyahoga River watershed, ensuring Ohioans can access the riverfront for recreation, and protecting clean water in one of the state’s most important river systems.
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Lead The Trust For Public Land's Ohio Parks and Land Conservation Programs to the Next Level

The Requirements
Find out what it takes to thrive in this role.
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To be a good fit for the State Director opportunity, you will have:
  • A bachelor’s degree; an advanced degree preferred.
  • 5+ years of experience in an organization focused on public urban work and/or land conservation. Quick question for you - click here
  • 8+ years of relevant non-profit work experience or the equivalent, including 5+ years of staff management experience.
  • Proven strong leadership skills and executive presence; experience as an executive director is preferred.
  • Demonstrated experience working with under-served communities and communities of color.
  • Experience interfacing with and effectively engaging diverse groups (staff, volunteers, stakeholders, politicians, agency partners, etc.).
  • Extensive experience working with fund raisers, and raising mission support from public and private sources.
  • Experience with public finance techniques, government funding practices and procedures, the foundation community, fundraising, marketing practices, best management practices and budgeting practices.
Pictured: We partnered with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to conserve 118 acres of farmland and wetlands in the headwaters of the Cuyahoga River, including Blue Heron Farm. The land is home to several plant and animal species classified as threatened.
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The Role
If you meet the minimum qualifications, feel free to apply at any time. If you'd like some additional details about the role, please read below.
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You will be responsible for developing and leading The Trust for Public Land’s programmatic activities for Ohio. Our work in Ohio encompasses a broad spectrum of effort, including land protection, park design and development, community engagement, parks planning, and public financing for parks and conservation. In all of this work, you will manage and mentor the operations staff (a Program Director and Project Manager) and work in close collaboration with the State Director of Philanthropy to raise funding to support the office’s programs and operating costs. You'll also be responsible for working with public/non-profit partners, major donors, the local advisory board, and others within the TPL organization to enhance opportunities for the success of the office and its program.

Video: With strong support from L.L.Bean, The Trust for Public Land has organized a series of meetings to bring Lakeview Terrace residents together with artists, planners, and design experts to envision changes to their outdoor spaces. This has helped ensure that every decision regarding the open spaces around Lakeview Terrace has been made hand-in-hand with the residents who use the spaces daily.
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Why Join Us
More great reasons to build a career home with us.
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Make your mark now and later
Initially, you will focus on strengthening existing programs, through fundraising, government relationships and partnership development. You'll also develop a roadmap for program growth, consistent with the national strategic plan, including potential new programs and staffing.

Important work
With racial justice in the forefront of the news, parks and public lands are more important than ever, helping people connect across social and economic gaps. The Ohio state program has more than 25 years of strong history.

Local impact, national resources . . . and recognition
You’ll share ideas and insights with other philanthropy professionals in our organization across the U.S., in an upbeat, collaborative culture. We encourage State Directors to consider themselves senior managers in The Trust for Public Land who just happen to live in a particular state. Of course, your successes in Ohio will get the attention of our national network.

Compelling programs
Our message and mission are very popular and attractive to funders. You’ll help increase name recognition for The Trust for Public Land across Ohio, and our story is compelling: we are at the forefront of making communities stronger and protecting land and water. No matter their interest, donors can find a project they are passionate about.

Top ratings
Because we spend so little to gain so much, The Trust for Public Land is one of the country's top-rated nonprofit organizations. Our skill at pooling many funding sources allows us to maximize every dollar donated. A couple of examples:
  • The American Institute of Philanthropy gives The Trust for Public Land an "A for efficiency" for spending only $12 to raise $100.
  • Forbes Magazine gives us high marks for fundraising efficiency and charitable commitment, in our entry on their list of "The 200 Largest U.S. Charities."
Excellent compensation
in addition to a competitive salary, we offer comprehensive benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance; a retirement plan with generous organizational match; paid holidays, vacation, and sick time; flexible spending plans; paid time off for community service; flexible work arrangements and more.

Pictured: In Ohio, our supporters have helped preserve 17,305 acres of open land, create a park or natural area within a 10-minute walk of 103,641 people, and make 134 active or completed projects possible.
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More Insight
Explore the characteristics that will enable you to stand out.
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More about the requirements
In addition to the qualifications listed under The Requirements tab, we're looking for a professional who has:
  • A demonstrated ability to lead, mentor and inspire others.
  • An entrepreneurial spirit, initiative, energy, and the capacity to be both a high performer and a team player.
  • Common sense and a sense of humor.
  • Excellent communication skills, including writing and public speaking.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to lead through influence and motivation in a matrix environment.
  • A passionate commitment to The Trust for Public Land’s mission of creating parks and protecting land for people.
For the time being, you should expect to spend time both in the office as well as working from home. We follow appropriate protocols to ensure the health and safety of all staff members. You also will need to be willing and able to travel as required and to work flexible hours outside a 9-5 schedule. Most travel will be within a two-hour drive of Cleveland, but there also will be two to four trips outside of Ohio each year.

More about the role
You'll invest about 35% of your time in philanthropy. Funding support for the Ohio Office and the programs it carries out is derived primarily from private philanthropic dollars. You'll work in close coordination with the local and national TPL philanthropy staff to cultivate and solicit major gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations. You also will work in partnership with philanthropy staff to create and implement a fundraising plan. Working with local philanthropy staff leadership, you'll manage the local advisory board, and serve as the primary face of TPL in the donor community. Quick question for you - click here

About 25% of your time will go to Program Development and Management, including leading TPL staff and working with program partners, both public and private, to complete existing green infrastructure projects and to develop new ones. This will include evaluating new projects and programs. You'll be responsible for directing opportunities in conservation vision, conservation finance, conservation real estate, park design and development, and national programs like Climate Smart Cities, green infrastructure, and health, among others. In all of this work, the development and maintenance of positive relationships with key public and non-profit partners, as well as major donors will be paramount. You will collaborate with senior leadership, finance and volunteer leaders in developing and implementing strategies that achieve mission delivery goals, and are compelling and financially viable.

Management and administration will account for about 15% of your time, including supervising staff who report to you and creating a positive working environment, strong staff morale and a culture of teamwork and mutual support among all staff, including philanthropy staff who do not report to you. You'll be responsible for working with the finance team to develop the office budget and taking necessary actions to meet or exceed the targets and maintain a work climate that attracts, retains and motivates a diverse staff of top quality people.

You'll invest about 25% of your time in external relations, representing The Trust for Public Land and building the organization’s visibility in Ohio. This will include establishing sound working relationships with public officials and civic leaders, partner non-profits, the media, the donor community and others.

More about your success
Technical knowledge of urban parks and land conversation definitely is helpful, but pivotal to your success will be an executive presence and the ability to convey credibility and authenticity. You'll interact with the largest donors, C-suite executives, government leaders and others, and you should be comfortable not only sharing our mission and vision, but also tailoring that message to the specific interests of different audiences.

Another key to success will be your ability to work effectively in a matrixed organization. Across The Trust for Public Land, there is a diverse array of talented and experienced resources, all of whom share the same mission. Of course, you'll adapt that mission to Ohio's needs, but you should be proactive about establishing relationships with local and national contacts -- and leveraging that network to enhance on-the-ground delivery. In particular, you'll need to partner closely with the Ohio State Director of Philanthropy.

Those who are successful here are entrepreneurial and creative. They are driven to get out the door every day to cultivate new relationships while enhancing existing ones. They are team players and go-getters with a sense of boldness -- they take risks and are willing to make the big asks. They're able to connect the dots and understand how to maximize resources. Our best leaders are committed to promoting a healthy work environment where everyone is empowered to give their best.

Perhaps most important of all, to excel in this role you will need to share enthusiastically in our mission of creating parks and protecting land and waterways for people.

This description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.

Pictured: The park at Lakeview Terrace after tree-planting and installation of fresh pavement for the surface of the highly popular basketball courts, home of the Wildcats.
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The Trust For Public Land is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request an accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career center as a result of your disability. To request an accommodation, contact the Human Resources Department at krivers@engage2excel.com.