Director of Development

Position Overview

Riverside Park Conservancy seeks a highly strategic, entrepreneurial Director of Development to help lead the organization’s next chapter of growth. Reporting to the President & CEO, this senior leader will drive fundraising strategy, personally advance donor relationships, and oversee communications as part of an integrated external-facing role. The Director will help raise approximately $6 million annually, including approximately $3.5 million in unrestricted support, with particular emphasis on individual giving and major gifts.

This is a leadership role for someone who can pair strategy with execution: setting clear revenue priorities, building a strong donor pipeline, partnering closely with the President & CEO and Board, and working across departments to translate horticulture, capital improvements, climate resilience, volunteerism, and public programming into compelling cases for support. The Director will manage a small but growing team and help shape the systems, structure and culture of an expanding development operation.

About Riverside Park Conservancy

Riverside Park Conservancy cares for six miles of public parkland on Manhattan’s west side, from 59th to 181st Street. Working in partnership with NYC Parks, we help maintain, restore and enhance 400 acres of green space along the Hudson River that serves approximately 3 million visitors annually. Central to our mission is a commitment to fairness and inclusivity. We recognize that park needs are not uniform across all areas; rather, they reflect the diverse communities we serve. Our goal is to ensure that resources are distributed equitably and that the standard of care across all six miles is of the highest caliber.

Founded by volunteers in 1986, the Conservancy now employs more than 70 professional staff who work alongside hundreds of volunteers and NYC Parks employees to care for one of New York City’s most important public landscapes. We produce more than 400 free public events each year, run a large summer sports camp serving 1,500 children, and advance projects ranging from playground renovations and staircase replacements to forest restoration, environmental stewardship, and equitable neighborhood investment.

Why This Role Matters Now

Riverside Park Conservancy is in growth mode, and the organization has built strong fundraising momentum over the last decade. Unrestricted revenue has doubled over the last seven years, and recent annual growth has been especially strong. At the same time, operating costs and ambitions are increasing, making sustainable philanthropic growth central to the Conservancy’s future.

The next Director of Development will not simply maintain an existing program; they will help build the next-generation fundraising infrastructure of the organization. This includes deepening major donor and annual giving strategy, strengthening unrestricted support, partnering on board engagement, and ensuring that Riverside tells a clear, compelling story about why philanthropic support for public parkland matters.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Fundraising Leadership

• Develop and execute annual and multi-year fundraising strategies aligned with organizational priorities and revenue goals.
• In partnership with the President & CEO and the CFO, establish clear goals and accountability across major gifts, annual giving, special events, institutional giving, board giving, donor stewardship, and related communications.
• Help raise approximately $6 million annually in philanthropic support, including roughly $3.5 million in unrestricted giving.
• Create revenue forecasts, pipeline reports, and performance dashboards that support strategic decision-making and board reporting.
• Identify new growth opportunities, especially those that expand unrestricted and renewable support.

Major Gifts and Individual Giving

• Personally manage a portfolio of major donors and high-capacity prospects, with responsibility for qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and upgrade strategy.
• Partner closely with the President & CEO on top relationships, donor strategy, meeting preparation, solicitation planning, and follow-up.
• Strengthen the full individual giving pipeline, from annual and mid-level donors to leadership and major gifts, with particular attention to retention, upgrades, and long-term loyalty.
• Build on emerging donor programs and segmentation efforts, including giving-society and recurring/annual giving strategies, to create more predictable and scalable individual revenue.

Board Partnership and External Leadership

• Serve as a key fundraising partner to the President & CEO and a staff liaison to development-related board committees.
• Support board members in effective fundraising and stewardship roles, including peer-to-peer outreach, cultivation, and give/get strategy.
• Work with executive and board leadership to identify prospective board members and strengthen the connection between board development and philanthropic growth.

Communications and Storytelling

• Oversee communications as part of an integrated development function, ensuring that fundraising and external messaging are aligned, strategic, and consistently strong.
• Work closely with program, operations, and finance staff to identify fundable priorities and translate complex work into persuasive donor-facing language.
• Guide the creation of donor communications, appeals, proposals, reports, presentations, website content, email messaging, social media, printed collateral, speeches, and in-park signage.
• Develop and refresh clear cases for support for unrestricted operations as well as priority initiatives across park care, climate resilience, capital improvements, public programming, and community engagement.

Team Leadership and Development Operations

• Manage, mentor, and develop a small but growing development and communications team, helping define roles, workflows, and future staffing needs as the function expands.
• Oversee donor systems and operations, including CRM/data integrity, prospect research, gift processing, acknowledgments, recordkeeping, and coordination with finance.
• Maintain a high standard of responsiveness, follow-through, and donor experience across all development activities.
• Prepare and manage the department budget, development calendar, and regular written reports for senior leadership and the Board.

Events and Donor Engagement

• Provide strategic oversight of fundraising, cultivation, and stewardship events, including the Riverside Revue and smaller donor-engagement opportunities.
• Ensure that events are designed not only to generate revenue, but also to move prospects deeper into the pipeline and strengthen long-term relationships with donors and community supporters.
• Oversee donor recognition and benefit structures tied to annual and campaign giving, named opportunities, and stewardship programs as appropriate.

Qualifications and Characteristics

• A significant track record of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience, including demonstrated success securing and growing major gifts and unrestricted individual support.
• Experience serving as a frontline fundraiser and thought partner to a CEO, executive director, or similar senior leader.
• Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate programmatic and financial information into compelling donor messaging.
• Experience managing staff and leading cross-functional collaboration in a fast-moving environment.
• A collaborative, emotionally intelligent leadership style and a genuine enthusiasm for working across departments and with volunteers, board members, and community stakeholders.
• Familiarity with New York City public space, environmental, cultural, or civic institutions is strongly preferred.
• Commitment to Riverside Park Conservancy’s mission and to the role of public parks as welcoming, equitable and vital resources.

To Apply: Submit your resume and cover letter via email to jobs@riversideparknyc.org with “Development Director” in the subject line.

Salary: $130,000 – $150,000 commensurate with experience.

We offer a competitive compensation package, which includes medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance, 401(k)+match, commuter benefits, flexible spending, and generous paid leave.

Riverside Park Conservancy is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all applicants and employees. We recognize the importance of diversity and offer equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, height, weight, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

We offer a competitive compensation package, which includes medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance, 401(k)+match, commuter benefits, flexible spending, and generous paid leave.