Assistant Director, Development Operations

Position Overview

Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the United States. Our mission is simple yet powerful: foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors. With a focus on protecting mountains, forests, waters, and trails throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, we envision a world where our natural resources are healthy, loved, and always protected, and where the outdoors occupies a place of central importance in every person’s life.

This position aligns both paid and unpaid staff to move AMC’s mission and four strategic priorities:

• Inspire joyous, meaningful outdoor experiences
• Protect critical landscapes for the well-being of people and the outdoors
• Cultivate and sustain a robust and welcoming community
• Foster access in the outdoors

Reporting to the Campaign Director, the Assistant Director, Development Operations (ADDO) is responsible for building and managing the infrastructure, processes, and procedures to ensure optimal fundraising operations in support of AMC. The ADDO implements financial, technical, and operational systems for the development team, supporting key areas including campaigns, major gifts, planned giving, grants, the annual fund, events, stewardship, and the development of budgets and annual workplans. This role serves as the technical and fulfillment lead for donors making planned and tribute gifts and plays a critical liaison role between the development and finance teams to ensure coordination and accuracy across departments.

What You’ll Be Doing at AMC

Database Integrity, Reporting, Budgeting

• Directly supervise the Member & Donor Information Specialist. Oversee the coordination, processing, and recording of donations, ensuring data integrity.
• Accurately book pledges and work with development team to secure outstanding pledge revenue. Coordinate pledge reminders.
• Create and maintain reports and dashboards within the database to enable accurate tracking of progress toward fundraising goals across all areas of the development team. Prepare and distribute monthly revenue reports to monitor performance against goals and budget targets.
• Coordinate with the finance department to accurately reconcile fundraising results and ensure donor intents are honored. Collaborate to identify causes of any variances and work to resolve discrepancies.
• Support the development, coordination, and management of annual budgets and workplans. Review and approve expenses and reimbursements in alignment with the departmental budget.
• Create office and database systems to support all Development projects and operations.
• Serve as a department’s Salesforce ‘power user’ and primary lead for development operations technology, including fundraising, data management, and prospect research systems
• Enforce AMC’s gift acceptance policy.
• Manage AMC’s online profiles, such as Candid and CharityNavigator on behalf of the organization.

Donor Pipeline Development and Prospect Identification

• Run development operations tracking and identification reports and lists.
• Conduct prospect research on current and prospective donors, including wealth capacity, giving history, and key background information. Identify and recommend new leadership annual fund prospects and event attendees for assignment.
• Facilitate database screenings, coordinate list pulls, uploads, and verification.
• Assist individual gifts team in tracking donor interactions, solicitations, and outcomes to measure portfolio progress.
• Support quarterly portfolio reviews for the individual gifts team by generating reports and executing data clean-up projects.

Donor Stewardship and Cultivation

• Ensure prompt and accurate donor acknowledgement by establishing and refining acknowledgment processes, procedures, and benchmarks. Supervise Development Coordinator, Development Operations in execution.
• Manage the accurate and timely production of all donor rolls, including for the Annual Report, ensuring they are accurate and hew to donor listing preferences.
• Work directly with the Director, Gift Planning to manage the administration of all active estates and other testamentary gifts including communications with attorneys, fiduciaries, and other advisers.
• Manage naming opportunities and generate endowment reports.
• Coordinate in-kind and memorial/tribute donation requests.
• Regularly review news alerts, obituaries, and public updates to keep donor records current and provide relevant insights to assist gift officers in effective stewardship.

Other (5%)

• Own and organize regular development team meeting calendar.
• In coordination with the Chief Development Officer, serve as a resource for staff onboarding functions.
• Contribute to the overall success of the department by performing other duties as assigned.

Supervisory:

This position manages the Member and Donor Information Specialist and the Development Coordinator, Development Operations.

What AMC is Looking for

The successful candidate will be an accomplished fundraising professional who is conscientious, attentive to detail and results-oriented. The ideal candidate will be a positive, collegial team player with the ability to motivate, engage, and work collaboratively at all levels with donors, volunteers, senior staff, colleagues, and similar constituencies. Also needed is an ability to manage multiple tasks, and projects simultaneously; plan, organize, and communicate effectively; work independently; and display excellent oral and written communication skills. Specific qualifications include:

• Four to seven years of progressive development experience.
• Demonstrated organizational, logistical, and CRM skills. Experience with Salesforce strongly preferred.
• Extreme attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Previous coordination of budgets (projecting revenues and anticipated expenses).
• Working knowledge of existing IRS and FASB gift receipting regulations.
• Working familiarity with planned giving and stewardship best practices.
• Experience developing and analyzing fundraising tracking reports.
• Experience developing and documenting systems and procedures.
• Strong manager with ability to motivate others to success. Previous staff supervision experience preferred.
• Ability to work with confidential donor information.
• Familiarity with and adherence to high ethical and legal standards of the fundraising profession.
• Strong interest in outdoor recreation; a willingness to be trained in outdoor leadership skills is a plus.

What AMC Can Offer You

Salary range: $80,468 - $108,620.

We are committed to fair compensation practices. The initial salary represents our starting point, and our compensation philosophy is designed to reward and recognize the contributions of our employees as they grow within the organization. External candidates typically begin their journey with us at the starting point of the salary range. The final compensation offer will be based on factors such as experience, education, competencies, and geographic differential relevant to the position, and will be discussed during the interview process.

Benefits

• Health Plan: Generous employer contributions through Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts with optional vision and dental.
• Other Insurance: 100% employer paid life insurance, AD&D insurance, long-term disability.
• Career Progression: The potential to have annual compensation reviews commensurate with performance and effort.
• Retirement: 403(b) with 4% matching employer contributions and a vesting schedule. This benefit increases with tenure.
• Paid Time Off: up to 4 weeks of Paid Time Off and up to 11 paid company holidays at hire. This benefit increases with tenure.
• Other Team Member Perks:
  • 30% discount on AMC Merchandise Free Annual AMC Membership
  • 10 Free nights at AMC locations
  • Educational Assistance
  • Pro deal discounts on equipment & gear and more!

To Apply:

Please include a resume and letter of interest. No phone calls or agencies please.

AMC encourages all interested candidates to apply, even if they do not meet every listed qualification. If you have a passion for the outdoors and believe your skills and experiences align with this role, we welcome your application.

The Appalachian Mountain Club has zero tolerance for child abuse or placing children in danger. The AMC requires all employees who work in a program or facility that serves children, disabled persons, or the elderly to have a criminal background record check performed on their name annually with employment contingent upon satisfactory results.