Development Director | Lead Philanthropy for Clean Water & Conservation

Raritan Headwaters Association (RHA) is seeking an experienced, relationship-driven Development Director to lead and grow the fundraising program of one of New Jersey’s leading watershed conservation organizations.

This is an opportunity for a seasoned development professional to step into a senior leadership role with significant autonomy, strong organizational support, and a compelling mission. Working closely with the Executive Director, Board of Trustees, and a talented staff team, the Development Director will help shape RHA’s next phase of growth and deepen the relationships that sustain our work to protect clean water, natural lands, and healthy communities.

About Raritan Headwaters

RHA protects the water and natural resources of New Jersey’s 470-square-mile Upper Raritan River watershed, spanning 38 municipalities across Hunterdon, Somerset, and Morris counties.

More than 300,000 people live within the watershed, and approximately 1.5 million people downstream depend on its water as a source of drinking water. From our headquarters at the 170-acre Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve in Bedminster, RHA advances its mission through science, land preservation, restoration, education, advocacy, and community engagement.

Our work is ambitious, hands-on, and highly collaborative. The Development Director will join an organization with a strong reputation, an engaged Board and donor community, a multi-million-dollar annual budget, and significant opportunities to expand philanthropic support.

RHA is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization and encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

The Opportunity

The Development Director serves as RHA’s senior fundraising strategist and a key member of the organization’s leadership team.

The Director will lead a comprehensive development program that includes individual and major giving, foundations, corporate partnerships, planned giving, annual campaigns, and special events. A particular priority will be building deeper relationships with individual donors and expanding RHA’s major and planned giving programs.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys both strategy and relationships: someone who can see the big picture, build a strong fundraising pipeline, and also genuinely enjoy sitting down with donors, introducing them to RHA’s work, and helping them find meaningful ways to support it.

The Development Director will have considerable opportunity to shape the program rather than simply administer an existing model.

What You’ll Do

Lead RHA’s fundraising strategy.

Develop and execute a comprehensive development plan that supports RHA’s strategic priorities and long-term financial sustainability. Identify opportunities to diversify and grow philanthropic revenue across individual giving, major gifts, foundations, corporations, and planned giving.

Build meaningful donor relationships.

Personally manage and grow a portfolio of major and leadership-level donors and prospects. Create thoughtful strategies for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, including donor meetings, site visits, events, and other opportunities to connect supporters directly with RHA’s mission and impact.

Grow major and planned giving.

Strengthen RHA’s major gifts program and help build an emerging planned giving program, creating opportunities for donors to make transformational and legacy investments in clean water and conservation.

Lead and support the development team.

Provide clear direction, mentorship, and support to staff responsible for development activities including annual giving, grants, events, communications, and donor engagement. Foster a collaborative, creative, and results-oriented culture.

Partner with the Executive Director and Board.

Work closely with the Executive Director and Board of Trustees to identify and cultivate prospects, strengthen donor relationships, and expand RHA’s network of supporters. Serve as the staff liaison to the Board Development Committee and help Board members feel confident and effective as ambassadors and fundraisers.

Strengthen fundraising systems and strategy.

Use Raiser’s Edge and other tools to maintain a strong donor pipeline, track progress, identify opportunities, and inform fundraising decisions. Establish useful metrics and reporting without losing sight of the relationships behind the data.

Help tell RHA’s story.

Become deeply familiar with RHA’s programs and impact and translate that work into compelling conversations, proposals, presentations, and donor communications. Serve as a visible ambassador for RHA with donors, foundations, corporations, community leaders, and partners.

Support financial planning.

Partner with the Executive Director and Finance team on revenue forecasting, annual budgeting, and long-term planning. Identify emerging opportunities as well as potential revenue risks and help develop strategies to address them.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who is strategic, personable, curious, and motivated by mission. The strongest candidates will bring many of the following:

• At least five years of successful nonprofit fundraising, advancement, philanthropy, or related business development experience.
• Demonstrated success cultivating and soliciting individual donors and major gifts.
• Experience developing and implementing fundraising strategies that produce measurable growth.
• Strong relationship-building skills and comfort engaging donors, Board members, community leaders, foundations, and corporate partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience leading, supervising, or mentoring staff.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day execution.
• Comfort using fundraising databases and data to guide decision-making; experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge is a plus.
• Experience with foundation grants, corporate giving, planned giving, or fundraising events is valuable, but candidates do not need to be experts in every area.
• Genuine enthusiasm for RHA’s mission and an interest in conservation, clean water, environmental protection, or community-based nonprofit work.

We recognize that great candidates may not meet every qualification listed above. If this opportunity excites you and you believe your experience could contribute to RHA’s success, we encourage you to apply.

Position Details

This is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the Executive Director.

RHA offers a hybrid work environment, generally including three days per week at our headquarters at Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve in Bedminster, New Jersey, and two remote days. Candidates who prefer to work more frequently in person are welcome to do so.

Because relationship-building is central to this position, the Development Director will occasionally attend donor meetings, community events, Board meetings, and other activities outside regular business hours.

Compensation

Salary range of $90,000–$110,000, commensurate with experience, plus eligibility for an annual performance-based bonus. RHA is seeking an accomplished development professional and is prepared to offer competitive compensation based on the experience and strengths of the successful candidate.

Benefits

RHA offers a competitive benefits package including:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching contributions
• Generous paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Professional development opportunities
• A flexible, mission-driven work environment
• The opportunity to work from RHA’s beautiful 170-acre Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve

How to Apply

Please send a resume and brief letter of interest to Executive Director Mara Tippett at mtippett@raritanheadwaters.org.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

• 403(b) plan with matching contributions
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Professional development