Virtual Conservation Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Senior Development Officer (NorCal)
Reports To: Director of Development
Location: San Francisco (Hybrid)

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Salary: $115,000 - 135,000 (commensurate with experience)

Job Overview:

The Senior Development Officer (NorCal) is a critical frontline fundraiser and strategist arriving at a defining moment for CalTrout's major gifts program in Northern California. This role exists to move the major gift needle: to build relationships, tell stories, and develop the strategy that elevates NorCal major giving to industry standards and beyond. In addition to donor portfolio management, this role builds a new foundation revenue lane for CalTrout in Northern California, owning the full grant cycle from prospect research through proposal writing, stewardship, and renewal.

This is a high-accountability, independently executed role with no direct reports. The right candidate is equally comfortable developing a major gifts strategy, sitting across from a donor on a river, and writing a compelling foundation proposal, and understands that an authentic relationship is the non-negotiable in all three.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Major Gift Strategy - NorCal

• Develop and lead a major gifts strategy for Northern California, identifying where donor density exists, where upgrade potential is concentrated, and how to sequence cultivation to move CalTrout toward a $25,000+ major gifts threshold over time.
  • Build and maintain a clear picture of the NorCal major gifts pipeline; who is ready to be solicited, who needs deeper cultivation, and where new prospects should be introduced, and bring that picture to the Director of Development for alignment and resourcing.
• Identify and pursue new major gift prospects in the NorCal region through proactive outreach, research, and relationship development, expanding the pipeline beyond the inherited portfolio.
• Partner with the Director of Development on portfolio strategy, solicitation planning, and long-term revenue growth for the NorCal region.

Major Donor Portfolio Management

• Manage a portfolio of 50+ NorCal major gift donors and prospects, with a focus on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship at the $10,000+ level and a clear strategy for moving donors toward $25,000+ gift levels.
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each donor, grounded in deep relationship knowledge and a clear understanding of each donor's connection to CalTrout’s mission.
• Use storytelling, field experiences, and tailored impact reporting to bring donors into CalTrout’s conservation work as genuine partners, making them feel not just appreciated but essential to what gets protected and restored in California's rivers and fisheries.
• Conduct regular donor meetings, both in-person and virtual, leveraging CalTrout's programmatic depth and conservation impact to make the case for increased giving in a way that feels natural, not transactional.
• Participate in NorCal fishing trips as a cultivation and relationship-deepening touchpoint for donors within the portfolio, using these field experiences to strengthen connection to the mission.
• Lead NorCal event follow-up and pipeline conversion, turning event engagement into sustained and upgraded philanthropic partnerships.
• Participate in regular portfolio reviews with the Director of Development.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of all donor interactions, strategies, and outcomes in CalTrout’s CRM.

NorCal Foundation Grants

• Research and prospect NorCal-based community foundations, family foundations, and private foundations with an interest in environmental conservation, watershed health, and California fisheries.
• Own the full foundation grant cycle for all assigned funders: prospect research, relationship cultivation, site visits, LOI and proposal writing, stewardship, and renewal, collaborating with the Institutional Giving team as needed.
• Identify and prioritize foundation prospects through targeted research, peer organization intelligence, and board and donor network connections sourced through the Director of Development.
• Maintain current records of all foundation relationships, proposal status, and stewardship touchpoints in CalTrout's CRM, ensuring visibility for both the Development and Institutional Giving teams.

Collaboration and Communication

• Partner closely with conservation staff and program leads to stay deeply informed about CalTrout's work, building the narrative fluency needed to connect donors and funders to outcomes that matter to them.
• Draft personalized proposals, stewardship reports, and donor communications that reflect both programmatic depth and genuine relationship knowledge.
• Represent CalTrout at NorCal events, site visits, and conservation gatherings as a warm, informed, and credible ambassador for the mission.

Skills & Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in major gifts fundraising, relationship-based development, and/or foundation grant management, ideally in a conservation or mission-driven nonprofit setting; highly self-directed, with a track record of managing a portfolio independently and meeting or exceeding revenue goals.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing major gifts strategy, thinking analytically about where to invest cultivation time, how to sequence solicitations, and how to build a pipeline with long-term revenue growth in mind, with a proven ability to move donors up the giving ladder through relationship depth and mission storytelling rather than transactional asks.
• Proven ability to own a full foundation grant cycle independently, from prospect research and funder cultivation through proposal writing, stewardship, and renewal, without routing work to other teams.
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; able to build authentic, long-term relationships with a diverse donor and funder base across Northern California.
• Excellent written communication skills; able to craft compelling proposals and donor correspondence that connect CalTrout's conservation impact to what donors and funders care most about.
• Familiarity with donor CRMs; data-savvy and detail-oriented in tracking interactions, pipeline progress, and portfolio outcomes.
• Strong organizational and time management skills; comfortable managing major donor relationships and foundation cultivation timelines simultaneously without losing depth in either.
• Experience participating in donor-focused field experiences and events as relationship and cultivation tools.
• Passion for environmental conservation and CalTrout's mission; familiarity with California's rivers, fisheries, or fly fishing culture is a meaningful plus.
• Willingness to travel regularly throughout Northern California and occasionally to Southern California; some evening and weekend availability required.

Benefits: California Trout offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience; health benefits (medical, dental, and vision), retirement plan with matching, generous holidays, PTO benefits, and sabbatical leave.

California Trout (CalTrout) is a highly recognized and effective 501(c)3 conservation organization headquartered in San Francisco. For over 50 years, CalTrout has championed a remarkable number of initiatives focused on solving complex resource issues that balance the needs of fish and people. CalTrout has six regionally based offices located in key geographies where wild fish influence local communities. Our professional staff drives innovative, science-based solutions that work for the diverse interests of fish, farms, commerce and the community. CalTrout is backed by a passionate Board of Directors, along with highly committed donors and a strong membership base.

Diversity:  CalTrout does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.

We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective are proven to be better companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work is the right thing to do.