Executive Director

Who We Are:

Friends of Trees inspires people to improve the natural world around them through a simple solution: Planting trees. Together.

Friends of Trees is a nationally recognized, regional leader in improving the urban tree canopy and restoring sensitive natural areas—through programs delivered by thousands of volunteers at more than 100 community tree planting and tree care events every season. Since our founding in 1989, 840,000+ trees and native shrubs have been planted in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Lane, Marion and Clark counties through these programs:

Neighborhood Trees: Improving the urban canopy through planting street and yard trees in neighborhoods, focusing on under-served, low-canopy neighborhoods.

Green Space: Planting native trees and shrubs in natural areas to improve watershed health and habitat, this program helps restore more than 40 acres every season.

Volunteer & Outreach: Strategic, deliberate outreach is undertaken toward reaching and serving a diverse audience of tree recipients and volunteers.

In 2019, Friends of Trees:

• 51,049 trees and native shrubs planted in 2019
• 800,000+ trees and native shrubs planted since 1989
• 2,300 of our volunteers are youth
• 7,703 volunteers donated 41,584 hours

What We Believe:

Friends of Trees recognizes that not everyone has equal access to the benefits of trees and healthy urban green spaces based on racial and socioeconomic status. As a community-driven organization we strive to create programming that centers the needs of historically marginalized people, creating healthier communities for all. We address this through community outreach, partnerships with organizations that serve marginalized communities, creating awareness, and prioritizing an equitable organizational culture.

Our next Executive Director will:

• Have a collaborative leadership style with experience working directly with a nonprofit and a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Be a relationship-builder, a strong facilitator, and an expert synthesizer of information.
• Be a fundraiser understanding that community-based fundraising supports the organization and the community in meeting our mission.
• Understand, grow and connect with regional partners. 
• Be passionate about our work as a volunteer-based, conservation-driven nonprofit and have the skills to inspire and align the staff and board toward common vision, goals and strategies.
• Be professionally committed and embrace differing perspectives from their own, in recognition and to counterbalance structural bias and historic marginalization.
• Have experience leading ongoing equity-based transformation.
• Be regarded as a leader in the community and be able to work effectively across a wide variety of organizations and with a variety of individuals.
• Have strong experience leading staff, facilitating strategic programmatic change, and coalescing culture by building trust.

Skills:

• 5+ years experience running a nonprofit organization including personnel, finance, fundraising, program engagement, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in individual, foundation, corporate/business and community fundraising.
• Ability to negotiate contracts, engage with public officials and represent our work and constituents in these conversations.
• Experience working in partnership with communities of color.
• Commitment to Environmental Justice and the health, well-being and engagement of our communities.
• Demonstrated ability to review budgets, manage government funding streams and engage in financial planning with finance staff
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills grounded in deep listening.
• Demonstrated ability to manage staff as individual contributors and as a team including goal-setting, metrics and evaluation criteria, leadership training and staff development.

Attributes:

• Ability to frame issues and needs in compelling ways, connecting big picture visions with the on-the- ground realities
• Ability to form and maintain relationships with current and potential donors and partners.
• Ability to see connections and communicate with ease about the relationships between ground- level work and systemic change.
• Inspiring leader that understands the power of fun, the importance of culture and the role of organizational values in meeting our mission.

Application:

Nonprofit Professionals Now is excited to be working with Friends of Trees on this key leadership position.

To apply for this position, please review the full job description and application information at:  wvdo-or.hiringthing.com/job/209770/executive-director-friends-of-trees

Applications should include a resume, cover letter and completed screening questions.  All applications will be reviewed.

Application Deadline:  October 9, 2020