The mission of the Native Fish Society is to advocate for the recovery of wild, native fish based upon the best-available science and promote the stewardship of the habitats that sustain us all. The Native Fish Society works across the Pacific Northwest, often through our locally based grassroots River Stewards advocates, to identify and advance science-based solutions to the root challenges facing wild, native fish.
The Native Fish Society is a regionally focused organization with programmatic activities in 67 watersheds in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho and British Columbia. Our main office is located in Oregon City, Oregon.
Work for Native Fish
Development Director
Location: Oregon City, Oregon
Compensation: Full-time salary + generous benefits, please include your salary requirements with your application
Application Deadline: Position open until filled
Native Fish Society seeks Development Director
The Native Fish Society is a nonprofit organization that empowers and embraces all ethnically, racially, and culturally diverse people to take action to revive abundant wild fish, free-flowing rivers, and thriving local communities across the Pacific Northwest.
We activate place-based volunteers through our River Steward Program, skills-based volunteers through our Native Fish Fellowship Program, and increase our circle of women advocating for wild fish through our Women for Wild Fish Initiative. Recent successes include protecting 22,000 miles of fish habitat in Oregon from harmful mining, establishing 8 rivers as wild steelhead sanctuaries in Washington, and precedent-setting hatchery reform to revive threatened wild salmon on Oregon’s Sandy River. In our 25 year history, the Native Fish Society has never been more impactful on the issues defining the future of wild, native fish. Our community is passionate, persistent, and focused on long-term relationships and solutions.
We seek a full-time Development Director to head our event, membership, and foundation fundraising needs. This role is best filled by a person who is infectiously upbeat, highly organized and energized by meeting new people. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to grow as a leader and make a big positive impact on the rivers and streams that sustain our Pacific Northwest communities and cultures. Homebase for this position is at the Native Fish Society headquarters in Oregon City, OR.
The Development Director will play an important role in implementing our organizational strategies, including our work to cultivate a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community for wild fish. Native Fish Society is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ candidates to apply.
Key Responsibilities
- Share Native Fish Society’s mission, vision, programs, strategies, and campaigns clearly and compellingly, verbally and in writing with members, foundations, and corporate partners
- Develop and implement new outreach and fundraising events across the Pacific Northwest
- Grow and diversify our membership in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California
- Steward prospective corporate, foundation, and individual donors
- Organize foundation grant calendar, author, and submit grant proposals
- Innovate on our fundraising efforts & develop new tools for sharing conservation efforts
Qualifications
- Superb written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
- Savvy with basic technology like Microsoft Office suite & Google app suite
- Ability to connect with people from a wide range of backgrounds
- Creative, adaptive, and self-starter attitude
- Donor and volunteer service mentality
- Time management, multi-tasking, and flexibility with job duties
- Organized and inspiring team member
Ideal candidate:
- 3 years of experience in non-profit fundraising or for-profit marketing and sales
- Experience working on grassroots advocacy campaigns and can speak personally to how Native Fish Society accomplishes our work
- Fundraising software and tools expertise
Compensation & Benefits
- Starting salary commensurate with related work experience and qualifications.
- We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical stipend, Simple IRA retirement plan, travel, phone reimbursement, and generous paid time off.
Application Instructions
Application review will begin October 21st. The position is open until filled. Please send application materials (resume, cover letter, three references, and salary requirements) to mark@nativefishsociety.org. Please include “Development Director & Your Name” in the subject line.
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More about Native Fish Society
Mission: Guided by the best available science, Native Fish Society advocates for the protection and recovery of wild, native fish and promotes the stewardship of the habitats that sustain us all.
Vision: We envision a future with abundant wild fish, free-flowing rivers, and thriving local communities.
What is a Wild, Native Fish? And why are they important?
A wild, native fish completes its entire lifecycle naturally, without human intervention and is a fish species that occurred naturally within a lake, stream, or river historically—not placed there by humans.
Wild, native fish are keystone species—meaning they’re uniquely entwined in a natural relationship with people and wildlife. Their wellbeing and success affect us all.
Today, the majority of the Pacific Northwest’s iconic native fish hover at just 1-10% of their historic abundance. The fate of native fish will be decided within our lifetimes. The revival of native fish is more than an environmental movement, it’s about preserving our shared cultures.
Conservation Programs:
River Steward Program: 75 place-based volunteers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California. Stewards are empowered as local leaders enacting change in their homewaters.
Native Fish Fellowship Program: 13 skills-based volunteers. Leveraging skills and talents to accelerate the revival of wild, native fish.
Women for Wild Fish Initiative: Connect and promote 1,000 women in 2019 as leaders in science-based education and the conservation of wild, native fish and their homewaters.
Notable accomplishments include:
- Safeguarding 101,000 acres of public lands from strip mining in the headwaters of remarkable salmon and steelhead rivers including the Illinois, Smith, Pistol rivers and Hunter Creek
- Designating the Molalla and Chetco rivers as State Scenic Waterways
- Advancing 150 miles of new Wild & Scenic rivers critical for wild salmon and steelhead including the Molalla River and tributaries to the Rogue River.