Chief Advancement Officer

position Type: Full-time

Location: Charleston, SC

Reporting: President & CEO

Application Instructions: To apply, email a cover letter, resume, and three (3) references as a single PDF to careers@lowcountrylandtrust.org by November 25, 2026. Applications not following these instructions will be rejected.

Lowcountry Land Trust seeks a dynamic, experienced Chief Advancement Officer to build on the momentum of our successful capital campaign and lead the next chapter of philanthropic growth.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, collaborative leader who is passionate about conservation, building meaningful relationships, and inspiring teams. The Chief Advancement Officer will lead a talented advancement team, strengthen donor engagement and long-term philanthropic support, and guide integrated marketing and communications efforts to expand our reach and impact.

If you’re a proven fundraising leader who thrives on building teams, developing strategy, and turning ambitious goals into lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you!

POSITION SUMMARY

The Lowcountry Land Trust Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) is an accomplished, strategic, and relationship-oriented philanthropy professional with a deep commitment to nonprofit excellence and mission-driven results. As the Land Trust enters its next chapter of growth and philanthropic opportunity, the CAO will build on the success of a transformational campaign, a growing community of supporters, and a strong advancement infrastructure to further strengthen the organization’s philanthropic capacity and long-term sustainability.

As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team and strategic partner to the President & CEO and Board of Trustees, the CAO provides vision and leadership for an integrated Advancement Department encompassing fundraising, donor engagement and stewardship, marketing, communications, and advancement operations. The CAO is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies and annual plans; leading and developing a talented team; and ensuring the systems, processes, and resources necessary to support continued organizational growth are in place.

The CAO cultivates and stewards significant relationships with individual major donors, corporations, foundations, and other philanthropic partners, while deepening engagement across the Land Trust’s broader community of supporters. Working collaboratively across the organization, the CAO translates the Land Trust’s mission, conservation priorities, and strategic vision into compelling opportunities for philanthropic investment, inspiring greater participation and long-term commitment to its work.

Combining strategic vision with a hands-on approach to relationship building and team leadership, the CAO will build upon established strengths, continually evolve the advancement program, and expand the organization’s capacity to engage supporters and secure philanthropic resources. This role is central to advancing the Land Trust’s mission, increasing its conservation impact, and ensuring a vibrant and sustainable future for the organization.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of securing principal and major gifts, as well as cultivating and closing planned gift commitments.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

Strategic Leadership

• Partner with the President & CEO and Board of Trustees to set advancement strategy and goals.
• Lead, mentor, and develop an advancement team with clearly defined areas of responsibility, fostering collaboration, accountability, professional growth, and shared ownership of philanthropic goals
• Serve on the Senior Leadership Team and contribute to organization-wide planning and decision-making.

Fundraising & Philanthropy

• Develop and implement, in collaboration with the President & CEO and Advancement staff, a comprehensive annual fundraising plan with goals across major gifts, annual giving, corporate and foundation support, planned giving, and campaigns to meet revenue goals; continuously monitor and refine these initiatives.
• Manage a personal portfolio of major donors and prospects; secure significant gifts through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Building on the momentum generated by the Land Trust’s successful capital campaign, develop strategies to steward campaign donors, deepen engagement, and convert campaign success into sustained long-term philanthropic support.
• Collaborate with the President & CEO and members of the Advancement team to develop, nurture, and deepen business relationships, including providing strategic direction for Business Leadership Council meetings.
• Provide strategic oversight of grant strategy, foundation relationships, and proposal development, ensuring these functions are effectively executed by Advancement staff.
• Oversee the Advancement team responsible for planning and executing events, ensuring alignment with fundraising goals, donor engagement strategies, and organizational priorities.
• Support Board members and senior staff in donor engagement and fundraising roles.
• Periodically act as a representative of the Land Trust in an official capacity.
• Other pertinent and appropriate duties as assigned.

Marketing & Communications

• Provide leadership and direction for the Land Trust’s strategic communications and marketing plan, overseeing the staff responsible for producing clear, compelling, and consistent messaging.
• Provide strategic leadership for an integrated communications and marketing strategy that strengthens the Land Trust’s brand, expands awareness and engagement, and supports philanthropic and organizational priorities
• Oversee the public relations activities by providing strategic guidance to staff who manage contract public/media relations professionals and develop key messages.

Department Management

• Provide direct supervision to Advancement staff, setting performance expectations and supporting professional growth.
• Oversee budgets, reporting, systems, and operational processes to ensure accurate tracking, donor data integrity, and effective operations.
• Ensure compliance with development best practices, ethical standards, and donor intent.

Other Duties as Required:

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work an employee assigned to this position performs. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required. All staff members may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time.

Onboarding is in-person. Employees are required to be in the office a minimum of one full day per week, in-person once per month for a staff meeting, and occasionally throughout the year for group events. More in-office days may be required depending on the needs of the business.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education
• Significant progressive experience in advancement, philanthropy, development, or a related field, including experience leading complex fundraising strategies and teams.
• Supervisory experience of a department and external consultants
• Demonstrated ability to build a culture of philanthropy within an organization
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to cultivate relationships
• Experience working with Virtuous or comparable donor database
• Proficiency in organizing and prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Some evening and weekend work is required
• In- and out-of-state travel may be required

Preferred:

• jobshiringnearme.org and/or public agency experience
• Additional higher education or professional certification
• Customer service knowledge
• Additional experience in fundraising, donor relations, and marketing
• Affinity and/or familiarity with land conservation

Lowcountry Land Trust is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws that apply to equal employment. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, civil union status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation or identity, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital status, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran, service in the federal or state military, union affiliation, pregnancy or breastfeeding, medical or genetic information, atypical hereditary cellular blood trait, refusal to submit to a genetic test or make test results available to the Company, or status as a qualified individual with a disability, in accordance with applicable laws. The Land Trust also complies with the South Carolina Pregnancy Accommodation Act.

Benefits Summary

Insurance

• Health Insurance
  • CoPay Plan with FSA (Flexible Spending Account) option
    • Employee premium covered 90% by employer (ER)
  • HDHP (High Deductible) Plans with HSA (Health Savings Account) option
    • All medical costs are paid out of pocket until the deductible is met
    • Employee premium covered 100% by ER
    • Includes Employer HSA contribution
• Dental Insurance – Employee premium covered 100% by ER
• Group Life Insurance w/ AD&D ($25,000) – Employee premium covered 100% by ER
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability – Employee premium covered 100% by ER

Optional benefits available – Paid by Employee:

• Health FSA & Dependent Care FSA
• HSA
• Accident Insurance
• Critical Illness Coverage
• Hospital Indemnity
• Legal Assistance
• Pet Wellness
• Vision Care
• Voluntary Life Insurance

Financial & Retirement

403(b)

• Immediate Eligibility: Age 21 and works at least 83 1/3 hours per month
• Up to 6% match after 6 months of employment

Family & Parenting

• Family & Medical Leave
• Hybrid Work Environment (in-office/from home)
• Flexible Hours

Paid Time Off

• Self-managed PTO
• 11 Paid Holidays

Perks 

• Partial Mobile Phone Reimbursement