Application Guide

How to Apply for Director of Planned Giving

at Trust for Public Land

🏢 About Trust for Public Land

Trust for Public Land is a unique nonprofit that creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Working here means contributing to tangible environmental conservation and public access projects across the US, with a mission-driven culture focused on creating lasting community impact through land protection.

About This Role

As Director of Planned Giving at Trust for Public Land, you'll lead the daily operations of the planned giving team while managing marketing, stewardship, and serving as the key liaison between Legal/Finance for estate administration. This role is impactful because you'll secure legacy gifts that fund long-term conservation projects while personally cultivating major gift prospects to advance the organization's mission.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve morning check-ins with your planned giving team, reviewing estate administration documents with Legal, developing marketing content for legacy giving campaigns, and afternoon calls with major gift prospects to discuss conservation impact opportunities. You'll regularly coordinate between stewardship communications and financial tracking while advancing multiple estate cases simultaneously.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Trust for Public Land Is Looking For

  • Has 5+ years of planned giving experience with specific expertise in estate administration and legal/finance collaboration
  • Demonstrates proven success managing a team while personally maintaining a portfolio of major gift prospects ($100K+)
  • Possesses strong marketing and stewardship strategy skills tailored to legacy giving programs
  • Shows deep understanding of conservation philanthropy and passion for Trust for Public Land's specific mission

📝 Tips for Applying to Trust for Public Land

1

Highlight specific experience with estate administration processes and examples of collaborating with legal/finance departments

2

Quantify your planned giving results (e.g., 'managed $XM in estate assets' or 'increased bequest notifications by X%')

3

Demonstrate knowledge of Trust for Public Land's conservation projects by mentioning specific initiatives in your application

4

Show both team leadership AND individual prospect management experience in your resume

5

Reference their current planned giving marketing materials and suggest one specific improvement

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your experience bridging planned giving programs with legal/finance operations for estate administration', 'Specific examples of managing both team leadership responsibilities AND a personal major gift portfolio', "Why Trust for Public Land's conservation mission resonates with your planned giving philosophy", "How you've developed successful marketing/stewardship strategies for legacy giving programs"]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Study their 'Land and Water Conservation Fund' projects and recent conservation victories
  • → Review their annual report and 990 form to understand their current fundraising structure
  • → Analyze their current planned giving web pages and marketing materials for tone and approach
  • → Research their leadership team, especially the Associate VP of Planned Giving you'd report to
Visit Trust for Public Land's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk us through your process for managing an estate from notification through distribution with legal/finance teams
2 How would you balance team management duties with personal cultivation of major gift prospects?
3 What marketing strategies have you found most effective for planned giving programs at conservation organizations?
4 Describe a time you had to navigate complex donor family dynamics during estate administration
5 How would you align planned giving messaging with Trust for Public Land's specific conservation priorities?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on major gifts without demonstrating planned giving/estate administration expertise
  • Using generic conservation language without referencing Trust for Public Land's specific programs
  • Presenting as purely a manager without showing hands-on experience with donor portfolios

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Trust for Public Land!

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