Communications manager, funder engagement

The Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) is a collaborative of foundations seeking to amplify the power of people and the potential of forests for a just and climate resilient world. CLUA member foundations are the ClimateWorks Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Good Energies Foundation, and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies also awards grants in alignment with the CLUA strategy. By bringing together our resources and diverse expertise, CLUA supports policies, practices, and partnerships that halt and reverse forest loss, advance sustainable land use and development, and secure the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous and forest communities. For more, please visit climateandlandusealliance.org.

CLUA coordinates with other funders to accelerate progress toward shared goals of raising more support and moving more resources to organizations working to halt and reverse tropical deforestation by hosting Forests, People, Climate (FPC), a collaborative of philanthropic donors, civil society, and community-based organizations seeking to halt and reverse tropical deforestation while supporting just, sustainable development. Learn more at forestspeopleclimate.org.

Position Description

Reporting to the Director of Communications for CLUA & FPC, the Communications Manager, Funder Engagement is responsible for planning, managing, and implementing funder-specific communications. As FPC and CLUA deepen their focus on engaging foundations, new climate donors, and other potential funders, this role provides the dedicated donor communications capacity needed to support effective funder engagement. This role is a core part of the Communications Team, ensuring coherent and consistent communications about our collaborative across all audiences. Working in close coordination with the Development Team, who leads donor relationships and funder engagement strategy, this role translates strategy into effective funder-facing messaging and materials. It also works closely with the Monitoring & Learning Team (M&L), turning monitoring and learning into funder updates and stories of impact.

Location

The ideal candidate will be based in a timezone between UTC -8 (Pacific) and UTC -3 (Brazil/Buenos Aires), inclusive. The position will require working remotely with a flexible work schedule that may include early and late calls and activities to support colleagues in multiple time zones in the Americas, Europe, Indonesia, and Africa.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Director of Communications, the Communications Manager will be primarily responsible for the following:

• Align Communications: As part of the Communications Team, develop and manage funder-facing communications that turn funder engagement strategies into effective fundraising narratives, messaging, and materials. Ensure all funder-facing content is coherent, consistent, and aligned with the overall organizational communications strategy while being effectively tailored to specific audiences.
• Support Development: In close coordination with the Development Team, plan, manage, and implement funder communications to support effective funder engagement. Bring dedicated donor communications expertise to translate strategy into compelling materials that strengthen the organization's capacity to mobilize resources.
• Ensure Collaboration: Collaborate across the Development, Program, M&L, and Communications Teams to support funder-facing outreach and convenings through effective messaging and high-quality materials, including talking points, donor briefs, presentations, annual reports, newsletters, and staff training and preparation. Work closely with the M&L Team to turn monitoring and learning into funder updates and stories of impact.
• Streamline Process: Support the Communications Team in facilitating effective communications processes, including review and approvals, to ensure our communications and identity, while targeted to appropriate audiences, remain consistent across the organization.

Preferred Experience & Competencies

Applicants will ideally have many of the following competencies and some of the following experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in communications, with a meaningful focus on donor or funder-facing work.
• Demonstrated experience developing fundraising narratives, donor reports, or impact communications in a nonprofit or philanthropic context.
• Strong ability to translate complex strategy and technical content into clear, compelling messages for non-specialist audiences.
• Experience working closely with development or fundraising teams, with understanding of funder engagement cycles.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English (C1 or C2 level required). Spanish, Portuguese, French, or Indonesian would be a bonus.
• Experience working in or with organizations focused on climate, environment, land use, or natural resources is an advantage.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, adapt to changing needs, and work effectively in a remote and international environment.
• A strong commitment to justice and equity work.

Compensation

The annualized compensation range for this position is between USD $55,000 to USD $127,500, gross, depending on geographic location and experience.

Travel

This position requires occasional domestic and international travel.

Equal Opportunity and Access

Equal employment opportunity is a fundamental principle at the Climate and Land Use Alliance, where staffing and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law. The Climate and Land Use Alliance does not discriminate against formerly incarcerated individuals.

Application Process

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. CLUA will complete an initial review of applications received by October 20 and on a rolling basis thereafter until the position is filled. To be considered, please apply online and submit a cover letter and resume in English.