Employment Opportunities

Looking to join the American Battlefield Trust team? Explore our open full-time positions and part-time internship opportunities below. Find out more about the benefits and highlights of working at the Trust on our career page.

Land Preservation Grants Manager
Philanthropic Engagement/Mid-Level Fundraising Manager
State and Local Relations Associate
Internships

Open Positions

At the American Battlefield Trust, we build parks and tell stories — the narrative threads that make up the rich tapestry of our nation. Our culture calls for hardworking, entrepreneurial individuals that take calculated, intelligent risks and are always looking for opportunities to learn and improve. Our staff is united by a commitment to excellence and a passion for keeping American history alive.

Since 1987, the Trust has saved more than 58,000 acres of hallowed battlefield land from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. We have reached millions of students and other life-long learners through our education programs. As our nation heads toward the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, we are looking to grow even more and build upon our previous successes.

The American Battlefield Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Land Preservation Grants Manager

The American Battlefield Trust, the nation’s premier historic land preservation nonprofit, seeks a Grants Manager to obtain and manage funding from federal, state, and local grant programs to preserve and steward important land throughout the U.S. associated with the Civil War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812.

Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid Office)
Department: Land Preservation
Job Classification: Full-Time, Exempt
Salary Range: $65,000 - $75,000
Benefits: vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, 403(b) retirement plan, health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, paid parental leave, FSA, onsite gym at Washington, DC office

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Drafting, compiling, and submitting federal, state and other grant program applications, required application narratives, support documentation, partner support letters, and project budgets
Working closely with Trust project managers on new preservation projects that require grant funding
Coordinating internal and inter-departmental review of projects
Working with Trust staff and partners to assemble historic significance information, mapping and other documents supporting each grant application
Proactively monitoring and facilitating grant approval processes and awards
Preparing and submitting grant award disbursement materials and submitting deliverables for closeout
Conducting research and preparing documentation related to the Section 106 process for federal grants
Managing quarterly and annual grant reporting for various grant programs
Developing and maintaining tracking methods for the status of pending and awarded grants
Conducting research on new federal, state, and local grant programs for battlefield, historic land, open space preservation, and environmental protection/water quality/mitigation
Coordinating with contractors on the preparation of preservation plans and baseline documentation for conservation easements

Developing and maintaining working relationships with grant sources

Required Knowledge, Skills and Experience

B.A./B.S. degree is required
Graduate degree in history, archeology, historic preservation, or closely related field is preferred, but not required
At least four (4) years of relevant work experience is required
Grant writing or administration experience is a plus
Ability to establish excellent working relationships, be detail-oriented, meet project deadlines, and have superior research and writing skills
Experience working with Adobe Acrobat and the Microsoft Office Suite
Interest and experience in the preservation of American historic sites
Salary is commensurate with experience

To apply for the position, please send your resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and references to LPresumes@battlefields.org. No calls, please.

Philanthropic Engagement/Mid-Level Fundraising Manager

Position Summary

The Philanthropic Engagement/Mid-Level Fundraising Manager implements an effective mid-level donor program, and will aim to enhance the experience of the American Battlefield Trust’s mid-level donors (roughly defined as $1,000-$10,000). The Manager will aim to increase retention rates, to increase donors’ giving over time, and to identify donors from this pool who have major gift capacity and who want deeper engagement with the Trust.

Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid Office)
Department: Development
Job Classification: Full-Time, Exempt
Salary Range: $65,000 - $80,000 annually
Benefits: vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, 403(b) retirement plan, health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, paid parental leave, FSA, onsite gym at Washington, DC office

About the American Battlefield Trust:

The American Battlefield Trust is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving our nation’s battlefields from the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. We are seeking Philanthropic Engagement Manager to cultivate, solicit, and steward our fantastic donors so that we can save these battlefields before they are developed, and educate the public about what happened on these historic fields.

America will soon be celebrating our 250^th birthday in just a few short years, and at the same time increasing development pressures are threatening our country’s battlefields like never before. Now is the time to save this land before it is too late, which is why the American Battlefield Trust is launching a major capital campaign.

Principal Responsibilities:

The Philanthropic Engagement/Mid-Level Fundraising Manager:

Manages relationships across a portfolio of approximately 400-600 mid-level donors.

Engages donors through consistent and active communication to cultivate, steward and solicit them using various channels including phone, email, US mail and occasionally face-to-face, with a premium placed on donor retention and increased giving.
Uses content such as donor impact reports and preservation victory announcements, to create personal touchpoints for donors based on their interests and giving. Determines which donors would benefit from more personalized or more frequent contact.
Learns about the donors’ passions and interests, and then develop, execute, evaluate, and refine strategies to connect donors with the organization’s priority projects.

Collaborates with the Major Gifts Team and larger Development team to engage donors and prospects, to include participation in special events and other engagement opportunities.
Develop and implement a strategy around Donor Advised Fund giving.
Conducts prospect research on portfolio and supplements existing donor research as necessary.
Serves as an ambassador for the American Battlefield Trust by developing and maintaining a thorough and accurate understanding of its mission, key programs, and funding priorities to effectively connect donors and prospects to its priorities and core services.
Utilizes and updates the American Battlefield Trust’s donor CRM, EveryAction by recording activities, contacts, gift proposals, and strategies on an on-going basis consistent with current policies.
Writes foundation proposals and grant applications for small foundations on an as needed basis.

Required Competencies and Qualifications:

The American Battlefield Trust seeks a Philanthropic Engagement/Mid-Level Fundraising Manager with:

A commitment to the mission of American Battlefield Trust to preserve our nation’s hallowed battlegrounds and educate the public about what happened there and why it matters today.
At least two years of experience in development, donor relations, or other similar roles demonstrating increasingly responsible positions in development.
Demonstrated ability to develop, deepen and sustain positive relationships with donors.
Genuine curiosity in people, an interest in engaging donors, and uncovering their passions and interests.
A high level of accountability, self-motivation, and ability to work independently and with confidentiality;
Desire to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills and ability to write effectively;
A keen attention to detail and an ability to maintain high standards;
A professional demeanor and good judgment when interacting with the American Battlefield Trust’s staff and leadership team, high net worth prospective donors, and key stakeholders; and
Competency with Microsoft Office. Proficiency with CRM databases required, and experience with EveryAction is preferred.

To apply, submit resume and cover letter to developmentresumes@battlefields.org.

State and Local Relations Associate

The American Battlefield Trust, the nation’s premier historic land preservation nonprofit organization, seeks a politically savvy government relations professional. The Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters today.

Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid Office)
Job Classification: Full-Time; Exempt
Department: Policy and Communications
Salary Range: $58,000 - $68,000 annually
Benefits: vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, 403(b) retirement plan, health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, paid parental leave, FSA, onsite gym at Washington, DC office

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Promote historic battlefield preservation and heritage tourism initiatives among state and local officials
Develop strategic partnerships with national and regional nonprofit organizations that help support the Trust’s mission
Build grassroots initiatives, coalitions and campaigns to foster preservation of hallowed ground
Monitor potential threats that could disturb or destroy historic battlefield resources.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Bachelor's degree
3-4 years of relevant professional experience
Strong communication, interpersonal, and writing skills
Experience in politics, grassroots advocacy, and/or public relations
Demonstrated interest in American history and/or land conservation

To apply for the position, please send resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and references to policyresumes@battlefields.org. No calls, please.

Internships

The American Battlefield Trust provides students interested in history and conservation with outstanding opportunities to work on meaningful projects and gain perspective on the dynamics of an efficient, top-rated nonprofit organization.

The Trust offers paid part-time internships in our Washington, D.C. office, up to 29 hours per week, as needed throughout the year. Interns will be paid at minimum the Washington, DC, minimum wage, which is currently $17.00/hour. Successful candidates may be able to arrange for varied tenures, depending on availability. While we strive to accommodate the schedules of qualified candidates, the selection process is competitive and organizational staffing needs are consideration criteria.

We are currently accepting applications for the following department(s). Click the links below for additional details or see the department descriptions below for more information:

Development - Start date July 2024
Land Preservation

Successful candidates will be contacted by a staff member directly. As part of the selection process, candidates may be asked to participate in an interview, either in person or over the phone. We regret that due to the volume of submissions, we may not be able to respond personally to all applicants. No calls, please.

Candidates must specify the department (first and second choices are welcome) for which they wish to be considered. Application packages containing a cover letter, resume and two writing samples (no more than five pages; excerpts welcome). Please submit applications specifically for Development to developmentresumes@battlefields.org; applications for the Digital Department to digitalresumes@battlefields.org; applications for the History and Education Programs to eduinterns@battlefields.org; applications for Land Preservation to LPresumes@battlefields.org; applications for Policy and Communications to to policyresumes@battlefields.org or:

American Battlefield Trust
ATTN: Intern Coordinator
1156 15th Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20005

Internship applicants can expect the following per department or initiative:

Development:

Interns will learn the mechanics of the nonprofit industry, including event planning, prospect research and donor and member cultivation and management. Our current opportunity is for a start date of July 2024.

Education:

These internships entail a wide variety of Civil War and Revolutionary War research, writing, content creation and image or video editing in support of our education programs on our web site, at American Battlefield Trust events and in print. These are just some of the opportunities available to you as an intern for the American Battlefield Trust Education Department. For motivated History majors, who are looking to hone and develop their public history and program management skills, this internship is for you.

Video Production:

The Education team also offers internships specific to video editing. Assistance with filming in the field may also be included depending on the intern’s location and length of the internship. Responsibilities include color correction, sound mixing, illustrating with images and B-Roll, and adding Trust branding; researching Civil War, Revolutionary War and War of 1812 topics in order to best find the best possible imagery to illustrate our programming; and building pages on the Trust website for videos to live.

Policy and Communications:

Interns assist with multimedia advocacy and outreach efforts; planning, preparing for and executing select special events; drafting and distributing news releases; and supporting a wide variety of government and public relations initiatives throughout the year.

Land Preservation:

Interns will perform key administrative tasks regarding land transactions. These tasks may include organizing digital and physical files, researching land transaction records, and assisting with grant applications. These internships are ideal for detail-oriented students interested in real estate or data management. Internships will have hybrid or in-office work schedules, to be determined in consultation with successful candidates.

Digital Media:

Interns assist with social media, marketing, digital video editing, and web publishing to help 19th-century history meet 21st-century technology.

More opportunities

If you’re interested in bringing your experience and passion to the Trust, but we don’t have the right position available right now, please email our HR Manager at rmaris@battlefields.org with your resume and contact information, and we’ll reach out if we ever have an opportunity that we think might be a good fit.