Author: Colin May
We’re Hiring a Business & Corporate Relations Manager
TITLE: Business & Corporate Relations Manager
EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Regular, exempt from overtime. Full-time (40 hours per week).
HOURS: Monday to Friday flexible schedule, with frequent Saturdays October – April, evenings as needed.
SUPERVISED BY: Development & Communications Director
PAY RATE: Annual salary set at $66,000. Eligible for full benefits package, including 100% employer paid medical, dental and vision insurance, retirement match up to 2%, paid time off starting at 3 weeks’ vacation, 11 holidays, and sick time. Eligible for one month paid sabbatical after five years. The organization is closed during the final week of December.
LOCATION: Friends of Trees Portland office at 3117 NE MLK Jr. Blvd, Portland, OR 97212. Stairs required to access the office. Travel throughout the City of Portland with FOT provided vehicles. Work a combination of in-office, outdoor, and hybrid/remote.
CLOSE DATE: Materials due by Wednesday, June 17, 2026 (see details below under How to Apply). Resumes will be reviewed upon receipt; qualified candidates may be invited to interview prior to the posted closing date. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
EXPECTED START DATE: July 2026 (ideally)
ABOUT FRIENDS OF TREES
Since 1989, Friends of Trees (FOT) has planted more than a million trees and native shrubs in 120+ neighborhoods’ in six counties across two states. We’ve done this through engaging 75,000+ community volunteers, and while implementing and growing programming that aims to do this work inclusively and equitably. We plant trees, and so much more. Learn more about The Friends of Trees Way, about Our Commitment to Equity, and about Our Community Partnerships.
JOB SUMMARY
The Business & Corporate Relations Manager is the lead and primary staff person for business and corporate financial support of Friends of Trees. This position involves pursuing, securing, maintaining, and growing corporate and business support through donations (financial and in-kind), sponsorships, percentage of sale benefits, and all other forms of business/corporate support. The Manager works with the Development & Communications program, and other program areas as necessary, to coordinate Friends of Trees’ events as appropriate and relevant. This position also plays a lead role in implementing external communications, especially as related to corporate and business donors. This position is in the office, out in the community, and sometimes in the field networking with sponsors, donors, and other partners.
Business partners of note include Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Fire, Portland Thorns, PGE, Northwest Natural, along with many other businesses of various sizes and scopes.
DESCRIPTION OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Corporate and Business Relations
- Maintain and grow existing corporate and business partnerships.
- Prospecting: Research, develop, and secure new corporate and business partnerships in line with FOT’s service areas in Portland Metro, SW Washington, Salem, and Eugene.
- Ensure fulfillment of partnership promotional benefits and activities.
- Create and implement consistent, creative, and valued appreciation activities.
- Host sponsors and business partners at weekend planting events.
- Support sponsor engagement and community activation efforts, including occasional mobilization & operation of Friends of Trees mascot, Garry Oak, at corporate partner events
- Other benefit administration as necessary and as specified in individual partner agreements.
- Interact with sponsors and prospects externally as opportunities are available.
- With DevComm and other appropriate staff, conceive of and implement specific campaigns and other activities specific to recruiting and growing business donors.
- Work with the regional Eugene team on creative regional solutions to fulfill sponsor promotional activities.
- Evaluate regional office work processes and develop / implement efficiencies to help advance fundraising and sponsorship promotional activities.
- Coordinate private planting events for corporate and business groups, working closely with the Green Space Program.
- Lead on all aspects of business/corporate partner involvement in organizational events and activities.
- Work with the Development Specialist on data entry, reporting, and donation acknowledgements.
- Maintain accurate and complete records of corporate transactions and communications. Prepare regular reports on all campaign activities.
- Coordinate and staff outreach events as appropriate, to maintain and pursue relationships with sponsors and potential sponsors.
- Appropriately respond to frequent inquiries and requests from current and potential business donors.
- Project corporate donation revenue monthly, quarterly, and annually to support budgeting, goal tracking, and organizational planning.
Communications
- Social media: Work with Communications Manager on content specific to business/corporate partners.
- Contribute to the monthly e-newsletter as necessary.
- Work with Communications Manager on all aspects of the Business Digest, a periodic e-news for business partners.
- Work with DevComm team to maintain FriendsofTrees.org pages related to corporate and business donors.
- Work with the Development Specialist to generate, regularly update, and post seasonal planting calendar, which includes sponsor participation.
- With the DevComm team, assess and evaluate the success of communications efforts.
General Friends of Trees Programming support
- Lead on, and/or support other staff with, securing in-kind donations of goods and/or services for organizational events.
- Work with program staff as possible on ideas and strategies to maximize events’ and activities’ appeal to potential sponsors.
- Directly support program activities as necessary to promote the above.
OTHER DUTIES:
- Actively participate in FOT’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives
- Attend and actively participate in staff meetings, retreats, trainings, and cross-organizational initiatives; support efforts to improve program and organizational effectiveness
- Uphold FOT’s safety protocols in support of a safe working environment
- Participate in cross-program committees and subcommittees to fulfill FOT’s mission
- Participate in organizational fundraising efforts and strategic planning efforts\
- Contribute content for TreeMail and FOT social media channels, as needed
- And other duties as assigned
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- At least three years demonstrated experience cultivating and securing donations from corporations and businesses, including prospecting new relationships and growing existing relationships.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Excellent organizational and time management skills.
- Strong writing and communication skills
- Demonstrated experience managing events
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment; proven ability to exercise initiative while working collaboratively and as part of a team.
- Ability to effectively juggle and reprioritize tasks and responsibilities.
- Strong proficiency with MS Office.
- A positive, flexible attitude and a sense of humor.
- Passion for FOT’s mission.
- Experience with and dedication to working with diverse teams and constituents in a respectful, equitable, and inclusive fashion.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with Salesforce or other CRM database.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please submit a cover letter and resume as a single PDF to [email protected] by Wednesday, June 17, 2026
In the cover letter, please address the following elements:
1) Why you’re interested in this position.
2) How your specific skills and experience position you as a qualified candidate based on this job description.
3) Personal or professional experience with equity, diversity and inclusion work.
4) Any relevant skills and experience not listed in your resume or anything benefiting from further explanation.
Please limit your application materials to three pages total. References may be requested at a later date. Resumes will be reviewed upon receipt; qualified candidates may be invited to interview prior to the posted closing date, early applications are encouraged.
Friends of Trees recognizes that not everyone has equal access to the benefits of trees and healthy urban green spaces based on racial and socioeconomic status, and we are committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment. Candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
Friend of Trees provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, age, disability or genetics.
Noticing Nature
Communications intern Tony reflects on learning to prune with Friends of Trees
What I like about pruning is that when you spend time with trees, you develop a deepening of sensory experience that stays with you as you learn to recognize names and patterns in nature. It has a slowing down effect. And when looking at trees individually, you realize that each tree is full of intricate detail that reveals a mini ecosystem world.
Thanks to the Adult Urban Forestry Program, Friends of Trees has given me access to this relationship with living things that I wouldn’t otherwise have. I’m excited to one day share this with my little kids. It’s clear they love—and need—to get dirty and play with living things too. My family lives in a sixth floor apartment. We’ve tried growing things on our balcony, with limited success. We have containers of soil to scoop and dig in, and have discovered a few shade-tolerant flowers that can live up here. My brother gave me a maple tree that lives in a bucket and is leafing out in the April weather.
From six floors up, the human-made city has patterns that, like nature, can have a certain calming effect if you let your mind dilate—just try not to think about goods and services moving in a loop forever! Nature has fractal complexity in abundance, and it is slower. Ants, when observed, move goods and services in a loop forever, too. But those ants are crawling over each other and don’t seem to be taking it personally. The natural world has so much to offer when we take our time with it. You notice the rustle of leaves, the interplay of light and shadow, you touch moss and smell things.
Looking at nature can produce “Soft Fascination,” a term coined by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, who pioneered the study of how natural environments affect psychology. Soft Fascination describes a kind of observational complexity that invites exploratory, effortless attention and open relaxed awareness. Your mind can wander through details at its own pace, noticing more and more subtlety the longer you look.
For me, pruning with Friends of Trees combines mental relaxation with problem-solving. You get this nice interplay between mental modes. When you prune, the first part is always about taking a step back, relaxing the mind, engaging the senses, and just taking the whole of the tree in. And our pruning and planting events are never about getting as much done as possible. They’re about meaningful connections with trees and with each other.
My kids are still a bit too young to join me at pruning events. For now, they explore nature through our balcony, parks, and a community garden. My four-year-old daughter is intrigued by the idea of pruning, and has requested “pruners that are the right size for kiddos.” Lately, when I pin my nametag on, she asks if I’m going to see “Friends in Trees,” (her term is far too cute for me to correct her yet!). I tell her, “one day soon, I’ll bring you with me.”
Spring Splendor
How can you not be romantic about fresh leaves and flowers?
We’ve got a hot-button question for you: Does the spring leaf-out compete with fall color when it comes to visual splendor? Eugene Director Erik Burke thinks so.
“When trees are one-third leafed out and have that fresh yellow-green, they’re so full of life and vibrancy,” Erik says. “And trees leaf out at different times, so you have trees and all these different stages. For me, it’s equivalent to fall color.”
The days are getting longer and warmer, the trees and plants are waking up—these are the signs of spring that make it such an exciting time.
“This time of year people seem to really remember their trees and we get a lot of calls,” says Eugene-Springfield Program Manager Taylor Glass. “We get people wanting to plant trees but also worried that their tree might be dead. We tell them to wait a little bit longer because some trees are late bloomers (or late leafers!).”
Some trees like Oregon white oaks, Kentucky coffeetrees, and crepe myrtles don’t leaf out until later in the spring, which can be a bit worrying when their neighbors are fully leafed out already. Each species responds to its own set of parameters as to when to leave dormancy based on daylight, temperature and angle of the Sun.
“I really love the leaves that ginkgos put out,” Taylor says. “They’re tiny versions of the full grown leaf. They’re so cute!”
Trees take the energy that’s been stored in their trunk and roots and send it out to make leaves and grow buds. Some trees like magnolias and some maples will even put out their flowers before their leaves.
“We have a long spring ecologically,” Erik says. “It begins with the first osoberry bloom in early to mid-February.”
Just like with our own sleep cycles, there are benefits to rising early or sleeping in. Some native trees like California buckeye, Western redbud and Oregon Ash leaf out early, taking advantage of water in the soil for their growth pulse. These trees often will enter dormancy early, too, in the middle of summer drought, and will throw off their leaves as early as August.
Having trees flower in different stages is great for pollinators so that they have steady food sources throughout spring and summer. The Chinese scholar tree will be in full bloom in August or September when pollinators don’t have much else.
Friends of Trees stops planting trees during the summer months so that we can plant trees while they’re dormant, giving time for their roots to establish before they need to put their energy toward growing leaves. But spring and summer is the best time to think about what tree you want to plant, both for the conditions at the planting site and for the spring splendor you want to enjoy.
Celebrate Earth Month with us in 2026
VOLUNTEER | DONATE
EARTH MONTH FUNDRAISERS
You can support Friends of Trees while you’re out on the town by visiting our business partners. Eat, drink, and plant trees!
- Deschutes Brewery: $1 donated to Friends of Trees for every pint sold on Tuesday, 4/7; Tuesday 4/14; Wednesday 4/22 (Earth Day!); Tuesday 4/28
- Burgerville, Tuesday 4/21, 9am to 10pm. Burgerville is donating 20% of proceeds from customers who present a flyer or mention Friends of Trees at all Portland Metro Area locations (except PDX): Montavilla, St. Johns, Convention Center, Hawthorne, 25 & Powell, Gresham, Centennial, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Aloha, Scholls & Allen
- Carioca Bowls 10% of sales donated to Friends of Trees all day on Wednesday, 4/22 (Earth Day!).
- Cafe Yumm (all locations) A percentage of sales donated to Friends of Trees all day on Wednesday, 4/22 (Earth Day!)
stay tuned for more fundraisers!
In honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day, and in celebration of all we do together to make our world greener and healthier for all, Friends of Trees is celebrating for the entire month of April–and here’s how you can join in!
It feels good to get outside, meet new people, and work together to make your neighborhood a greener place, full of trees and native plants that fight climate change, cool our homes, clean our air and water, and so much more. Come do good with us This April!
“I love spending my Saturdays getting to know new people and picking up on their good vibes! I absolutely love every Saturday that I spend planting trees.” -Hailey, volunteer.
YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS
Our 37th planting is still going strong, and we’d love to see you at a community volunteer event! We have impactful planting and stewardship events all through April, and it’s incredible to see what happens when you get dozens of volunteers together working toward a common goal. For most, volunteering with us just means showing up on a Saturday morning with good boots and good spirits, ready to plant trees or native plants alongside friends old and new.
Check out volunteer roles here and check out our event calendar here to register for an event that’s right for you.
“It’s planting trees. How much better does it get? Giving back to the planet is all sorts of good.” -Devin, volunteer
JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL TREE SALE
Sunday, April 19th, 10 AM- 2 PM
Friends of Trees office: 3117 NE MLK Jr BLVD
We’re offering our locally sourced, high-quality shade trees at a discounted wholesale price. Plus other fun stuff!
JOIN US ON A TREE WALK
Throughout April, we host neighborhood tree walks led by our super knowledgeable program staff. They are usually a weekday evening and last an hour or two. It’s a great way to learn and share tree facts and connect with your neighbors.
Stay tuned to this page and your inbox for a Tree Walk opportunity near you! Sign up for our email list here.
BUY MERCH THAT PLANTS TREES
Friends of Trees has a new online Merch store! We have hats, sweatshirts, and tees with a bunch of fun designs. The apparel is printed on demand and shipped when you order—it takes about two weeks to arrive. This merch plants trees, with a portion of each sale benefitting Friends of Trees.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
It also feels good to support this work, and you’ll be doing good by making a donation. Your support will help us meet our goal of meeting our April goal, closing out our 37th planting season strong. It’s been a season filled with partnerships, students, field trips, and, of course, trees. Donations from friends like you are the only reason we are able to plant so many trees, with so many volunteers, year after year—thank you for being a part of this!
“The sense of community and happiness I get from a Saturday planting event lasts the whole week!” -Krista, volunteer
FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS FOR FUN CONTENT
Find us on Facebook and Instagram to see the Earth Month action throughout April and beyond!
Garry wonders: What does Earth Month mean for a tree (or shrub)?
Dear Diary,
Earth Month is here! How do I celebrate Earth Month? I plant trees. I meet up with friends. I stop and smell the flowers and take a minute to think about how all the plants and animals and lands and waters interact in ordered chaos across this giant globe spinning through space. Woah!
One of my favorite flowers to smell is the red-flowering currant, a native shrub we plant in so many of the natural areas where we work. It’s more than just a pretty red flower, of course. Those flowers provide nectar for bumblebees and hummingbirds, then they turn into delicious berries for other birds and critters. They can live on rocky bluffs or forest edges or in your backyard!
We’ll be mulching around our new native plants at stewardship events throughout April, making sure they have what they need to make it through the summer. And we’ll be sending out summer inspector volunteers to visit new neighborhood trees to make sure they’re set up for success too. It’s all about taking care of each other!
Some native shrubs, like another fave of mine the Western serviceberry, can be in the form of a tree or a shrub, raising the question I ask myself literally all the time: what does it mean to be a tree?
You might be thinking, Garry, you know what a tree is! It’s a tall, woody perennial plant characterized by a central trunk… Of course I know all that! But there’s a deeper answer to the question. A tree is more than just its structural parts. It’s part of a whole ecosystem, whether it’s in the middle of a forest or in your backyard. Of course, that’s true for shrubs too. Maybe we just abandon the dictionary investigation, Garry, and talk about what really matters: the spirit.
A tree is a testament to all the services we provide each other, starting with the simple exchange of air. I breathe in what you breathe out, and vice versa. That’s a fun fact we learn in elementary school, but it’s still amazing to think about! A tree is also a witness to history. Because trees can live for decades and even centuries, we get to see the way the land around us has changed and how it’s stayed the same.
When you plant a tree—or shrub, or some other plant—you’re kicking off a life in community with so many other lives. That’s what being a tree is all about, that’s what Earth Month is all about. I breathe in, you breathe out.
It’s almost the end of the planting season at Friends of Trees, and we’re almost at our goal of 30,000 new trees and native plants, all planted with the power of volunteers. Talk about community!
It’s totally worthy of a month-long celebration, and we want you to join us! You can come out to a planting or stewardship event, make a special gift to help us reach our goal, or just take a moment to appreciate the Earth and all the amazing things that live on it together.
Take care,
Garry