Category: jobs
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.
Adult Urban Forestry Program provides interns with skills & experience
At Friends of Trees, we are committed to doing everything we can to help our community gain access to the benefits of trees. We are also committed to making our green workforce accessible to all groups of people through the Adult Urban Forestry Training & Internship Program.
As first shared in our November 2018 edition of Treemail, the UF Training Program, funded by the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, is a 12 week paid training program focusing on urban forestry and restoration topics. Program participants were selected by local Community Benefit Organizations (APANO, POIC, Verde, and Wisdom of the Elders) that are also Friends of Trees partners. Program participants attended weekly training sessions focusing on landscape design, tree identification, tree maintenance, ecological site design, environmental justice, and careers in urban forestry.
We are now in the first full year of the UF Training Program. The 10-week training program was completed in the fall, followed by the coordination of internships at host sites for program participants. The goal of the entire program is to help people who are interested in the urban forestry and restoration fields gain meaningful work experience and exposure to the field so they can pursue higher education opportunities and higher-level jobs.
We are almost complete with the internship portion of the program, with interns working at varying sites in Portland, Beaverton, and Vancouver, including Honl Tree Care, Portland Parks and Recreation, Verde, and Friends of Trees. Two of our interns, Bruce and David, have been interning with the City of Vancouver’s Urban Forestry program; their internship supervisor, Jessica George, Education and Outreach Coordinator for Vancouver’s UF Program, shares how valuable Bruce and David were to the Urban Forestry team this winter and spring:
“We truly enjoyed hosting two spectacular interns through Friends of Trees,” shares Jessica. “David and Bruce were dedicated to getting the job done–and done to an impeccable standard. David and Bruce supported winter planting projects, pruning and mulching young trees in parks and along streets, and they installed plaques on the new Heritage Trees. Along the way they interacted with other City staff, community members, and dedicated volunteers, while representing Wisdom of the Elders, Friends of Trees, and the City of Vancouver seamlessly. We appreciate their work ethic and that they were open and willing to learn and support Urban Forestry.”
The interns also get a lot out of the experience. Many participants had some exposure to the urban forestry field but hadn’t received upper level mentorship or hadn’t been exposed to the different levels of work involved. When asked about their experience working with Vancouver Urban Forestry, both Bruce and David highlighted the community-building aspect of urban forestry and tree planting:
“It was great to work with that spectrum of the field, with the Urban Forestry department specifically. I never realized it was more than just trees and plants, but it’s also people. The bond that the City builds with residents is really awesome.” –Bruce, UF Intern
David echoed the same sentiments when describing his experience, “My experience was really great. The thing I liked about it was the work we did with the community at planting events. Vancouver UF works with different people and communities and when we plant new trees, it is at community-based events so we can make a bond with the people we work with.”
We are grateful for community members like Bruce and David who are so passionate about making our environment a better place, and for partners like Vancouver Urban Forestry who help make that possible. We look forward to sharing more about this program as is continues and grows, stay tuned!
Picture above, in front, UF Program Intern David at a recent Vancouver planting event with happy tree recipients.
We’re hiring!
Love trees? Looking for meaningful work in a supportive, fun work environment? Then check out our opening for a Neighborhood Trees Specialist.
Neighborhood Trees Specialists implement community-based, neighborhood street tree planting projects in collaboration with volunteer Neighborhood Coordinators, Neighborhood Associations and other partner groups in accordance with the Friends of Trees’ mission. Ideal candidates will be personable, creative and adaptable; have a background or interest in community tree planting and care; able to juggle multiple priorities at once; and have a desire to work with diverse communities and individuals of all backgrounds.
Interested? Details here.