Associate Director, Major Giving (West)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Job Overview/ Summary:

The External Relations (ER) department is comprised of three main but complementary functional areas: Private fundraising, Communications, and Advocacy. The main objective of the department is to enable this organization of more than 15,000 staff to have the resources needed to continue serving 18 million people worldwide in places affected by war and disaster. The Philanthropy unit, part of the ER department, leads on the organization’s work with High-Net- Worth Individuals.

Positioned within the USA Philanthropy department, the Major Giving West team has a goal of improving private individual support for the IRC by engaging, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding significant, multi-year commitments from high-net-worth individual supporters based in the western United States (west of the Mississippi River).

The Associate Director of Major Giving will be a dynamic seasoned fundraiser and relationship cultivator who will work closely with the Senior Director of USA Philanthropy West and the Director of Major Giving West to build strategy to support a growing portfolio of high-net-worth individuals. With a geographic focus on the Western region of the United States, the Associate Director will serve as a relationship manager throughout the donor life cycle, working across fundraising teams and with senior leadership to qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward five and six-figure gifts, using donor-centric fundraising practices and deploying program and IRC leaders. They will also build a strong donor pipeline of major gift donor prospects and increase regional revenue.

The ideal candidate is an entrepreneurial professional who has demonstrated experience understanding the motivations of philanthropists and can assess the inclination of a donor or prospect’s willingness to make a major (five to six-figure) gift to the IRC over a number of years. The Associate Director will also be responsible for the management and coaching of 2 front-line fundraisers and/or support staff.

Major Responsibilities:

• Manage a dynamic portfolio of 75-100 high-net-worth individuals by moving the IRC’s relationship with each through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

• Participate in active prospect discovery through relationship and network mapping. Qualify prospects using research and discovery to unearth new donor relationships.

• Create strategic correspondence, including solicitations, cultivation pieces, reports, and other stewardship materials, to engage donors and prospects.

• Design tactics and creative, long-term engagement strategy to deepen donor dedication and increase giving.

• Choreograph, prepare strategy, and briefing and debriefing materials for face-to-face meetings and solicitations with Major donors conducted personally and/or by senior staff and Board leadership.

• Supervise, manage, and coach frontline fundraisers on the Major Giving West team, mentoring these individuals and guiding their professional growth at IRC and within the fundraising profession

• Collaborate with colleagues across the IRC, institutional fundraising colleagues, and field staff, to align donor and organizational priorities in a way that increases income for the IRC and builds multi-layered, deep engagement with the organization.

• Work collaboratively with Account Managers to strategize, actively track, and measure progress toward financial goals and movement of prospects and donors across the donor lifecycle.

• Undertake special projects as requested.

Candidate Requirements:

• 6-8 years of progressive fundraising experience and demonstrated expertise in private sector, major gifts, or major gifts fundraising; or sales, including direct solicitation of donors or clients.

• Demonstrated history of being an empowering, supportive, and inclusive manager to front-line fundraisers

Preferred Experience & Skills:

• Proven track record of closing 5 and 6-figure gifts from a dynamic portfolio of donors and prospects, including qualifying prospects and upgrading donors;

• Consistent record of developing blended and multi-year funding opportunities;

• Outstanding communication skills, including writing, listening, verbal presentation, and speaking;

• Ability to develop creative and nuanced donor strategy often carried out in partnership with program staff or senior leadership;

• Adaptable to change in a fast-paced work environment while keeping donor priorities at the center of strategy and relationship building;

• Ability to diplomatically and sensitively collaborate across teams internally, regardless of distance, and garner support for and implement initiatives effectively;

• Ability to identify, build, and implement processes vital to supporting effective donor relationships;

• Ability to analyze and interpret financial data;

• Ability to navigate CRM systems;

• Dedication to fundraising for international development, humanitarian, human rights, gender and racial equality, social justice, and US immigrant communities.

Working Environment: Requires remote/flex-time work.

Compensation:

Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

US Benefits:

The IRC offers a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. All US employees are eligible for sick time, a 403b retirement savings plans: up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus an 3-7% additional IRC contribution, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

In addition, full-time employees are eligible for 10 US paid holidays, 20-25 paid time off days, disability & life insurance, medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee contribution starting at $135, $7, and $5 per month respectively) and FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs. Part-time employees are eligible for a proportionate amount of paid time off. These additional benefits apply to employees who work at least 6 months within a 12 month time period.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.