Director of Development

Director of Development 

Salary: $140,000 – $150,000, depending on experience.

About the Institute for Policy Studies

The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) is a 501(c)(3)
progressive nonprofit dedicated to building a more equitable,
ecologically sustainable, and peaceful society.  In
partnership with dynamic social movements, we turn transformative
ideas into action. 

Position Description

The IPS Director of Development is
responsible for managing the IPS Development Team and overseeing
the Development Plan. The Director will lead foundation relations,
donor communications, and development operations.  This work
includes prospecting for potential donors, developing, managing and
deepening relationships with institutional and individual donors,
and strengthening communications with supporters, activists,
advocates and movement partners to expand funding
opportunities. 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Director of Development is tasked
with the following duties and responsibilities: 

Manage the Development Team.
Prepare, oversee, and adapt IPS’s
Development Plan.
Direct the development program
including institutional, major donor and small donor fundraising
work in compliance with 501c(3) regulations.
Oversee all grant seeking efforts,
including research, proposal writing, and reporting
requirements.
Coordinate closely with other program
staff including finance and communications team members to advance
development program goals.
Support development training and
mentoring of staff throughout the organization
Serve as a member of the
organization’s leadership team, helping to set and advance the
organization’s strategic vision and priorities.
Partner with the Communications team
to create an engaging donor communication plan including
fundraising toolkit, mailers and social media efforts.
Support the fundraising efforts of
the Executive Director, including develop effective pitches,
updates, and report-outs to funders.
Prepare leadership team and key
program staff for meetings with donors and prospects, developing
background/briefing materials, planning, coordinating and
participating in meetings.
Schedule and track all foundation and
individual engagements and online donor interactions in integrated
constituent relationship management systems, overseeing vendors to
ensure that databases and other fundraising tools (prospect
research, email marketing, printing, etc.) are properly implemented
to track donor and prospect interactions, schedule future
engagement, and adhere to best practices in privacy and data
hygiene.
Oversee general development
operations systems and collaborate with staff on workflows for
proposals, reports and donor-oriented communications, regularly
informing and updating Executive Director and Deputy Director on
development operations workflows and systems.
Other duties, as assigned.

Key Relationships

The Director of Development will
report directly to the Executive Director and Deputy Director, and
collaborate with other senior staff in fundraising activities and
work collaboratively with all staff to strengthen the relationship
of development functions to all aspects of organizational
development. S/he will also work closely with the Director of
Communications, the Project Directors, and other management and
program staff as needed.

General Requirements

Passion for the mission of IPS and
the progressive movement, with a full understanding of its policy
priorities.
7 to 10 years of relevant nonprofit
development management experience with a demonstrated track record
of successfully meeting fundraising goals through diverse funding
streams for organizations with $2M-$6M operating
budgets.  
Capacity to communicate persuasively
and compellingly with diverse funder audiences, with awareness of
nuance in funder tendencies and language. 
Demonstrated track record of
cultivating and maintaining relationships with stakeholders,
program officers and donors.
Demonstrated experience providing
effective, supportive supervision to staff and supporting teams in
working collaboratively to meet ambitious goals.
Proficiency in donor management
software.
Detail-oriented and well organized;
outstanding time management and organizational skills.
Ability to communicate clearly,
provide direct feedback, and model resolving conflicts with
integrity and openness to learning and growth.
Capacity to work independently and on
a team. 
Relationships with individual donors
and foundations in progressive spaces. 
Ability to write effectively and
compellingly about IPS’s work and to oversee proposals, reports and
related materials, as well as in appeals, social media, and web
communications focused on engaging and motivating donors
Desire and ability to build and
maintain successful relationships with foundations and individual
donors, to influence and engage diverse audiences and to build
long-term relationships to achieve fundraising success
Collaborative style, combined with
the ability and desire to work in a team-based environment.
Sound judgment and ability to
exercise discretion when dealing with confidential information
regarding donors and operations.

Commitment to Diversity

IPS is strengthened by the diversity of our staff and board, and
we actively welcome applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ
candidates, and candidates who hold other historically marginalized
identities.  

Salary Range

$140,000-$150,000, depending on experience

Benefits

The Director of Development will also receive excellent benefits
including full health insurance for the employee’s family, generous
vacation benefits, paid holidays, a 403(b) match, and life
insurance.

Location

The Development Director should live in the DC metro area, and
is expected to work out of IPS’s DC headquarters. Currently, IPS is
working on a hybrid model, and all DC employees are working two or
more days a week in the DC office.

TO APPLY

Please send the following materials to [email protected] with
“Director of Development” in the subject line:

Your resume.
A cover letter explaining your
interest in this work and any related experience
Two to three writing samples
demonstrating your ability to write persuasively in a range of
mediums for a general audience about public policy (an op-ed, LTE,
speech, talking points or something similar)
Three References, including at least
two previous supervisors

Please submit materials by Friday, April 12th.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Due to the large volume of applications, only applicants moving
on to the next round will be contacted by the Search Committee. No
phone calls, please.