Deputy Director, Institutional Giving

ISHE; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401K match

Home office budget

Professional development

Job summary

Evergreen Action is seeking a full-time Deputy Director, Institutional Giving to lead Evergreen’s fundraising program, managing a portfolio of foundation funders and developing strategies to secure institutional support. The role collaborates across departments to translate policy work into compelling funder opportunities and requires exceptional writing and strategic judgment.

The ideal candidate will travel about twice a year for staff retreats and will work remotely with a salary range of

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in institutional fundraising and portfolio management.
• Experience managing complex, multi-year grants and restricted grants.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with proven grant proposals and reports.
• Strong understanding of institutional philanthropy, funder cultivation, and stewardship.
• Strong organizational, research, and project management abilities with multiple priorities.
• Ability to build strong relationships with program leaders and funders.
• Experience with Salesforce or other fundraising CRM.
• Experience in climate, clean energy, policy advocacy, or related field is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement institutional fundraising strategy with the Senior Fundraising Director.
• Manage a portfolio of funders and prospects, including cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and reporting.
• Prepare materials for funder meetings, briefings, and follow-ups.
• Collaborate with program leads to align funding with priorities and outcomes.
• Track grant deliverables, budgets, and donor data over the grant lifecycle.
• Write compelling grant pitches and funder communications.
• Coordinate across departments to ensure consistency in fundraising narratives.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Fundraiser portfolio management

Grant writing

Funder cultivation

Proposal development

Strong writing

Communication skills

Salesforce CRM

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

About Evergreen Action

Evergreen Action advances ambitious, actionable climate policies that lower costs, cut pollution, and build a thriving, inclusive clean energy economy. They develop policy roadmaps, build political pathways, and shape public narratives that help leaders turn climate ambition into durable progress.

Evergreen was founded in 2020 by former Inslee for America staff and supporters after Gov. Jay Inslee released his 218-page presidential climate plan as an open-source resource. That plan became the foundation of the Evergreen Action Plan and the organization’s early work.

Building on that foundation, Evergreen helped shape the U.S. climate policy landscape, including playing a pivotal role in the passage and implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), strengthening federal pollution standards, and helping Michigan enact its landmark 100% clean energy standard in 2023.

Today, Evergreen combines movement partnerships with direct advocacy to deliver the greatest positive impact, as fast as possible. They mix bold policy products with campaign-style communications and shrewd advocacy tactics. And it’s working.

Evergreen is focused on helping states deliver affordable clean energy, clean transportation, and efficient buildings while defending hard-won climate progress. By developing practical policy roadmaps, building political support, and showing how climate solutions can lower costs and improve people’s lives, Evergreen is advancing a cross-state climate affordability agenda and laying the groundwork for renewed national climate leadership.

Though the challenges are immense, their work to build a thriving and just clean energy future remains more important than ever.

For more information, please visit: https://www.evergreenaction.com/

The Opportunity

Evergreen is seeking a full-time Deputy Director, Institutional Giving to play a key role in building Evergreen’s fundraising program, working closely with the Senior Fundraising Director to manage and grow relationships with foundation funders. The Deputy Director will manage a portfolio of funders and prospects, developing fundraising strategies, cultivating and stewarding relationships, leading proposal development and reporting, and identifying new funding opportunities. The role will also work closely across departments to understand program priorities and translate complex policy and campaign work into compelling opportunities for philanthropic investment. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen our fundraising function and support Evergreen’s next chapter of growth.

The ideal candidate has a track record in fundraising and relationship building with exceptional writing skills, strategic judgment, and demonstrated success securing institutional funding. They will be available to travel approximately twice a year for all staff retreats.

Key Responsibilities

Institutional Fundraising Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Senior Fundraising Director on institutional fundraising strategy, portfolio management, emerging opportunities, and funder relationships.
• Manage a portfolio of institutional funders and prospects, leading cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, reporting, and renewal strategies and serving as the primary relationship manager for assigned funders.
• Develop tailored strategies for individual funders and prospects, identifying opportunities to deepen engagement, expand support, and build long-term partnerships.
• Prepare and support organizational leadership for funder meetings, including developing cultivation strategies, briefing materials, talking points, and follow-up.
• Monitor trends in climate philanthropy and institutional giving, identifying opportunities to strengthen Evergreen’s positioning and grow institutional revenue.
  

Grants, Communications & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Write compelling grant pitches, proposals, and other funder communications that clearly articulate Evergreen’s impact, strategic priorities, and opportunities for philanthropic investment.
• Own narrative grant reporting for assigned funders, working closely with program leads and the Senior Operations + Projects Director to ensure reports accurately reflect program progress, outcomes, and impact.
• Build strong partnerships with regional and policy directors to understand evolving program strategies, priorities, and outcomes and translate complex policy and campaign work into compelling funder opportunities.
• Work across departments to gather information, develop persuasive narratives, and ensure consistency between program strategy, fundraising communications, and funder commitments.
• Partner with Operations and Finance teams to track grant deliverables, compliance requirements, budgets, and other obligations throughout the grant lifecycle.

Prospect Development & Fundraising Growth

• Expand Evergreen’s institutional prospect pipeline through proactive research and identification of new foundations and philanthropic partners aligned with the organization’s mission and priorities.
• Evaluate prospective funders based on strategic alignment, giving interests, relationship pathways, and potential for long-term partnership.
• Develop approaches for engaging new funders and moving prospects from initial identification through cultivation and solicitation.
• Identify opportunities to diversify Evergreen’s institutional funding base and strengthen the long-term sustainability of the fundraising program.
  

Systems and Administration

• Contribute to the continued development of fundraising systems, processes, and practices as Evergreen grows and its development function matures.
• Track grant deliverables and maintain donor data integrity in Evergreen’s Salesforce database.
  

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an accomplished institutional fundraiser who combines strong relationship-building skills with exceptional writing, strategic judgment, and disciplined portfolio management. They understand how to build trusted funder relationships, connect philanthropic interests to organizational priorities, and cultivate long‑term partnerships.

They are a strong storyteller who can quickly understand complex policy, advocacy, and campaign strategies and translate them into clear, compelling narratives for funders. They are intellectually curious, highly collaborative, and comfortable working across teams to gather information and articulate Evergreen’s impact.

The successful candidate is also a proactive and organized portfolio manager who can balance multiple funders, proposals, reports, and deadlines while maintaining a high level of quality. They are energized by Evergreen’s mission and able to communicate the organization’s work with confidence, clarity, and enthusiasm.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in institutional fundraising, including managing a portfolio of institutional funders and prospects.
• Experience managing complex, multi-year grants and restricted grants, familiarity working with both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated successes translating complex issues into compelling grant proposals, reports, and funder communications .
• Strong understanding of institutional philanthropy, funder cultivation, and stewardship.
• Strong organizational, research, and project management skills, with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities and overlapping deadlines.
• Ability to build strong working relationships with program leaders, organizational leadership, and funders.
• Experience with Salesforce or another fundraising CRM.
• Experience in the climate, clean energy, policy advocacy, or a related field is a plus.
  

Location & Compensation

This is a remote position with a target salary range of $130,000-140,000

Benefits

• 99% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance premiums for employees and their dependents
• 4% employer match on 401K contributions
• FSA and Dependent Care FSA
• Professional development and home office budgets
• Excellent vacation benefits and holiday schedule
• Evergreen Action’s EEO Statement

Evergreen is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a safe and inclusive work environment that is dynamic, rewarding, and enables each of us to realize our potential.

Evergreen is an equal opportunity employer and shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment. Under our Organization’s policy, discrimination is prohibited with regard to any of these protected categories: race, color, ethnic or national origin, ancestry; religion or religious creed (or belief, where applicable); sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions); sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender non‑conformity, transgender status, or sexual stereotypes; marital status or civil partnership; family and relationship structure; nationality,, immigration status, or citizenship; age; physical disability, mental disability, medical condition or genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member); military or veteran status; status as a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking; traits historically associated with race, such as hairstyle or hair texture; AIDS/HIV positive status; or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

For additional questions, please reach out to: [e-mail].