Director of Development

Liberty Seeds; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

403(b) plan

Tuition benefits

Job summary

IHS is seeking a Director of Development to lead major gifts fundraising and the individual-donor strategy. Reporting to the Managing Director of Development and Communications, you will guide portfolio priorities, cultivation and moves-management standards, and supervise frontline gift officers.

You will personally manage a select portfolio of high-priority donors, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and help translate institutional goals into actionable plans.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in major gifts or individual giving with six-figure closes.
• Proven success leading frontline fundraising staff.
• Experience building a multi-stage donor pipeline.
• CRM proficiency; Salesforce experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead major gifts fundraising strategy and revenue planning.
• Own frontline gift pipeline from qualification to stewardship.
• Personally manage high-priority donor portfolio.
• Direct prospect assignment and team strategy across gift-officer team.
• Coordinate cross-functional donor engagement with operations, marketing, programs.
• Oversee moves-management standards and staff development.

Skills

Fundraising leadership

Donor engagement

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

The Director of Development leads IHS's major gifts fundraising and individual-donor relationship strategy, with primary accountability for growing philanthropic revenue across the frontline gift pipeline. Reporting to the Managing Director of Development and Communications and leading the frontline gift-officer team, this role sets portfolio priorities, cultivation and solicitation strategy, and moves-management standards for major gifts. This role will also personally manage a select portfolio of the organization's highest-priority donors. Core areas of ownership include fundraising strategy and revenue growth, major gifts portfolio leadership, fundraiser development, and cross-functional donor engagement — distinct from the operational infrastructure owned by the Director of Development Operations.

• Leads IHS's major gifts fundraising strategy and portfolio-level revenue planning for the individual-giving pipeline, setting portfolio priorities, solicitation strategy, and cultivation approach in coordination with the Managing Director of Development & Communications. Enterprise revenue strategy and multi-year institutional planning remain with the Managing Director.
• Owns the frontline gift pipeline across qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, establishing moves-management standards and portfolio expectations for gift officers.
• Translates institutional fundraising goals into portfolio-level plans and directional benchmarks for the major gifts team.
• Personally manages a select portfolio of the organization's highest-priority donors and prospects, leading the full gift cycle for principal- and major-gift commitments.
• Directs prospect assignment, portfolio segmentation, and solicitation strategy across the gift-officer team, partnering with the Senior Major Gifts Officer and Major Gifts Officer(s).
• Oversees relationship handoffs across prospecting, mid-level, and major-gift portfolios to maintain a coherent donor journey.
• Leads, coaches, and develops the major gifts team, setting clear priorities, expectations, and portfolio goals.
• Reviews and approves solicitation strategies, gift proposals, and portfolio plans for frontline fundraisers.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Donor Engagement

• Coordinates with Development Operations, Communications & Marketing, Programs, and Executive leadership to align donor messaging, engagement strategy, and solicitation materials.
• Represents IHS in high-value donor meetings, cultivation gatherings, and institutional engagement; this role includes donor-facing travel to advance portfolio relationships and solicitation strategy.
• Partners with the Director of Development Operations to ensure pipeline reporting, data integrity, and operational infrastructure support effective frontline fundraising.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervises 1–2 direct reports (Senior Major Gifts Officer, and an additional Major Gifts Officer as the team grows), overseeing major gifts portfolio management, solicitation strategy, and donor stewardship across the gift-officer team.
• Reviews and approves key decisions in portfolio strategy, solicitation planning, and prospect assignment as appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of progressively responsible experience in major gifts or individual-giving fundraising, including a documented record of closing six-figure commitments, with seven-figure exposure preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing frontline fundraising staff.
• Experience setting fundraising strategy and managing a multi-stage donor pipeline across cultivation and solicitation.
• Strong judgment engaging donors across diverse professional and ideological backgrounds.
• Proficiency with CRM systems; Salesforce experience preferred.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience fundraising within a think tank, university, or policy-oriented nonprofit.
• Experience building or scaling a major gifts program.
• Substantive knowledge of and appreciation for the classical liberal intellectual tradition, with the ability to engage donors substantively on policy, economics, and related ideas central to the IHS donor community.
• Experience with moves management across multiple giving tiers.

Travel

IHS operates remotely. Staff attend organization-wide in-office weeks in Arlington, VA — two required and one optional per year — each running approximately Monday through Thursday.

In addition, this role includes regular travel to support programmatic convenings, and donor and partner events.

Total travel for this role is up to approximately 15% of the year, inclusive of in-office weeks and donor-related travel.

Schedule / Hours

Full-time, Monday – Friday, 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. ET.

The salary range for this position is $130,000–$145,000, commensurate with experience. This position is also eligible for annual performance-based incentive compensation; specific terms are discussed at the offer stage.

We have a flexible, professional, open office environment that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship and provides substantial opportunity for professional growth. Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience. IHS provides exceptional benefits to all employees, including health and dental insurance coverage (which includes paying 100% of the health and dental insurance premium for individuals), health savings accounts, long-term disability and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement savings program, a parking permit and 12 free tuition credit hours annually at George Mason University.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.