Director of Development (Remote)
Institute for Humane Studies
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Job summary
Institute for Humane Studies in Arlington, VA seeks a Director of Development to lead major gifts fundraising and frontline donor engagement. The role drives strategy, manages a high-priority donor portfolio, and oversees a small team of fundraisers.
You will partner with the MD of Development & Communications to align messaging across programs, manage travel, and advance donor relationships. Salary ranges and incentive eligibility accompany the role.
Qualifications
- 6+ years in major gifts or individual giving fundraising with six-figure closes.
- Experience leading frontline fundraising staff.
- Experience setting fundraising strategy and managing a multi-stage donor pipeline.
- Strong judgment engaging donors from diverse backgrounds.
- CRM experience; Salesforce preferred.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
Responsibilities
- Lead major gifts fundraising strategy and portfolio revenue planning.
- Own frontline gift pipeline across qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Translate institutional fundraising goals into portfolio-level plans.
- Personally manage a select portfolio of the organization’s highest-priority donors.
- Direct prospect assignment, portfolio segmentation, and solicitation strategy across the gift-officer team.
- Oversee relationship handoffs across donor portfolios to maintain a coherent donor journey.
- Lead and develop the major gifts team, setting clear priorities and portfolio goals.
- Review solicitation strategies, gift proposals, and portfolio plans for frontline fundraisers.
- Coordinate with Development Operations, Communications & Marketing, Programs, and Executive leadership.
- Represent IHS in high-value donor meetings and travel to advance portfolio relationships.
- Partner with the Director of Development Operations for pipeline reporting and data integrity.
Skills
Tools
Job description
The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is athink networkadvancing the principles and practices of freedom in the academy, public policy, and civil society.
Founded in 1961, IHS believes that the liberal tradition has yielded unprecedented freedom and human flourishing. And in this moment, when the forces of illiberalism on both the left and right are gaining ground at an alarming pace, our vision is to spark a new spirit of liberal freedom.
- Cultivating a pool of intellectual talent for partners in policy, civil society, philanthropy, and the academy through $1.5 million in fellowship and career development programs.
- Catalyzing scholarship and academic networks to strengthen the fields of foundational and applied research that matter most to a free society.
- Equippingfreedom-focused research centers, think tanks, foundations, and civil society organizations with the research and experts they need to maximize their impact in policy and in communities across the country.
We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Full-time, Monday – Friday, 9:00a.m. – 5:0 p.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.
- 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
- 12 free tuition credit hours annually at George Mason University
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