Director of Major Giving and Engagement

Institute for Justice; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Flexible hours

Health, dental, and vision insurance (

HSA contributions

401(k) with employer matches

Casual dress code

Generous PTO and holidays

Job summary

Institute for Justice seeks a Director of Major Giving and Engagement to lead IJ's Major Giving program. The role focuses on donors and prospects with annual giving potential of at least $25,000, retaining and expanding support, and guiding communications across Development.

The ideal candidate is a strong writer with a strategic donor communications mindset, skilled at coaching staff and collaborating across teams, and deeply committed to IJ's mission of defending individual liberty.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 7+ years in major gifts fundraising with a portfolio of $25,000+ donors and direct solicitation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including donor-facing writing.
• Strong planning, organization, and follow-through across many concurrent relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead Major Giving program with goals, meetings, VIP prospecting, and Sentinels strategy.
• Cultivate and solicit donors with $25,000–$99,999 potential; manage stewardship.
• Coordinate donor outreach with the President and VP; prepare leaders for calls/meetings.
• Ensure high quality donor communications and provide writers with feedback.

Skills

Major gifts fundraising

Portfolio management

Donor communications

Staff supervision

Salesforce familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

The Institute for Justice is seeking a Director of Major Giving and Engagement to lead IJ's Major Giving program for donors and prospects with annual giving potential of at least $25,000. Reporting to the Vice President for Development, the Director will retain and increase support from existing major donors, develop new major donors, and manage the program's staff, prospecting, Sentinels program, and donor events. The Director will also oversee the substance and quality of donor communications across Development.

Characteristics:

The ideal candidate builds trust easily with donors and colleagues, exercises sound judgment about when to involve senior leaders, and follows through on many relationships and projects at once. They are an excellent writer and editor with a strategic eye for donor communications, enjoy coaching and developing staff, collaborate well across teams, and are committed to IJ's mission of defending individual liberty. They are also eager to learn IJ's work, voice, and donor programs.

Responsibilities:

• Lead IJ's Major Giving program, including setting annual goals and plans, and overseeing donor-by-donor meetings, VIP prospecting with Development Research, and Sentinels program strategy
• Manage relationships with donors and prospects with annual potential of $25,000 to $99,999, from cultivation through solicitation and stewardship
• Coordinate donor outreach involving the President and Vice President, preparing leaders for calls and meetings and ensuring prompt follow-up
• Oversee the substance and quality of donor communications across Development, reviewing content and giving writers direction and feedback
• Lead donor events strategy and execution, from setting the event's purpose and guest list to tracking follow-up
• Manage and develop Major Giving staff, and coach other fundraisers and writers as time allows
• Coordinate Major Giving research needs with Development Research

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in major gifts fundraising, including managing a portfolio of donors and prospects at the $25,000-plus level and soliciting gifts directly
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to review and strengthen donor-facing writing
• Strong planning, organization, and follow-through across many concurrent relationships and projects
• Familiarity with a donor database (IJ uses Salesforce)
• Experience supervising or mentoring staff preferred
• Availability to attend donor events, which may occur in the evening or on weekends. Travel up to 15%

Benefits:

• Hybrid work schedule
• Flexible work hours with our core business hours of 10am and 4pm
• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance (IJ covers 100% of individual premiums)
• Free Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life insurance plans
• HSA employer contributions
• 401(k) with employer matches
• Smart casual dress code with casual Fridays
• Generous PTO package of accruing sick and vacation hours in addition to a paid personal day and floating and traditional holidays

This position is posted at the Director level with a salary range of $125,000-$135,000.

IJ is an equal opportunity employer.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At IJ we value a diverse workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

To learn more about our culture and benefits, visit our Working at IJ page. No phone calls please.

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