Associate Director, Individual Giving & Donor Relations

Federation of American Scientists • $145K — $160K *

Washington, DC 20011In-Person

Information Technology

8 - 10 years of experience

6 days ago

Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

10+ years of major gift fundraising experience with high-net-worth individuals.
Proven track record in designing and executing successful fundraising strategies.
Strong executive-level relationship skills, particularly with CEOs and Boards.
Fluency in donor database management (Salesforce, WealthX, etc.).
Excellent written communication skills for proposals and donor correspondence.
Commitment to ethical fundraising standards and donor confidentiality.
Ability to identify and engage new prospective donors.

Responsibilities

Qualify prospects and manage a portfolio of major donors.
Develop tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for each donor.
Build multi-year giving plans in collaboration with executive leadership.
Establish a donor pipeline and stewardship philosophy from scratch.
Lead the development and execution of the individual giving strategy.
Enhance FAS's visibility and credibility in philanthropic circles.
Create a scalable fundraising infrastructure for future growth.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
403(b) retirement plan with competitive contributions.
Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
Life insurance and employee assistance support.
Pre-tax benefits for healthcare and dependent care FSAs.
Commuter benefits to support travel needs.

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Full Job Description

Associate Director, Individual Giving & Donor Relations
Full-time FAS staff
Washington, DC or San Francisco, CA

Skills and Expertise: Must Haves

Skills
A track record of building: you've designed fundraising strategies where none existed, or led significant expansion of an individual giving program, and translated those strategies into measurable revenue growth.
Fluency with high-net-worth donors: you know how to earn trust with people who have many options for where their philanthropy goes, and how to make the case for unrestricted giving.
Executive-level relationship skills: demonstrated experience partnering with a CEO and Board and representing an organization's credibility in the room.
Strategic range: equally comfortable designing a multi-year giving strategy and personally closing a six-figure gift.

Expertise
10+ years of major gift fundraising experience, with the relationships, reputation, and substantive fluency in relevant issue areas to be credible with sophisticated donors.
Demonstrated success in planning, designing, implementing, and executing fundraising strategies, with a particular focus on cultivating high-net-worth individuals.
Deep experience managing an active major gifts portfolio through all stages of the donor lifecycle.
Proven ability to steward relationships and work effectively with donors, board members, and constituents from a variety of backgrounds.
Understanding of and commitment to professional fundraising ethical standards, donor confidentiality, and sound stewardship practices.
Database fluency (Salesforce, WealthX, RelSci or equivalent) to bring rigor and pipeline discipline to a function being built from scratch.
Excellent written communication skills, including experience developing proposals, correspondence, and briefings.
Demonstrated ability to identify and engage new prospective donors when an established pipeline does not yet exist.

What this role will do

A strong candidate who will qualify prospects, manage a portfolio, and develop the right cultivation and solicitation strategy for each donor. You'll build multi-year giving plans and engage FAS's executive leadership and Board strategically to advance donor relationships and giving opportunities. As the sole operator of individual giving, you'll need to be a self-directed builder who can develop and manage the program end to end.

To Sum It Up...

This is an inaugural role; you will build a system from the ground up.

FAS has never had a dedicated major gifts function. The opportunity in front of you is to design and stand up the individual giving strategy that will fund FAS's next chapter. You'll have the mandate, the executive access, and the runway to build a donor pipeline, a stewardship philosophy, and a fundraising culture at a storied organization.

Reporting to the Director of Partnerships and working closely with the CEO and Board of Directors, you will lead the development and execution of FAS's individual giving and major gifts portfolio as a core component of the organization's broader fundraising strategy, with a specific focus on securing unrestricted funding that supports FAS's strategic priorities and enables the organization to move quickly on the issues that matter most. In your first two years, success looks like:
A durable pipeline: a qualified, multi-year individual and major donor pipeline that gives FAS predictable, growing unrestricted revenue and supports measurable fundraising goals.
A donor base built on trust: high-net-worth individuals who understand FAS's role in the policy ecosystem well enough to become long-term partners.
A fundraising infrastructure that scales: the systems, stewardship cadence, and institutional muscle memory for individual giving that let this function grow well beyond what one person can carry alone.
A stronger FAS brand in philanthropic circles: elevated visibility among individuals who care about science serving the public interest.

If you want to build something from the ground up, join us!

Work Environment

This position may be hybrid or remote depending on ultimate position location. Much of the work will involve relationship building and meeting with prospective donors and funders across the country. Travel is required; the anticipated travel will be discussed during the hiring process.

Salary Range
$145,000 - $160,000
Benefits
FAS offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that supports employees' health, financial security, and overall well-being. Benefits include a competitive 403(b) retirement plan, medical, dental, and vision coverage, short-term and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, employee assistance support, pre-tax benefits such as healthcare and dependent care FSAs, and commuter benefits.

Hiring Statement

Don't check off every box? Apply anyway! Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every listed qualification. At FAS we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and developing new voices. If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway - you might just be the right candidate.

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About Federation of American Scientists

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., founded in 1945 as the Federation of Atomic Scientists. The organization's founders were many of the Manhattan Project scientists who wanted to prevent nuclear war. FAS's mission is to promote a safer and more secure world by developing and advancing solutions to important science and technology security policy problems by educating the public and policy makers, and promoting transparency.

Learn more about Federation of American Scientists

Size

50 employees

Industry

Information Technology

* Ladders Estimates

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