Associate Director, Major Giving Western Region

Job Description:

The International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) External Relations (ER) department enables the IRC to respond to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Within ER, the USA Philanthropy team leads on the organization’s work with USA-based High-Net-Worth Individuals. We’re in search of an experienced Associate Director, Major Giving for the western region to join our team!

Within USA Philanthropy, the Major Giving team has the goal of improving private individual support for the organization. We engage, cultivate, solicit, and steward six- and seven-figure gifts and multi-year commitments from high-net-worth individual supporters of the IRC.

The Associate Director will help lead the team, focused on the Western region of the U.S. with a goal to renew and upgrade gifts of $100,000+ while building a strong pipeline of major gift donor prospects and identifying new, creative, and multifaceted partnerships. This person will craft and employ strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects with the capacity to give major gifts in partnership with the team’s Director, IRC Leadership, and our Board of Directors and Advisors who are also engaged in fundraising.

The position serves a critical role in helping to both develop and carry out strategies that are informed by high-reaching revenue targets and to devise, monitor, and analyze results of initiatives and metrics to guide future endeavors. They will be expected to understand the needs and performance of donors and prospects, communicate and collaborate superbly with colleagues, business partners, and supporters, think strategically, make recommendations, offer creative solutions, and manage systems to continually grow and improve donor relationships with the IRC.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide dynamic and effective thought leadership for the Major Giving team’s efforts towards increased financial revenue and other modes of private sector engagement that support impactful delivery of the IRC’s directive and mission.
• Partner with the Director, Major Giving to develop a coherent and ambitious strategic plan, including setting annual goals and key outcomes for the team, and to develop and implement standards, tools, and procedures towards a best-in-class approach to individual donor engagement and fundraising.
• Manage a portfolio of 70-100 high net worth individuals, moving each’s relationship with the IRC through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Design creative, long-term engagement strategy to deepen donor dedication and increase giving.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the IRC, notably from International Philanthropy and Partnerships and field staff, to align donor and organizational priorities in a way that increases income for the IRC and builds multi­faceted, deep engagement with the organization.
• Undertake special projects as requested.

Qualifications

Work Experience

• 7+ years of progressive fundraising experience and demonstrated expertise in private sector or major gifts fundraising, or sales, including direct solicitation of donors or clients (preferably in the Bay area);
• Consistent record of closing multiple 6- and 7-figure gifts or contracts from a dynamic portfolio, including qualifying prospects and upgrading donors or clients.

Preferred Experience & Proficiencies:

• Experience leading or mentoring front line fundraisers;
• Consistent track record of developing blended and multi-year funding opportunities;
• Outstanding communication skills, including writing, listening, verbal presentation and speaking;
• Ability to develop creative and nuanced donor strategy often carried out alongside program staff or senior leadership;
• Adaptable to change in a fast-paced work environment while keeping donor priorities at the center of strategy and relationship building;
• Ability to respectfully and sensitively collaborate across teams internally, regardless of distance, and garner support for and complete initiatives effectively;
• Ability to identify, build, and implement processes vital to support effective donor relationships;
• Ability to analyze and interpret financial data;
• Ability to navigate CRM systems; and
• Dedication to fundraising for international development, humanitarian, human rights, gender and racial equality, social justice, and US immigrant communities.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required

Working Environment: This role requires working remotely full-time (i.e., telecommuting). Applicants must have a home or alternate workspace they can effectively complete their work from during regularly scheduled hours. Successful candidate must be available to travel domestically as required.

DEI statement: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.