Associate Director, Principal Giving West

Job Description

Job Overview/ Summary:

The External Relations (ER) department is comprised of three main but complementary functional areas: Private fundraising, Communications, and Advocacy. The main objective of the department is to enable this organization of more than 15,000 staff to have the resources needed to continue serving 18 million people worldwide in places affected by war and disaster. The Philanthropy unit, part of the ER department, leads on the organization’s work with High-Net-Worth Individuals. Positioned within USA Philanthropy, the Principal Giving West team has a goal of improving private individual support for the IRC by engaging, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding significant, multi-year commitments from ultra-high net worth individual supporters that are based in the Western region of the United States.

The IRC is seeking a seasoned fundraiser and relationship cultivator to serve as the Associate Director of Principal Giving in the Western United States. The Associate Director will work closely with the Senior Director of USA Philanthropy West, and the Director of Principal Giving West to build strategy in support of a growing portfolio of ultra-high net worth individuals.

Working across fundraising teams and with senior leadership, the Associate Director will work closely with colleagues to develop creative and comprehensive cultivation strategies, complete engagement plans, and manage solicitations of individuals with sensitivity to broader partnership discussions and status. The ideal candidate has demonstrated experience in understanding the motivations of philanthropists and is able to assess the inclination of a donor or prospect’s willingness to make a principal (seven to eight-figure) gift to the IRC over a number of years. The Associate Director may also be responsible for the management and coaching of up to 2 front-line fundraisers and/or support staff.

Major Responsibilities:

• Manage a dynamic portfolio of 30-50 ultra-high net worth individuals by moving the IRC's relationship with each through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Participate in active prospect discovery through relationship and network mapping. Qualify prospects using research and discovery to unearth new donor relationships.
• Create strategic correspondence, including solicitations, cultivation pieces, reports, and other stewardship materials, to engage donors and prospects.
• Design tactics and creative, long-term engagement strategy to deepen donor dedication and increase giving.
• Choreograph, prepare strategy, and briefing and debriefing materials for face-to-face meetings and solicitations with Principal donors conducted personally and/or by senior staff and Board leadership.
• Supervise and coach frontline fundraisers and/or support staff on the Principal Giving West team, mentoring these individuals and guiding their professional growth at IRC and within the fundraising profession
• Collaborate with colleagues across the IRC, institutional fundraising colleagues 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.
• Work collaboratively with Account Managers to strategize, actively track, and measure progress toward financial goals and movement of prospects and donors across the donor lifecycle.
• Undertake special projects as requested.

Candidate Requirements:

• 6-8 years of progressive fundraising experience and demonstrated expertise in private sector, major gifts, or principal gifts fundraising; or sales, including direct solicitation of donors or clients.
• Demonstrated history of being an empowering, supportive and inclusive manager to front line fundraisers

Preferred Experience & Skills:

• Proven track record of closing multiple 7 figure gifts from a dynamic portfolio of donors and prospects, including qualifying prospects and upgrading donors;
• Consistent 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 in partnership with 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 diplomatically and sensitively collaborate across teams internally, regardless of distance, and garner support for and implement initiatives effectively;
• Ability to identify, build, and implement processes vital to supporting effective donor relationships;
• Ability to analyze and interpret financial data;
• Ability to navigate CRM systems;
• Dedication to fundraising for international development, humanitarian, human rights, gender and racial equality, social justice, and US immigrant communities.

Working Environment***:*** Requires remote/flex-time work.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US 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 $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, 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.