Director of Strategic Philanthropy

A-Team Consultants•Washington, DC

10d•$150,000 - $165,000•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Strategic Philanthropy will lead the organization’s restructured development operations and design and execute its philanthropy strategy. The role focuses on institutional fundraising, major-donor engagement, external philanthropic initiatives, and cultivating high-value foundation partnerships and strategic funding opportunities. The Director will advise the President/CEO and senior leadership on organizational positioning, philanthropic trends, revenue forecasting, and strategic decisions that support long-term financial sustainability. The position oversees a multi-year fundraising strategy, foundation relations, grant proposals and reporting, donor stewardship, and development workflows. It works with the Board, executive leadership, organizational divisions, staff, and external consultants to meet annual revenue goals and long-term development objectives. The role initially has no direct staff management, with the possibility of building a team as goals expand.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressive fundraising and development leadership experience in nonprofit or mission-driven environments, primarily involving foundations.
Deep knowledge of philanthropic trends and evolving foundation priorities, and established relationships with foundation program officers.
A track record of securing major gifts, foundation grants, and seven-figure institutional funding portfolios.
Expertise developing, executing, and scaling multi-year revenue-generation strategies and capital campaigns, and developing relationship-building strategies tailored to individual donors.
Strategic judgment to recognize when organizational strategies need to shift and advise senior leadership on appropriate responses.
Exceptional relationship-building, executive communication, and written presentation skills, with high emotional intelligence.
Experience managing development staff, collaborating with board members, and advising executive leadership.
Experience establishing workflows and operational processes for fundraising and development operations.
Alignment with the organization’s mission and commitment to meaningful social and economic impact in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience fundraising for policy, research, or advocacy nonprofits and/or think tanks.
Familiarity with donor databases and CRMs such as Salesforce, and prospect research tools.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a multi-year institutional fundraising strategy focused on foundation support, major gifts, priority funders, and philanthropic trends.
Adapt fundraising strategies to changes in philanthropic trends, donor priorities, and organizational needs.
Oversee development, submission, and tracking of grant proposals, concept notes, reports, and funding applications aligned with programmatic goals.
Build and leverage relationships with Board members, senior leaders, philanthropic partners, institutional funders, and prospective major donors.
Open access to decision-makers at partner organizations, high-net-worth individuals, and family and corporate foundations.
Establish stewardship practices and regular donor reporting to support engagement and donor retention.
Lead, coach, and manage development activities, collaborating with staff and external consultants to achieve revenue and development goals.
Establish workflows and operational infrastructure for effective fundraising execution.
Advise the President, Board of Directors, and executive leadership on fundraising progress, revenue risk, philanthropic trends, and strategic positioning.
Collaborate with programmatic, finance, and operations divisions to align priorities, budgets, and deliverables with donor expectations.