Director of Strategic Philanthropy

A-Team Consultants•Washington, DC

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Strategic Philanthropy will lead the organization’s restructured development operations and reposition its institutional fundraising strategy, major donor engagement, and external philanthropic initiatives. The role focuses primarily on cultivating high-value foundation partnerships and strategic funding opportunities. The Director will design a new organizational philanthropy strategy and advise the President/CEO and senior leadership on organizational positioning, philanthropic trends, revenue forecasting, and strategic choices that support long-term financial sustainability. The position leads development and execution of a multi-year institutional fundraising strategy, including expanding foundation support, securing major gifts, identifying priority funders, and adapting to changes in philanthropic trends and donor priorities. It oversees the creation, submission, and tracking of grant proposals, concept notes, reports, and funding applications aligned with programmatic goals. The Director builds and stewards relationships with philanthropic partners, institutional funders, major donors, Board members, and senior leaders, and establishes systematic stewardship and donor reporting practices. The Director leads development activities and collaborates with staff and external consultants to meet annual revenue and long-term development goals. The role initially has no direct staff management, with the possibility of building a team as goals expand, and establishes workflows and infrastructure for effective fundraising. It advises the President, Board of Directors, and executive leadership on fundraising progress, revenue risk, philanthropic trends, and strategic positioning, while working across programmatic, finance, and operations divisions to align priorities, budgets, and deliverables with donor expectations. The organization is a national nonprofit working at the intersection of research, policy, and public impact. It partners with researchers, practitioners, funders, and other leaders to advance evidence-informed approaches to economic and social challenges. The organization is strengthening its fundraising strategy and infrastructure as it enters a period of growth.

Requirements

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, with established relationships with foundation program officers.
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.
Experience developing relationship-building strategies tailored to individual donor needs.
Strategic judgment to identify when organizational strategies need to shift and advise senior leadership on appropriate responses informed by research and experience.
Exceptional relationship-building, executive communication, and written presentation skills, with high emotional intelligence.
Experience managing development staff, collaborating with Board members, and serving as a trusted advisor to executive leadership.
Experience establishing workflows and operational processes for fundraising and development operations.
Familiarity with donor databases and CRMs, such as Salesforce, and prospect research tools.
Alignment with the organization’s mission and commitment to advancing meaningful social and economic impact in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience fundraising for policy, research, or advocacy nonprofits and/or think tanks.

Responsibilities

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