MSI-US promotes Marie Stopes International’s mission to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare to millions of underserved women around the world. By providing comprehensive reproductive healthcare, MSI gives women an opportunity for better health outcomes and a better future. For more information about MSI-US, please visit our website at www.mariestopes-us.org.
Job Summary
The Director of Donor Relations is responsible for advancing MSI’s mission by crafting, leading and implementing a strategy to cultivate, acquire and steward high net worth individual donors (HNWI) in the United States. In the wake of the Administration’s reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy, this position is crucial to funding MSI programs that protect the health and welfare of millions of women and families worldwide.
MSI-US seeks an experienced, savvy and talented Director of Donor Relations to create and implement a comprehensive development strategy that attracts and engages HNWI donors and other individual donors to support our mission and achieve our long-range development goals and objectives. The right candidate will have a proven track record of fundraising leadership and building a major donor program from the ground up with skill, innovative ideas, best practices and energy. The position will be a critical part of a larger U.S. fundraising team pursuing both individual and institutional donors to secure $12 million annually. Based in Washington, D.C., the position reports to the Executive Director, MSI-US, and will be responsible for leading a small U.S.-based team of development staff and coordinating with MSI-US’s communications team and MSI global leadership.
- Build and manage a comprehensive major gifts program for high net worth individuals (HNWIs);
- Devise a major donor strategy and work plan with indicators of success, including target fundraising goals; regularly track progress against work plan goals and objectives to keep development team on task and provide updates to MSI leadership and board;
- Participate in structuring, developing and mobilizing an expanded US board with greater fundraising engagement;
- Create and implement tailored cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans for HNWIs to engage, retain and upgrade donors;
- Communicate with and make direct, face-to-face donor solicitations, prepare and staff the Executive Director and other senior leaders to do likewise and guide junior staff with their development portfolio (e.g. provide planning support, strategic advice and help with donor communications);
- Utilize and oversee implementation and management of systems and tools (including wealth screening program and CRM system) to maintain and analyse up-to-date, accurate records for use in identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding HNWI and other individual donors and prospects;
- Provide leadership to and work in collaboration with the Executive Director and UK-based senior leadership team to align the major gift program with broader organizational fundraising goals;
- Prepare written materials including visit strategies/briefings, correspondence, solicitation, and pledge documents;
- Produce proposals and subsequent reports, in partnership with other staff, to solicit restricted and unrestricted funding from individual prospects and donors;
- Plan and implement, in partnership with other staff and volunteers, major donor cultivation and stewardship events;
- Collaborate with the Communications Officer to produce and implement solid communications strategies and materials for the major gift program.
- Serve as a committed ambassador to MSI’s mission on international sexual and reproductive healthcare and comprehensive contraceptive services.
- Minimum seven (7) to ten (10) years of successful experience in major gift fundraising, including building a major gifts program and cultivating and soliciting gifts of $10,000 and up from high net worth individuals, preferably for a non-profit engaged in international issues.
- Proven track record in, and excited by the challenge of, building up a nascent major donor program and growing revenue through prospecting, qualifying, acquiring and retaining new HNWI donors;
- Successful in developing and instituting cultivation and solicitation strategies to engage and upgrade low- and mid-level donors;
- Success in working with and building non-profit boards of directors;
- Ability to understand the needs and interests of major gift donors to develop successful, deep connections with the organization; manage donor expectations around communications and giving planning and preferences;
- Experience with using technology to advance the goals of major donor programs like donor tracking systems, prospect researching tools and wealth screening tools, and capacity and willingness to learn new systems;
- Success in engaging NGO leadership and board as stakeholders and mobilizing them around fundraising strategies and goals;
- Demonstrated leadership and the ability to manage multiple tasks at a time;
- Integrity, comfort and ability needed to gain the trust and confidence of supporters and stakeholders;
- Ability to work independently and in a collaborative team environment across multiple programs and departments;
- Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills, both oral and written;
- Excellent problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, commitment to results, attention to detail, and solutions-oriented;
- Willingness and ability to travel domestically for donor engagement and on occasion internationally for site visits and/or internal meetings; and
- Bachelor’s degree in applicable field.
Marie Stopes International-US is an equal opportunity employer. We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience and excellent employee benefits, including five (5) weeks of paid vacation, employer paid health, dental and vision benefits, 403(b) retirement plan contribution, disability and life insurance, paid sick leave, family leave and a commuter subsidy program. We support a work-life balance and an individual’s desire to learn beyond the experience gained at work through both personal and professional development and growth opportunities.
MSI-US has engaged S+R Consulting to undertake the search for this critical position. Please send your resume along with a cover letter -- that includes how you heard about the position and your salary history -- to [email protected]. Please use the following subject line: MSI-Director of Donor Relations and [insert your last name].
No phone calls please. Only qualified candidates will be contacted after submitting a full application.
About the Organization
MSI exists to empower women and men to have children by choice, not chance. We are pro-choice and believe it is a woman’s right to choose if, when, and how many children to have. Qualified candidates for this position will unwaveringly support and embrace our belief and mission. Our dedicated professionals are enthusiastic, empathetic and positive. They thrive in an atmosphere of dynamic challenges in their work, are personally motivated to succeed, and enjoy being part of a global team working to make a difference in women’s lives around the world. Confident, resourceful and action-oriented, our people are focused on delivering high-impact programs in collaboration with our donors to ensure our clients around the world receive the highest quality of services.