Position Summary

In this newly created role, The Major Gift Officer will be responsible for raising significant funds through major gift prospect cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The primary focus will be on gifts of $10,000 and up. 

The Major Gift Officer  will work closely with the Associate Director, Philanthropy, IPA's Senior Leadership Team, and board members as appropriate to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward new donors as well as maintain relationships with existing donors. Key to success in this role will be understanding the work of IPA and identifying and building relationships with new high net worth prospects, as well as strengthening relationships with existing donors to maximize philanthropic support.

Responsibilities

● Create a comprehensive strategy for donor cultivation, solicitation, and retention based on the donor’s giving history and capacity, managing a portfolio size of 100-125 prospective and current donors

● Directly solicit major gifts and partner with the Senior Leadership Team and board members on solicitations by providing prospect briefings, strategic guidance, and assistance with donor communications

● Facilitate and coordinate all communication with prospects and among the prospect's relationships

● Identify and qualify new major gift prospects

● Develop, plan, and participate in strategic donor engagement opportunities, such as small events for select prospects in the portfolio

● Develop a high-quality donor experience through regular personalized correspondence, professional proposals and timely acknowledgments

● Maintain an organized and detailed prospective donor pipeline via CRM (Salesforce)

● Prepare and present reports on fundraising progress to the Senior Leadership team and board members

● Design and produce development materials and collateral (customized donor proposals, booklets, brochures, signage, etc.), as appropriate with the campaign timeline

● Independently exercise ethical and sound judgment and maintain the highest standards of donor privacy and confidence

● Adhere to all IPA policies, procedures, and values.

Qualifications

Required

● 5+ experience in major gift fundraising, with demonstrated success of securing six and seven-figure gifts 

● Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with a variety of internal partners, donors and board members while maintaining impeccable discretion

● Exceptional oral, written, communication and presentation skills, including the ability to listen and target communication to specific interests of varied audiences 

● Exceptional ability to present complex information in clear simple language to a range of audiences and to effectively translate academic research into concise policy lessons

● Results-driven, flexible, self-motivated, intellectually curious, and able to manage multiple tasks efficiently while being a collaborative team player

● Ability to work proactively and independently while seamlessly communicating with a team

Preferred

● Experience working with Salesforce

● Experience with an international development, poverty alleviation, or research organization

● Bachelor's degree and/or additional related academic courses or professional training

Compensation:

IPA's compensation structure is designed based on the labor market for the specific geographic location where the employee is located.  We are offering the following salary ranges for this position:

• C-3 is classified as a Senior Manager on IPA's global job structure.
• For US-based employees, the starting annual gross salary is $80,000 per year.
• The salary for locations outside of the US will vary depending on IPA's salary scale ranges for that specific location.

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location.

Reports to

Associate Director, Philanthropy

Deadline to Apply

Rolling basis 

Location

US-based: Washington, DC or New York, NY 

Application Instructions

Click here to apply now.

About IPA 

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence of which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to a tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 900 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide. 

IPA's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) 

As an organization, IPA is dedicated to improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable populations through evidence and policy. We also recognize how important it is for our staff to reflect the diversity of the places where we work and the communities we work with. As such, IPA is committed to hiring from a diverse pool of candidates, from a range of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. We know that this makes our work stronger and more responsive to the challenges faced by those we work with and for and we encourage people from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Click here to learn more about IPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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Innovations for Poverty Action is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected class. IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org or via phone at 1-202-386-6200. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the specified position. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions to jobs@poverty-action.org. Please note that only qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring manager.