About Demos. Demos is a movement-oriented think tank committed to racial and economic justice. Through research, advocacy, strategic communications, litigation, and deep partnerships with grassroots organizations across the country, we build power with and for Black and brown communities. Since 2000, Demos has built relationships with grassroots partners, legal and policy experts, and policymakers to champion, advance, and realize pro-democracy and economic justice laws and policies. Demos is valued and trusted for its deep relationships with movement leaders and its ability to prioritize what the movement needs. Demos’ policy, litigation, and advocacy work has moved to the center of the national conversation and even become law. From getting money out of politics to expanding voting rights, our policy recommendations and advocacy have become reality. We don’t just develop policy papers with big ideas—we put them into action. Individually and as coalition partners, we’ve beat back anti-voter laws in multiple states, expanded access to the ballot for formerly incarcerated Americans, and protected rights guaranteed by the National Voter Registration Act. We’ve crafted narrative and policy to advance a more just, inclusive economy where Black and brown people thrive. We’ve fought for and won greater consumer protections within our credit system, improved working conditions for the federal contractor workforce, and we laid the groundwork for debt-free college and student debt cancellation.

Director of Development. The Director of Development will be a seasoned leader and an experienced fundraising professional who is passionate about raising funds to support Demos’ critical work centered on building power and increasing democratic participation of Black and brown communities. The Director of Development provides leadership and strategic direction to Demos’ fundraising efforts and is responsible for planning and implementing strategies to raise the yearly operational budget. This is an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneurial leader to work closely with Demos’ President, Taifa Smith Butler, to raise funds to support Demos’ new strategic plan. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Director of Development is responsible for ensuring the long-range financial stability of Demos and Demos Action, a 501c4 project of Tides Advocacy. The Director of Development is a member of the Leadership body that collectively sets and manages the organizational vision, values, and strategic priorities, and organizational work plan. The Director of Development is responsible for leading the organization’s talented development team. The Director of Development will also manage a portfolio of key relationships including foundations and individual philanthropic partners. 

The ideal candidate will have experience with individual giving and foundation fundraising and will lead with humility, drive, and emotional intelligence. Director of Development will be joining Demos at an exciting inflection point as the organization is implementing its new strategic plan. The next Director of Development will be an entrepreneurial, strategic thinker and experienced in both fundraising and change management. 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

Team and People Leadership, including  

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising plan that includes multi-year fundraising projections. 
• In partnership with the Executive Team, provide leadership body and Board of Directors with analyses, systems, and support needed to participate effectively in fundraising and stewardship of donor relationships, including developing and tracking programs, budgets, reports, and calendars related to all Demos fundraising. 
• Foster a shared vision for fundraising across the organization and drive a culture of philanthropy. 
• Directly lead, supervise, coach, and develop a cohesive and forward-thinking Development Team.  
• Track and monitor the organization’s monthly cash flow projections, in conjunction with the Finance Team. 
• Assist with the development of annual and program budgets and financial reports.
• Collaborate with the broader Leadership body, contributing to a healthy, results-oriented team and organizational culture and model organizational values to translate a compelling vision into action. 

Strategic Fundraising and Funder Stewardship, including  

• Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive individual and foundation fundraising plans.  
• Build and maintain a high-level portfolio of foundation and major donors, with a specific revenue goal attached, including building new funder relationships and enhancing Demos’ donor pipeline and fostering a greater awareness of the importance of fundraising across the organization.  
• Support the Development Team in the building, maintaining, and stewarding of their own fundraising portfolios, setting high reaching, but achievable goals. 
• Manage ongoing strategy for outreach; cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of funders and relationships; prepare and staff key Demos personnel across relevant foundation relationships.  
• Develop strategies to grow and maintain long-range financial stability.  
• Accompany the President and other key staff on fundraising visits, as appropriate.  
• Represent Demos with key external audiences; and 
• Other responsibilities as requested by your supervisor from time to time. 

The successful candidate must demonstrate the following skills and experience: 

Excellent fundraising strategist. You are an experienced fundraising professional, with steadily increasing responsibilities, preferably at a think-tank, advocacy organization, grassroots organization, or political campaign, and are very familiar with the progressive field. You have significant experience raising money from foundations and individuals and managing the full prospect/donor lifecycle. The ideal candidate has directly created prospect engagement strategies, focused on prospect cultivation, solicited gifts, and stewarded donors post-gift. You are agile with an entrepreneurial spirit and can identify – and are willing to seize — fundraising opportunities as they arise. 

Ability to Lead Efforts to Advance Racial Equity. You are committed to leading on racial equity with Demos and our external partnerships, with a sophisticated understanding of how structural racism, white supremacy, and anti-blackness influence supervisory relationships, organizational culture, partnerships, campaigns, and coalition work; understanding of how systemic racism affects present-day systems and ability to advance racial equity goals through communications strategies; demonstrated history of successfully intervening in problematic dynamics and deepening a racial justice approach within an organization, team, partnership or campaign; and commitment to Demos’ culture of respect, shared responsibility, and consistent feedback. You will work to ensure our funding strategies are in alignment with our commitment to racial and economic equity. 

Ability to lead and manage a team. You know how to lead a team, develop, and support talent, manage tough situations, encourage innovation, and work within an organization to set a vision and execute it effectively. You know how to achieve your goals in collaboration with others and are skilled at nurturing talent and supervising staff. You have exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to listen, develop, and maintain strong relationships. A sense of humor is a plus. 

Exceptional detail-oriented project manager. You delegate effectively, manage multiple priorities, organize a large volume of work and keep it flowing through the pipeline. You are a problem solver, tenacious, and proactive with the ability to get things done, and are comfortable working in a fluid, multiple-stakeholder environment. You come to the table with ideas and a plan and can make it happen through sound instincts and based on experience.  

Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Written and verbal communication is one of your strengths and you have substantial experience with persuasive writing and editing other people’s work. 

Low Ego. You are committed to advancing the whole rather than yourself. 

The most competitive candidates will also demonstrate several of several of the following skills and experience:

• You bring a movement-building lens to your work and have experience successfully collaborating with grassroots organizations toward shared goals.   
• You are knowledgeable about political and electoral fundraising and/or 501c4 fundraising approaches. 
• You have familiarity with some of Demos’ core issue areas. 
• You have familiarity with some of Demos’ systems, including Outlook, Office 365, Salesforce, Slack, and/or Trello. 

Additionally, candidates must bring a strong commitment to excellence and an ability to work in an evolving environment.  

Work Location: Demos is working to adopt a hybrid, remote-first work model with in-person meetings taking place in the current offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. Candidates based in any continental U.S. location with the ability to travel are encouraged to apply. 

Salary and Benefits: The annual salary range for this position is $155,000- $165,000. Salary is determined based on job responsibilities and other factors determined by law. For purposes of internal equity, Demos will not negotiate salaries outside of this posted range. Demos has a generous benefits package, which includes health insurance, dental and vision insurance, 11 paid holidays, 18 vacation days per year, 5 floating holidays per year, 12 sick days per year, paid time off the last week of August, and Dec. 24 – through the first week of January, and a voluntary 403b plan. 

How to Apply: Please upload a concise, thoughtful cover letter and resume, that speaks to how your experience and skillset meet the qualifications for this role. We are looking for an immediate hire so applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. No phone calls or emails please.  

Demos is an Equal Opportunity Employer–people of color, people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.  We are committed to a diverse workplace, and to supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunities.