About the Role
FAI seeks a Director of Development to lead fundraising and major gifts as we expand our national footprint and donor base.
This full-time position, based in Washington, DC, reports to the Executive Vice President and works closely with the policy, external affairs, and operations teams as an individual contributor.
You’ll inherit an established Airtable CRM and donor database with strong institutional foundation, individual, and corporate relationships. Your mandate will be expanding the major gifts portfolio while maintaining institutional grant momentum. Success means dollars raised, flawless execution (zero missed deadlines or dropped balls), and iterative process improvements that increase FAI’s fundraising velocity.
Responsibilities
- Grant Management
- Oversee the full grant lifecycle: prospecting, proposal drafting, budgeting, submission, reporting, and compliance
- Maintain a comprehensive grants calendar and pipeline
- Collaborate with program leads to craft compelling narratives and measurable outcomes
- Major Gift Strategy
- Build and manage an expanding portfolio of individual major gift prospects, with emphasis on UHNW donors, family offices, and tech/crypto new money
- Develop and execute multi-touch engagement plans including meetings, events, recognition, and stewardship
- Partner with the President and EVP on high-level cultivation and solicitations
- Drive year-over-year growth in individual giving as a percentage of revenue mix
- Compliance, Reporting, & Board Support
- Ensure timely acknowledgments, impact reports, and donor communications
- Maintain CRM integrity, and generate regular fundraising reports
- Prepare Board updates, and brief Board on development progress, pipeline health, and strategic opportunities
- Monitor compliance with funder terms, audits, and IRS regulations
- Generate reports for the Board of Directors
- Development Systems & Processes
- Design and refine standard operating procedures, templates, and playbooks
- Track performance metrics and contribute to forecasting and budgeting
- Integrate fundraising operations across external affairs, policy programs, and operations
- Network Building
- Build strategic alliances with philanthropic networks, donor collaboratives, and institutional funders
Qualifications
FAI welcomes applicants from a range of backgrounds, including think tanks, Congress, policy nonprofits, or mission-driven startups, but likely the right candidate has at least five years of experience.
Successful candidates will demonstrate:
- Proven success in grant writing, with experience managing foundation relationships
- Expansive network in philanthropic and policy communities
- Experience cultivating high-net-worth individual donors
- Proven ability to prospect and close individual major gifts, ideally with tech-sector or tech-adjacent donors
- Exceptional writing and communication skills
- Deep knowledge of DC political and policymaking culture (e.g., think tanks, the Hill, philanthropic networks, executive branch)
- A track record of making others more effective through clarity, structure, and follow-through
- Willingness and ability to travel when needed; estimated at 25% time
- Proficiency with Airtable and CRM pipelines
- Alignment with FAI’s right-of-center, reform-oriented mission
- Comfort operating in heterodox funding environments—experience across ideologically diverse foundation portfolios, tech/VC communities, and nontraditional conservative philanthropy networks
Benefits and Perks
- Annual salary range estimated to be $100,000–$180,000 but is negotiable based on experience
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) match up to 6%
- Annual performance bonus up to 25%, tied to revenue targets and operational excellence
- $1,000 annual book credit
- Monthly commuter benefit
- Unlimited vacation policy
FAI is an equal-opportunity employer. We review applications for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, uniformed services, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
To Apply
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:
- Cover letter including:
- Introductory paragraph(s) describing three distinct reasons you are drawn to FAI’s mission and how you came to those beliefs
- Salary requirements
- Résumé
Questions can be directed to Katy Gambella, Director of Outreach at Talent Market, who is managing the search process: katy@talentmarket.org.
There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.
