The Buckeye Institute/Columbus, OH
Director of Development
The Buckeye Institute
Columbus, Ohio
http://talentmarket.org/dev-buckeye/
Overview
The Buckeye Institute is a lean, mean, policy machine that has grown rapidly in the past four years under the dynamic leadership of our current President and CEO. Buckeye has been on a roll winning tremendous policy achievements (three first-in-the-nation victories in the past two years alone). We have been told our staff is happier, smarter, better looking, and more productive than groups twice and three times our size.
What, then, is missing?
We need a people-loving, detail-oriented, hard-working, creative fundraiser. Do you have these characteristics, but no experience directly asking people to part with their money? We will train you. If you are not afraid of learning new skills and can believe that rejection isn't the worst thing you will endure in your life, you may be just the person for us. Don't be scared to apply even if you have little to no development experience. We have flexibility in hiring for this position.
However, if you relish drama or are not a high performer, you don't belong at Buckeye. If you enjoy taking credit for other peoples' success or are even a little bit arrogant, please don't apply. If you prefer to spend your weekdays doing fulfilling work alongside genuinely nice people who have dedicated their careers to advancing free market policy and you are excited about gathering for us the resources necessary to do so, read on.
Job Summary
In keeping with The Buckeye Institute's strategic plan, the Director of Development focuses on expanding the organization's donor base and increasing the amount of gifts by initiating and cultivating long-term philanthropic relationships with donors, soliciting major donors for annual and planned gifts, planning and coordinating strategic steps to reach financial goals, overseeing donor communications and managing development operations. The Director will manage outreach to donors through personal visits, mail, and phone contact and will oversee the operation and maintenance of Buckeye's revenue budget, tracking and reporting system. The Director will also be responsible for implementing the current year's fundraising plan while developing future fundraising plans for execution. The Director oversees and manages development staff members as well as outside contracted vendors.
About The Buckeye Institute
Founded in 1989, The Buckeye Institute is an independent research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to advance free-market public policy in the states. The staff at Buckeye accomplish the organization's mission by performing timely and reliable research on key issues, compiling and synthesizing data, formulating sound free-market policies, and promoting those solutions for implementation in Ohio and replication across the country.
The Buckeye Institute is located directly across the street from the Ohio Statehouse on Capitol Square in Columbus, where it assists legislative and executive branch policymakers by providing ideas, research, and data to enable the lawmakers' effectiveness in advocating free-market public policy solutions.
The Buckeye Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit, and tax-exempt organization, as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code. As such, it relies on support from individuals, corporations, and foundations that share a commitment to individual liberty, free enterprise, personal responsibility, and limited government. The Buckeye Institute does not seek or accept government funding.
Job Duties
Develop both an immediate and long-term development strategy, with clear benchmarks and annual goals. Develop strategy and timeline for individual contributors with the potential for major gifts.
Solicit major gifts in one-on-one meetings with donors alone and in conjunction with executive leadership.
Interact with donors and prospects through telephone calls, one-on-one visits, and written correspondence to keep them informed of our work.
Draft and edit proposals and communication pieces to individual, corporate and foundation donors and prospects.
Supervise the execution and monitoring of direct mail and prospecting programs.
Monitor and measure the effectiveness of solicitations (both verbal and written).
Oversee a master communication calendar and track current, future and pending solicitations and relationship-building activity.
Maintain a good working knowledge of the organization's programs and funding priorities.
Effectively manage development staff and vendors to ensure that all systems operate efficiently and effectively—including events, reports, and the donor database.
Requirements
A minimum of 5 years of experience in direct major gift solicitation, or equivalent experience in strategic planning, persuasive communications, sales, or a related job
Experience managing a development office preferred
Strong commitment to advancing The Buckeye Institute's mission
The ability to manage staff and to collaboratively work with others in the organization
Results-oriented with a bias for action and strong organizational and management skills
Ability to think strategically, drive projects, meet deadlines, develop and execute plans effectively
Excellent written and verbal communication and donor-engagement skills
Good judgment, discretion, and maturity
Solid attention to detail
The ability to travel approximately 25-30% of the time
BS/BA or equivalent experience
To Apply
Qualified candidates should submit the following in one PDF file with your name in the file:
Résumé
Cover letter detailing your sincere interest in this role and your salary requirements
Materials should be emailed in one PDF document to Claire Dixon, executive director of Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: claire@talentmarket.org.
While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. No phone calls, please.
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