Head of Philanthropy, USA

Focus of the Role

Reporting to the Director, Philanthropy & Business Development, this role will manage a portfolio of prospects and donors who make philanthropic gifts to the Institute. They will create and execute a strategy designed to increase individual giving and engagement to ensure the Institute remains flexible and adaptive and to support the organisation’s growth.

Key Responsibilities

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Accountability: be accountable for meeting fundraising targets for the Institute, managing the Executive Chairman’s reputation and relationships as well as be accountable for staff, currently one Philanthropy & Partnerships Officer

Responsibility: be responsible for delivering the strategy for income generation from individuals, for fundraising systems for individual gifts and managing processes and activities including events and engagements for this income stream

Judgement: be responsible for decision-making around principal and senior-staff deployment against prospects, managing interactions with high-level stakeholders as well as use of sensitive information

Ownership/ambition: be expected to deliver innovative engagements to increase the portfolio of donors and prospects that interact with the Institute

• Work with the Director of Philanthropy & Business Development and Executive Director, External Relations to develop and execute comprehensive strategies to reach individual donors
• Lead the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship process for a portfolio of major/principal gifts donors and prospects
• Initiate, develop, and advance proposals to prospective donors
• Collaborate with others including the Executive Office in the deployment of the Executive Chairman and senior staff, to support fundraising activities
• Collaborate with others including the Development Operations Manager to create, analyse and respond to performance reports against targets
• Manage direct reports and ensure performance is delivered to a high standard
• Any other duties as assigned by the Director of Philanthropy and Business Development and Executive Director of External Relations as required – this could include attending events on behalf of the Institute, supporting meetings and other activities

Person Specification

• A minimum of ten years of frontline demonstrable experience and track record of raising funds in major donor and principal/leadership gifts context
• Experience securing and executing new cultivation and stewardship meetings from limited and cold leads that lead to face-to-face solicitations
• A self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset with proven ability to get things done both independently and in a collaborative, small team-oriented environment
• The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate their role in a campaign environment or in securing six to seven figure gifts from face-to-face solicitations or/and proposal writing
• Knowledge of non-profit law (U.S.) and tax efficient giving and experience of working with senior volunteers is essential
• Experience managing staff with varying levels of experience and in varying stages of career development, including performance management, professional development planning, and fostering team culture that aligns with departmental and organizational values and culture
• Excellent verbal communication, writing, researching, and editing skills as well as fluency in English is essential
• Excellent diplomacy, discretion, and ability to engage with internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Be adept at managing upwards and beyond hierarchy
• Strong face-to-face solicitation skills and proficiency in proposal writing for various audiences is essential
• Experience in CRM and Database management is essential (MS Dynamics) as are strong IT skills
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to meet deadlines under pressure and manage multiple tasks and competing priorities is essential
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, problem-solving attitude, and ability to work both independently and as a collaborative team player
• A keen interest in the work of TBI, sharing our mission and values
• Experience of working with high profile principals, desirable
• Knowledge of the donor landscape, including philanthropy networks in the U.S.; desirable

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It works with a variety of partners and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

• Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 
• Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 
• Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results 

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\'re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.