The Foundation for Economic Education (“FEE”) is seeking a Chief Development Officer whose leadership will enable our team to deliver ambitious and sustainable growth in revenues.
This is a unique career opportunity if you have a deep passion for the ideas of classical liberalism, have a record of leadership in fundraising for liberty-related causes, and thrive in a high-performance environment.
Since its founding in 1946, FEE has dedicated itself to making the fundamental economic, ethical, and legal principles of a free society both accessible and compelling to a general audience. Since 2008, we have put a particular emphasis on youth audiences, and we have become the premier connector of young people with the freedom philosophy.
With donation revenues currently in the $7 million range, FEE is well beyond the days when we conducted a few seminars in the summer and published a limited-circulation magazine. In 2023,
- Our student programs achieved 34,000 student engagements in US high schools,
- Our teacher training reached 3,200 teachers and has 4,700 subscribers to its online curriculum materials,
- Our written commentary team generated 8.9 million page views on FEE.org and published over 200 articles on other sites,
- Our video series achieved over 28 million views, and
- FEE en Español achieved over 41,000 student engagements in Latin America and 333,000 subscribers to its online content.
There is a strong management team overseeing these five program areas. More detailed information may be found at https://fee.org/about.
We intend to keep scaling up. To accelerate our growth, FEE has recently hired its 12th president, Diogo Costa, a successful transformer of both educational organizations and think tanks in Brazil, who also has advanced degrees in political economy from the US and the UK and four years of formative early experiences in US think tanks. Diogo is a dynamic relationship-builder, an inspiring leader, and a compelling speaker.
As Chief Development Officer, you will:
- Report directly to the President
- Create and execute plans to drive substantial growth in our funding
- Oversee a world-class development operation including major gifts, mid-level donors, donor communications, prospecting and donor acquisition, events, planned giving, stewardship, database management, grants for general operations, and transformational grants for new program development
- Provide oversight, guidance and mentorship for five professionals: two in Donor Relations and three in Grants & Development Operations
- Work closely with the President to manage his portfolio of relationships, while taking the lead on additional major donors in your own portfolio
- Both guide the team and participate directly in identifying and cultivating prospects
- Design analytics and produce reports that enable you, the President, and the Board to understand trends and identify challenges in FEE’s revenues
- Travel as needed to meet with donors, attend events, and represent FEE
As a key member of the senior leadership team, you will:
- Be an essential part of strategic planning for FEE’s future growth and our value proposition for donors
- Foster active collaboration between Development and each of the program areas
- Identify potential funding partners for strategic new program initiatives
The ideal candidate will:
- Have 8+ years of increasing responsibility in development or related experience
- Have an in-depth knowledge of fundraising strategies and operations
- Be an action-oriented team builder and team leader
- Have a track record of success in major gifts
- Demonstrate skill at organizational processes
- Have personal dedication to the ideas of liberty
- Have the ability to travel 20-30% of the time
- Have familiarity with CRMs (Salesforce in particular)
FEE prides itself on attracting and retaining top-tier talent. We offer competitive salary and benefits, including health and dental insurance with reimbursement of deductibles, a 401K plan with a 50% employer match up to $4,000, and flexible time off. You will be joining a collaborative, collegial, creative, and energetic work environment dedicated to the advancement of the freedom philosophy.
The Chief Development Officer will preferably work from FEE’s Atlanta, GA office, or from a virtual office elsewhere in the country with regular travel to Atlanta.
Application Instructions
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:
- A cover letter detailing your interest in the position and FEE’s mission, your salary requirements, and your location preferences
- Resume
Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link:
https://talentmarket.org/candidates/apply-for-your-dream-job/
Questions can be directed to Claire Kittle Dixon, Executive Director of Talent Market, who is managing the search process: [email protected].
Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.
Talent Market is a nonprofit entity dedicated to promoting liberty by helping free-market nonprofits identify talent for critical roles. We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation.