About IHS

The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is a think network advancing the principles and practices of freedom in the academy, public policy, and civil society.

Founded in 1961, IHS believes that the liberal tradition has yielded unprecedented freedom and human flourishing. And in this moment, when the forces of illiberalism on both the left and right are gaining ground at an alarming pace, our vision is to spark a new spirit of liberal freedom.

Our Work

  • Cultivating a pool of intellectual talent for partners in policy, civil society, philanthropy, and the academy through $1.5 million in fellowship and career development programs.
  • Catalyzing scholarship and academic networks to strengthen the fields of foundational and applied research that matter most to a free society.
  • Equipping freedom-focused research centers, think tanks, foundations, and civil society organizations with the research and experts they need to maximize their impact in policy and in communities across the country.

Position Summary

The Director of Development leads IHS’s major gifts fundraising and individual-donor relationship strategy, with primary accountability for growing philanthropic revenue across the frontline gift pipeline. Reporting to the Managing Director of Development and Communications and leading the frontline gift-officer team, this role sets portfolio priorities, cultivation and solicitation strategy, and moves-management standards for major gifts. This role will also personally manage a select portfolio of the organization’s highest-priority donors. Core areas of ownership include fundraising strategy and revenue growth, major gifts portfolio leadership, fundraiser development, and cross-functional donor engagement — distinct from the operational infrastructure owned by the Director of Development Operations.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Growth

  • Leads IHS’s major gifts fundraising strategy and portfolio-level revenue planning for the individual-giving pipeline, setting portfolio priorities, solicitation strategy, and cultivation approach in coordination with the Managing Director of Development & Communications. Enterprise revenue strategy and multi-year institutional planning remain with the Managing Director.
  • Owns the frontline gift pipeline across qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, establishing moves-management standards and portfolio expectations for gift officers.
  • Translates institutional fundraising goals into portfolio-level plans and directional benchmarks for the major gifts team.

Major Gifts Portfolio Leadership

  • Personally manages a select portfolio of the organization’s highest-priority donors and prospects, leading the full gift cycle for principal- and major-gift commitments.
  • Directs prospect assignment, portfolio segmentation, and solicitation strategy across the gift-officer team, partnering with the Senior Major Gifts Officer and Major Gifts Officer(s).
  • Oversees relationship handoffs across prospecting, mid-level, and major-gift portfolios to maintain a coherent donor journey.

Team Leadership & Fundraiser Development

  • Leads, coaches, and develops the major gifts team, setting clear priorities, expectations, and portfolio goals.
  • Reviews and approves solicitation strategies, gift proposals, and portfolio plans for frontline fundraisers.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Donor Engagement

  • Coordinates with Development Operations, Communications & Marketing, Programs, and Executive leadership to align donor messaging, engagement strategy, and solicitation materials.
  • Represents IHS in high-value donor meetings, cultivation gatherings, and institutional engagement; this role includes donor-facing travel to advance portfolio relationships and solicitation strategy.
  • Partners with the Director of Development Operations to ensure pipeline reporting, data integrity, and operational infrastructure support effective frontline fundraising.

Supervisory Responsibilities

  • Directly supervises 1–2 direct reports (Senior Major Gifts Officer, and an additional Major Gifts Officer as the team grows), overseeing major gifts portfolio management, solicitation strategy, and donor stewardship across the gift-officer team.
  • Reviews and approves key decisions in portfolio strategy, solicitation planning, and prospect assignment as appropriate.

Required Qualifications

  • 6+ years of progressively responsible experience in major gifts or individual-giving fundraising, including a documented record of closing six-figure commitments, with seven-figure exposure preferred.
  • Demonstrated success leading and developing frontline fundraising staff.
  • Experience setting fundraising strategy and managing a multi-stage donor pipeline across cultivation and solicitation.
  • Strong judgment engaging donors across diverse professional and ideological backgrounds.
  • Proficiency with CRM systems; Salesforce experience preferred.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience fundraising within a think tank, university, or policy-oriented nonprofit.
  • Experience building or scaling a major gifts program.
  • Substantive knowledge of and appreciation for the classical liberal intellectual tradition, with the ability to engage donors substantively on policy, economics, and related ideas central to the IHS donor community.
  • Experience with moves management across multiple giving tiers.

Travel

IHS operates remotely. Staff attend organization-wide in-office weeks in Arlington, VA — two required and one optional per year — each running approximately Monday through Thursday.

In addition, this role includes regular travel to support programmatic convenings, and donor and partner events.

Total travel for this role is up to approximately 15% of the year, inclusive of in-office weeks and donor-related travel.

Schedule / Hours

Full-time, Monday – Friday, 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. ET.

Salary

The salary range for this position is $130,000–$145,000, commensurate with experience. This position is also eligible for annual performance-based incentive compensation; specific terms are discussed at the offer stage.

IHS Benefits

We have a flexible, professional, open office environment that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship and provides substantial opportunity for professional growth. Salary is competitive and will be commensurate with experience. IHS provides exceptional benefits to all employees, including health and dental insurance coverage (which includes paying 100% of the health and dental insurance premium for individuals), health savings accounts, long-term disability and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement savings program, a parking permit and 12 free tuition credit hours annually at George Mason University.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:

To apply, qualified candidates must submit the following materials:

  • Resume
  • Cover letter detailing your interest in this position and why the IHS mission resonates with you.

Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.

Questions can be directed to Katy Gambella, Director of Outreach at Talent Market, who is managing the search process: [email protected].

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.

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. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.

Talent Market, the liberty movement’s talent agency, is a nonprofit that connects liberty-minded professionals with free-market nonprofit jobs at no cost to candidates or organizations. We work with 501(c)(3) 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. Visit Talent Market to explore open roles, join our talent network, or work with us on your next hire.