Chief Development Officer

Full-Time (salaried, full benefits)
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Salary Grade: Officer/C-Suite

Salary Range: $191,000-$229,000

Location: Washington, DC (hybrid schedule) preferred

Position Overview

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will play an integral role in creating and executing a comprehensive development plan to elevate Issue One’s fundraising efforts. The CDO will closely partner with the CEO to cultivate and solicit major donors while managing a small team of development professionals.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of front-line fundraising and a history of success with foundational giving and major donors. The CDO must be highly organized and deeply skilled at writing proposals and presenting to diverse audiences.

Key Responsibilities

The CDO will lead the process of taking Issue One to higher levels of fundraising success by:

• Working closely with executive and Board leadership to develop and implement a comprehensive development plan to meet or exceed Issue One’s annual and project-specific fundraising goals.
• Serving as the principal gift officer working closely with the CEO on his portfolio of Issue One’s critical prospective donors.
• Designing a program to identify, cultivate, solicit, and provide donor stewardship strategies for their own prospective major donors and assessing and making recommendations around additional investments necessary to maximize philanthropic support.
• Serving as the Board liaison for fundraising, including building a functional development committee that will grow in the coming years.
• Leveraging the involvement of various committees and task forces for fundraising purposes.
• Developing internal partnerships with program staff designed to involve them in fundraising efforts appropriately.
• Creating a coordinated communications strategy with the Communications Director on marketing materials and proposals to ensure consistent quality and accurate messaging.
• Managing, motivating, and supervising an evolving staff of three and providing ongoing counsel related to strategic investments in the program to produce a return on investment within industry norms.
• Implementing donor stewardship programs designed to demonstrate donor impact.
• Ensuring that back office systems are highly functional and accurate to ensure extraordinary donor experiences.
• Managing an overall development budget in partnership with the COO.

Key Attributes and Qualifications

• Ten-plus years of growing fundraising leadership experience
• Proven success in front-line fundraising, working with high-net-worth individuals and foundations
• Knowledge of the money in politics and government ethics reform movement is ideal
• Excellent writing skills and demonstrated success in proposal development
• Superb communication and presentation skills
• Ability to synthesize complexity, make informed decisions, and develop strategic alternatives that help create solutions in sometimes ambiguous and fast-moving environments
• Outstanding organizational and project management skills with an appreciation for high-level execution and superb attention to detail
• Entrepreneurialism and resourcefulness, with the ability to deliver results in a rapidly growing, deadline-driven, and dynamic environment
• Team-oriented and collaborative; flexibility and adaptability to modify plans in line with shifting priorities
• Demonstrated experience building functions/businesses from the ground up and the proven ability to maintain optimism and passion for strengthening our democracy.

Structure and Location

This full-time role is based in or around Washington, DC, or the northeast. This job requires travel throughout the United States occasionally. The Chief Development Officer must work on-site in our DC office twice weekly (Tuesday and Wednesday) if they reside in the DMV area. If outside of DC, the CDO will typically need to travel monthly to our office for 2-3 days at a time.

The CDO reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer.

Benefits

Issue One has developed a comprehensive benefits package that invests in our staff to improve their health and promote a solid work-life balance.

• All full-time employees are eligible for a platinum health plan with 100% of the premium paid by Issue One. In addition, the organization covers 75% of the premium for all spouses and dependents of IO staff.
• Staff receives over 50 paid days off annually, including holidays, vacation, personal time, and office-wide closures.
• Issue One provides reimbursements and stipends for internet and commuting and promotes a hybrid work environment that allows for working from home but establishes regular in-person office opportunities twice a week (if located in or around DC).
• Issue One offers wellness reimbursements and student loan assistance. In addition, all staff are encouraged to participate in professional development throughout the year, and the organization hosts several opportunities for team building and fun.

Salary Range:

The salary range for this position is $191,000-$229,000. Salary is commensurate with experience and must align with Issue One’s compensation philosophy.

Tentative Hiring Timeline:

1. Position Posted (August 18)
2. Collect Applicant Submissions (August 18-September 29)
3. Applicant Screening (October 2-6)
4. First-Round Interviews (Week of October 9)
5. Second Round Panel Interviews and Optional Assessment (Week of October 16)
6. Finalist(s) Interview (Week of October 23)
7. Offer Made (Late October/Early November)

Special Note: While Issue One will do its best to follow the above timeline, there are instances where the selection process may be altered due to circumstances beyond our control. The organization will do its best to update applicants on any changes to the timeline. In addition, while resumes may be submitted after September 29, there’s no guarantee they will be screened for a potential interview.

How to Apply:

All interested applicants can apply by clicking "Apply for this Job" at the top right corner of this page. Issue One encourages all interested applicants to complete this self-identification questionnaire as a part of their candidacy.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we will be unable to acknowledge receipt of all applications. No phone calls, please.

Organization Overview

Issue One is committed to winning game-changing federal reforms to fix our broken political system and create an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.

We’re leading the fight to protect U.S. elections and election workers in 2024, ensure a peaceful transfer of power in 2025, and win comprehensive reforms to combat disinformation on technology platforms. Since its founding, Issue One has had an outsized impact on Washington. For example, our Don’t Mess With US and election administration campaigns helped win $825 million in federal funding for states to improve their cybersecurity and manage their elections in 2020 amid the pandemic.

Issue One is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization that unites Republicans, Democrats, and independents to win sweeping political reforms; our ReFormers Caucus of more than 200 former members of Congress, governors, and Cabinet secretaries allows us to form unique relationships with current decision-makers and brings heft to our legislative and communications work. In addition, our legislative work is backed by a strong research arm, a savvy and innovative communications team, and a strong development program enabling us to have the resources necessary to win.

Issue One is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities and all other employment laws and regulations. It is our intent to maintain a work environment that is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status, gender identity or expression), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), reproductive health decisions, marital status, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, credit information, employment status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed servicemember status, status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking, homeless status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. Issue One is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy in regard to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay, fringe benefits, and other compensation, the application of disability and/or temporary disability policies, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.