Protect Democracy seeks a thoughtful, detail-oriented fundraiser to join our growing Partnerships team as an Annual Giving Officer. This is a unique opportunity for a talented early-to-mid-career fundraising professional looking to expand their skill set and make an impact in the movement to protect our democracy. As Annual Giving Officer, you’ll steward a portfolio of mid-level donors and run the engagement tools to grow it, including across our grassroots and peer-to-peer fundraising programs.
About the position: In this role, you’ll be a key player on a small, highly collaborative and effective team. We seek to steward deep, long-term, trusting relationships with donors, engaging them as true partners in the broader democracy ecosystem. That approach has paid off: We’ve raised substantial unrestricted operating funds and built a solid financial runway, which lets us hire exceptional talent and launch high-impact interventions. These include 150+ legal actions, critical federal and state legislation, and creative solutions like VoteShield, which monitors and protects 160 million public voter records across 25 states.
About the organization: Protect Democracy formed in late 2016, recognizing that the global wave of authoritarianism had begun to erode American shores. We have since assembled a team of140+ expertswho have served under Democrats and Republicans and in the senior ranks of other nonprofit, political, or media organizations. Our team includes lawyers, policy experts, legislative advocates, media strategists, writers, data analysts, and software developers. We deploy litigation, legislative and communications strategies, technology, research, and analysis to stand up for free and fair elections, the rule of law, fact-based debate, and a better democracy for future generations. For this work, our team received a Skoll Award for Social Innovation and a MacArthur Fellowship.
This is a remote position based in the United States.* The priority deadline to apply for this role is October 29, 2026; we will review applications received after that date on a rolling basis.
The Annual Giving Officer will:
- Manage a portfolio that currently has about 300 mid level gift partners—both institutional funders and individuals—leveraging technology to assist in regular communications, soliciting gift renewals, and customized cultivation plans where appropriate;
- Aim to grow this portfolio of donors to 500 by 2028 through strong collaboration with Partnerships team members, active stewardship, and management of our newly launched peer-to-peer fundraising tool;
- Write & distribute high-quality quarterly e-newsletter & bi-annual e-appeals to grassroots donors, mostly through synthesis of existing material;
- Assemble high-quality materials and communications that reflect Protect Democracy’s voice and mission, including grant proposals, reports, and donor correspondence;
- Represent Protect Democracy in external meetings with donors and trusted intermediaries;
- Conduct prospect research to identify new high-capacity individuals and institutions aligned with our mission;
- Collaborate with the Partnerships team to set and track ambitious fundraising goals, maintaining accurate and up-to-date records;
- Independently seek opportunities to build and improve on Protect Democracy’s fundraising operations by closely examining needs, assessing possible solutions, and making concise recommendations;
- Contribute to Protect Democracy’s programmatic work and culture.
The ideal candidate brings:
- Three or more years of professional experience, including experience working directly with donors;
- Demonstrated comfort and experience with identifying, cultivating, stewarding, closing, and renewing 4-5 figure gift opportunities;
- Proficiency with fundraising tools and CRMs with a preference for Raiser’s Edge experience, and a desire to help our team use data and automation more effectively;
- Ability to correspond persuasively and authentically with key stakeholders;
- A solid understanding of the political and philanthropic landscape;
- Excellent judgment, time management, and follow-through;
- A growth mindset and collaborative orientation, including enthusiasm for giving and receiving feedback in all directions;
- A nuanced understanding of our country’s political landscape, the authoritarian threat, and the reality that our democracy has never fully represented communities of color;
- Unfettered enthusiasm for Protect Democracy’s cross-ideological and nonpartisan approach to protecting our democracy.
At Protect Democracy, we believe that diversity isn’t just a strength — it’s a necessity for tackling the complex challenges facing democracy. A broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences strengthens our ability to analyze problems, craft solutions, and drive meaningful change. We strongly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and from across the political and ideological spectrum to apply. If you meet most but not all of the criteria listed above but believe nonetheless you’d be a stellar match for the role and could grow into it, we want to hear from you. The Partnerships team thrives on having a variety of perspectives and expertise working highly collaboratively.
Compensation
The starting salary range for this role is $84,300-$94,000, commensurate with the candidate’s relevant experience, capabilities, and skills, and in alignment with internal equity.
