Associate Director of Development

Jun 18

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
New York, NY

Anticipated Start Date: 07/16/2024

Description

The Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Development team is looking for you! The Institute is hiring an Associate Director, reporting to the Director of Development (DoD), and joining the DoD in creating and implementing a vision for expanding philanthropic revenue at an inflection point for the Institute. In 2024, we are celebrating our 30th anniversary having reached the milestone of serving nearly one-third of schools in America.

We are determined to continue to grow and enhance our programming. Emerging priorities at the Institute range from our Voting Rights Initiative to new programs connected to the African American Studies AP exam and to the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The Institute’s annual operating budget is approximately $11M, more than $4M of which comes from philanthropy. Bolstered by this strong base of support, we are looking to expand philanthropic giving from both individuals and institutions—including both local and national funders.

The Associate Director’s work will be divided across three areas: (1) Working with the DoD and the Development team as a whole to strengthen and systematize all aspects of development operations; (2) Developing fundraising strategies related to the Institute’s major areas of opportunity; and (3) Directly cultivating prospects and securing gifts to help expand the portfolio.

This is a senior-level position that is ideal for someone who is seeking an opportunity to be a co-visionary as well as to engage in the tactical aspects of development operations and donor engagement. This role will be based in New York City, and currently requires working in person at least one day per week in GLI’s midtown office.

Responsibilities

The Associate Director of Development is a leadership role with a development department of six staff members inclusive of the Director of Development. This role is being added to the team at an exciting time of growth and opportunity. The position will manage 1-2 direct reports and one long-term consultant.

Building Our Vision & Engaging Directly with Donors (approximately 50% of the role)

Working in collaboration with the DoD, the Associate Director of Development will

Contribute to developing annual and long-term fundraising goals and strategies with an emphasis on selecting achievable priorities within a broad range of opportunities for the Institute to increase philanthropic revenue.
Lead internal planning and frontline fundraising around a subset of high-potential fundraising initiatives by
- Working with the Institute’s CEO, COO, and colleagues on the Education and Finance teams to identify the programmatic needs and costs for each initiative.
- Overseeing and contributing to the development of targeted fundraising collateral and prospect pipelines for each initiative.
- Conducting outreach to and meeting with prospects to secure support, aligned with performance goals set on an annual basis.
Strengthen tactics for recognition, engagement, and stewardship of donors aligned with giving levels to promote gift retention and increases; manage development staff in systematizing new strategies.
Work with select Trustees and other major donors hosting cultivation events for the Institute to design the event approach and develop invitation lists, with support from the Development events team; cultivate prospects as a lead representative at events.

Advancing Internal Operations & Creating Effective Systems (approximately 50% of the role)

Internal operational responsibilities of the Associate Director of Development will include

Working with the Director of Development, the Development Coordinator, the Assistant Director of Technical Services, and GLI’s long-term Salesforce Consultant to develop and support comprehensive implementation of Salesforce systems for moves management.
Guiding the Development events team in developing new approaches to cultivation event management to drive strong donor/prospective donor attendance and increase further engagement—and ultimately giving—subsequent to an event. Support team members in identifying and implementing the best database practices and broader systems to streamline event and donor/prospect management.
Supporting the success and growth of Development team members by reviewing and providing feedback on key deliverables, including proposals, reports, decks, and special event collateral based on an annual plan that clearly delineates deliverables for the Associate Director’s review.
Partner with the Director of Development to continue to shape internal staffing and use of consultants in ways that are strategic for achieving the Institute’s immediate and long-term goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
Passion for GLI’s mission and an appetite for working across the breadth of American history and a broad range of history and civics initiatives
Significant experience in a fundraising role with strong understanding of fundraising principles, strategies, and trends in the sector; supervisory experience required
Love for “systems-thinking” and application to global goal-setting for the department as well as day-to-day operations
Self-starter who demonstrates excellent judgment and discretion, a high level of independent decision making, and exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience with grant-writing and other donor collateral
Successful record of donor cultivation and closing gifts
Experience in establishing and institutionalizing donor database best practices (experience with Salesforce, which is used by the Institute, is ideal but not required if the candidate has a strong grounding in a comparable database platform)
Desire to work in a team-first environment and participate in fostering a strong culture within a growing department that includes new members
Willingness to travel occasionally to meet with donors in other US states; ability to staff evening events as relevant to cultivation event scheduling.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

Compensation range: $90,000–$110,000 annually; compensation will be commensurate with candidate’s experience and other qualifications.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute offers a generous and inclusive benefits package, including employer-paid health, dental, disability, and life insurance, 401(k) and FSA plans, and paid time off in the first year of hire including a paid winter recess from December 26 to 31. The Institute also reimburses 90% of the cost of tuition for the Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman Master of Arts in American History.

How to Apply for this Job

Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume in a single file to hr@gilderlehrman.org, along with a separate file with brief writing sample that focuses on marketing and pitching either general operating or program-specific support to a funder (confidential information may be blacked out).

Please include “Associate Director of Development” in the subject line of your email. Please also let us know how you heard about the role.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, sex, gender identity, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, height, weight, or any other legally protected status. If you meet many but not all the criteria and feel you may be a good fit for the role, GLI encourages you to apply.

About the Organization

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) is the nation’s leading American history organization dedicated to K–12 education. The Institute’s mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources.

Since its founding in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute has created powerful and meaningful ways to teach and learn history. Focusing on primary sources, the Institute offers teacher seminars, online courses, exhibitions, digital materials, and print publications that enable students of all ages and backgrounds to study the nation’s past. The Institute brings the work of today’s leading historians into classrooms and homes around the globe.

Through public events, publications, posters, videos, exhibitions, essays, and a dedicated website rich in primary sources, the Institute brings every period of American history to life. The Institute’s diverse education programs, including the acclaimed Hamilton Education Program, provide opportunities to explore five centuries of American history. The Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School network comprises twelve million students and more than 90,500 teachers from more than 34,000 schools worldwide.

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