Director of Network Philanthropic Engagement

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a high-caliber strategic policy institute that informs and shapes public policies to reduce poverty, promote equity, and build opportunity, while also supporting efforts to ensure progressive fiscal policies that can support these investments. It has a national reputation for conducting rigorous research and analysis, developing evidence-based policy ideas and strategies, shaping a broad array of policy debates at the federal and state level, influencing policy outcomes on a range of critical issues, and advancing strong implementation through a variety of strategies. It focuses its efforts on improving the lives of people with low or moderate incomes and examines how policies affect particular groups, including people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. The Center is known for its unique capacity to blend rigorous, timely analysis with effective communications that enable policymakers and the media to make use of its work.

The State Priorities Partnership (SPP) is the nation’s leading network of state policy organizations working to advance racial, social, and economic equity to build broad prosperity and thriving state economies. The Center works directly with member organizations, the Steering Committee of Partnership directors, and the Partnership’s National Funding Collaborative to implement a shared vision for the network — from cultivating collaboration across state lines to distributing millions of grant dollars. This work is supported by national and local philanthropic partners with closely aligned priorities and long-term policy goals.

The Center seeks an experienced, talented fundraiser and leader to serve as the Director of Network Philanthropic Engagement and ensure that the work of the SPP — and the work of the Center to support the Partnership — is well understood and resourced by state and regionally based funders as well as a collaborative of flagship national philanthropic organizations. The Director will work with a team of three at the Center to hold a holistic understanding of the funding landscape for state policy as a driver of economic and racial equity, and execute a coordinated vision and strategy for fundraising and funder stewardship that is steeped in skilled communication, stakeholder relations, and an enthusiasm for both traditional and innovative fundraising techniques. They will do this work in close partnership with the Center’s Vice President for State Partnerships and Vice President for Development and with the executive directors and fundraising professionals at the 42 independent member organizations of the SPP. They will identify areas of opportunity and growth in philanthropic resources for both the policy work and network infrastructure, train and support a network of fundraising professionals in the SPP, oversee the building of new and strengthening of existing funder relationships, and work closely with the Center’s Development team on effective funder communication, grant writing and management.

Responsibilities

• Lead a four-person team to guide and support the work of individual SPP groups to raise money within their states, ensuring the training, technical assistance, and strategic advice provided is high-quality, tailored when possible, and collaborative in nature
• Tell the ongoing story of the SPP via the creation of annual reports, case studies, brochures, briefings, and other media, including managing an extensive data collection process to provide the substance of the story, and working with colleagues to create compelling narratives that communicate the work
• Coordinate the ongoing cultivation and stewardship of the National Funding Collaborative (made up of ten major national philanthropies), understanding the overall strategic direction of each member, scheduling regular meetings, identifying opportunities for further engagement, staffing semi-annual business meetings, and responding to ad hoc information requests in a timely manner.
• Collaborate with colleagues to support a broad understanding of and shared responsibility for development work, specifically as it relates to state work, working across teams and leadership to build relationships, create opportunities to engage funders in the work, and tap policy experts as needed to provide timely and strategic updates
• Coordinate with the Vice President of Development to maintain a schedule of strategic and timely funder touchpoints, determining the right mix of content-driven calls, meetings, briefings, and emails as appropriate.
• Integrate a racial equity lens into the work of the NPE team, ensuring that the technical assistance and strategic advice provided to the SPP aligns with the Center’s organizational equity goals and values, and that grant reporting is consistently used as a tool to educate funders about the equity work happening within CBPP and the network
• Serve as a connector to and collaborate with the Vice President of Development, working to streamline funder communications and grant management
• Work closely with the Director of Strategic Grantmaking and the Special Projects and Initiatives team to ensure the State Fiscal Policy team’s regranting portfolio and processes align with funder priorities and adhere to pertinent grant requirements
• Serve on the SFP leadership team, fostering effective cross-team collaboration and offering strategic input on the overall goals and priorities of the division

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Eight to ten years of relevant work experience in fund development, donor relations, and grant management.
• Ability to craft innovative donor engagement and stewardship strategies and implementation plans.
• Knowledge of and passion for reducing poverty and racial inequities, building opportunity, and state-based policy change.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage and collaborate across lines of difference.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, including the ability to communicate about complex policy issues using easily accessible language to a variety of audiences.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• An understanding of the role that racial inequity plays in our society, policy choices and institutions.
• Regular travel (up to 25 percent) is required.
• Washington, D.C.-based candidates preferred.

For candidates in the Washington, D.C. metro area, the Center will be operating on a hybrid work schedule that includes at least two days per week in person at our D.C. office. The Center is also open to fully remote work for candidates living outside of the Washington, D.C. metro area.

This position reports to the Vice President for State Partnerships.

Terms of Employment: Full-time
Bargaining Unit Status: This is not a bargaining unit position.

Please upload a cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please include a discussion of what draws you to the mission of the Center.

Compensation:

Salary commensurate with experience, excellent benefits (including health insurance, vision and dental coverage, life and long-term disability insurance, retirement, MERP, and DCAP), and generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday schedules.

Please submit your application here.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and welcomes diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages all qualified persons to apply regardless of race, color, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, credit information, pregnancy or parental status, family responsibilities, personal appearance, creed, military or veteran status, religion, ancestry or national origin, union activities, disability, or other status protected by applicable law.