Senior Director of Institutional Giving

WHO WE ARE

iCivics is a nonpartisan national nonprofit that advances high-quality civic education and lifelong civic engagement through a broad ecosystem of programs, partnerships, and policy work. Our free digital resources — including interactive games, lesson plans, and standards-aligned curriculum — are used by 145,000 teachers and reach more than 9 million students in all 50 states. Beyond classroom materials, iCivics drives professional learning for educators, convenes the CivxNow Coalition of hundreds of organizations to inform and shape civic education policy, and inspires national engagement through events like Civic Learning Week. We also foster youth leadership through programs like the iCivics Youth Fellowship.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

As Senior Director of Institutional Giving, you will:

• Drive proactive prospecting and pipeline development, identifying new institutional funders and emerging funding areas, while deepening relationships with existing multi-year partners.
• Conceptualize and translate complex, cross-functional programs into compelling funding opportunities, crafting narratives, concept papers, letters of inquiry, and full proposals that balance organizational priorities with funder interests.
• Serve as a primary relationship manager for most institutional funders and all existing and prospective partner-funders. For institutional funders, this will involve leading cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, reporting, and renewals through thoughtful engagement, tailored communications, and milestone-driven follow-through. For partners, this would involve working to identify and pitch project funding opportunities that meet both iCivics’ and the partners’ strategic aims, as well as managing and cultivating those relationships.
• Set and lead institutional giving strategy by developing and executing a multi-year roadmap aligned in close collaboration with the four-person development team with iCivics’ 5-year strategic plan, revenue goals, building on a large and growing pipeline currently valued at $8.5M annually, and evolving programmatic needs.
• Partner closely with program, finance, and evaluation teams to shape fundable initiatives, develop accurate budgets and impact metrics, ensure compliance, and deliver high-quality proposals and reports.
• Oversee the full institutional grants lifecycle, including prospecting, submission, reporting, renewals, and internal handoff, while managing calendars, pipelines, and tracking systems.
• Provide strategic counsel to senior leadership on funding trends, portfolio performance, risks, and opportunities, helping prioritize efforts and reduce reactive or scattershot fundraising.
• Strengthen fundraising systems and team effectiveness, mentoring contributors and consultants, improving processes and documentation, and enabling senior leaders to focus on strategy and relationship-building.

WHO YOU ARE

You may be the right candidate is you are:

• An enthusiastic supporter of iCivics mission and values. You are inspired by strengthening democracy through high-quality civic education. You thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment that values collaboration, equity, and adaptability.
• A seasoned and results-driven fundraising professional. You bring 10+ years of institutional fundraising, grant writing, business development, and/or related experience, with a track record of managing a robust pipeline and securing 6-7 figure gifts.
• A thoughtful relationship builder with strong stewardship instincts. You develop rapport easily and foster long-term relationships, both internally and externally. You manage multiple funder relationships at different stages of cultivation and renewal, with exceptional follow-through and attention to detail.
• An engaging, clear, and persuasive communicator. You translate complex, multi-team programs into compelling narratives that resonate with funders, with exceptional writing skills. You clearly articulate the “why” behind an organization’s mission, impact, and strategy, and tailor messages to align with funder priorities, milestones, and outcomes.
• A strategic thinker who is comfortable operating hands-on. You see the big picture and understand how programs, funding, and organizational priorities interconnect. You are skilled at breaking down complex initiatives into fundable components and translating strategy into clear, actionable fundraising plans.
• A collaborative partner who works effectively across teams. You enjoy partnering with program, finance, and leadership colleagues to shape funding-ready ideas, refine outcomes, and navigate tradeoffs. You are a strong active listener who takes the time to understand the nuance of projects and ideas. You are comfortable serving as a senior thought partner without needing executive authority.
• A creative and resourceful entrepreneurial spirit who thrives in fast-growth or complex organizations. You bring a “get it done” mindset and are comfortable working across multiple programs, evolving strategies, or start-up–like conditions, developing content fluency across diverse issue areas over time.
• A quick and adaptable learner. While education-adjacent experience (e.g., youth development, after-school programming, democracy, EdTech) is a plus, you bring a demonstrated ability to quickly learn, synthesize, and make sense of new content areas.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The starting salary for this position is $155,000 - $170,000. iCivics provides a comprehensive benefits package, including generous health insurance for individuals and competitive rates for families/dependents, generous time off, family leave, and a collegial remote environment that supports professional development and wellness.

iCivics has partnered with DH Search to support the search for a Senior Director of Institutional Giving. DH Search partners with mission-driven organizations to hire the people they need to create a more just and equitable world. Learn more at www.dhsearch.net.

TO APPLY

If this position piques your interest, please apply here with 1) your resume , 2) a thoughtful cover letter explaining why you are interested in iCivics and this particular role, and 3) a fundraising-related writing sample (e.g., LOI, concept note, grant excerpt.) Please address letters to Molly Morrison, Chief Development Officer. Applications will be collected and reviewed on a rolling basis.