Job Description

DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM SUMMARY: 

The Strategic Partnerships department both leads and supports GMF’s efforts to generate external funding from governments, international organizations, foundations, corporations and individual contributions to support GMF’s core programming. As such, the team works closely with GMF programs, the Finance and Communications departments, and the fellows to strategize, support and maximize funding opportunities. The department is involved in prospect and partner research, relationship and donor management, and other activities that support the effective identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of external funders.

JOB SUMMARY:

GMF is hiring a full-time Government Funding Manager to work closely with the Vice President for External Relations and other institutional leadership to seek, stimulate, and secure funding for GMF programs from national and subnational government agencies in the United States and from other governments worldwide.

GMF’s fundraising operation is in a period of realignment and professionalization, and we need an energetic and effective nonprofit gift officer to take our government funding to an even more robust level. The Government Funding Manager will play an important role in helping our organization to foster a culture of philanthropy, strengthening relationships with prospective and current funders, and using their analytic skills to identify funding opportunities and align these with GMF’s areas of focus.

The person in this role will have the opportunity to be creative and bring new ideas to support the organization’s success. The Government Funding Manager will work in close coordination with the Donor Relations Specialist and with members of the programmatic teams who also work on fundraising. Other close collaborators will be the Communications, Editorial, Finance, and Congressional Relations teams as well as three other gift officers on the Development team.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as leader on planning and implementing a thematically organized strategy for GMF’s government funders, with particular focus on governments in North America, Europe, and Asia.

• Coordinate fundraising strategies for a portfolio of government funder prospects, many of whom have multiple interests at GMF. With some funders, that requires serving as the lead in the relationship, and with others, that will mean coordinating behind the scenes with program and institutional leadership, other development officers, and volunteers.

• Establish revenue goals for each funder based on public information on their giving and on colleagues’ knowledge. Focus on identifying, qualifying, cultivating, and soliciting contributions largely at level $250,000 and above.

• Create plans that will serve as a unique cultivation and solicitation plan for each funder on caseload, considering each prospect’s priorities, motivations, giving patterns and ask preferences. Execute this plan in a timely and cost-effective manner which results in the retention and upgrading of funders.

• Attain specific fundraising goals, including all major elements of the solicitation process from identification to cultivation to solicitation to gift closure. Once the portfolio is sufficiently established, close seven to eight figures overall each fiscal year in new gift commitments.

• While programs have primary responsibility for writing content for proposals at GMF, the Government Funding Specialist will work with program staff to secure additional project information as necessary to create compelling proposals.

• funding opportunities to programs, performing regular searches for funding opportunities.

• Identify absences in GMF’s government funders, and proactively coordinate with development teammates, organization-wide collaborative partners, and volunteers to create and implement engagement strategies.

• Pull reports from CRM and retrieve data for reports and analysis.

• Create monthly and quarterly reports that accurately reflect government funder activity and fundraising outcomes at GMF.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS NEEDED:

       • Five years at minimum of fundraising, government contracting, or closely affiliated experience:  

          understanding of prospect management systems, donor databases, prospect pipeline development

       • Personal solicitation experience

       • Understanding of and experience working with international cultures

       • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

       • Strong work ethic, good judgment, ability to manage own time and collaborate effectively with others

       • Desire to participate in the mission of GMF

  EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred)

GMF IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.