The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization—a think tank—dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on various policy issues. Founded in 1977, Cato owes its name to Cato’s Letters, a series of essays published in 18th-century England that presented a vision of a society free from excessive government power.
Those essays inspired the architects of the American Revolution. And the simple, timeless principles of that revolution – individual liberty, limited government, and free markets – turn out to be even more potent in today’s world of global markets and unprecedented access to information than Jefferson or Madison could have imagined. Social and economic freedom is not just the best policy for free people. It is the indispensable framework for the future.
Cato Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The role
The Cato Institute seeks an entrepreneurial, highly motivated Development Manager to join a high-performing, mission-oriented development team in driving fundraising revenue for the organization. The ideal candidate will have at least 3 to 5 years of experience in fundraising with a proven track record and strong skills in fundraising strategy, development operations, communications, donor engagement, and internal stakeholder management. Applicable sales or account management experience will be considered.
The candidate will have excellent communication and writing skills, impeccable attention to detail, and the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines. They must also have a strong affinity for public policy and Cato’s mission. This is an opportunity to manage critical elements of Cato’s donor base as a crucial member of a dynamic development team.
The Development Manager will assist in implementing and executing a plan to deliver an outstanding experience to Cato’s community of Sponsors, who come from every state in the country and share Cato’s commitment to libertarian, free-market principles. There is tremendous potential to take on more significant growth and leadership responsibilities as Cato’s development team seek to grow its Sponsor community and $40+ million annual budget. This is a full-time in-office position located in Washington, DC.
Key roles and responsibilities
- Partner with the vice president of development and principal gift officers to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts from new and existing sponsors to substantially increase Cato’s base of donors and supporters.
- Work with senior development staff to develop and implement a comprehensive and ambitious strategy for managing Cato’s entry and mid-level giving programs; successful cultivation and stewardship of the $100 to $1,000 donor levels will result in the potential to manage higher giving levels.
- Design and execute a strategy for efficiently handling all inbound sponsor communications, providing a top-notch customer service experience and connecting sponsors with appropriate staff members.
- Manage and implement a process for thanking Cato sponsors (including conducting thank you calls, emails, and follow-ups) on time; provide personalized and thoughtful gift acknowledgements.
- Create and execute appropriate systems and procedures for researching and qualifying existing and prospective Cato sponsors; provide top-quality donor research by synthesizing and analyzing information from various database resources.
- Manage and improve critical processes for efficiently managing data entry in Salesforce.
- Track and monitor critical metrics across Cato’s giving levels for the development team to inform fundraising strategies and goals.
- Design and implement personalized outreach plans and moves management processes across all donor levels to increase sponsors’ involvement in Cato’s mission.
- Develop proposals and reports for individuals and foundations as needed.
Experience and skills
- At least 3-5 years of successful fundraising or equivalent sales experience.
- An entrepreneurial spirit that will drive projects involving colleagues throughout the organization.
- Ability to provide excellent customer service to Cato sponsors.
- Knowledge of and experience with proposal development.
- Outstanding communication, writing, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to balance shifting and competing priorities and work well under pressure.
- Meticulous record-keeping skills.
- Understanding of fundraising metrics and analytics; proficient in advanced understanding of Excel.
- Willingness to travel occasionally.
- Experience using Salesforce (or similar CRM software) is preferred.
- Knowledge of the “moves management” style of fundraising is preferred.
- Alignment with libertarian principles and Cato’s mission.