Director of Partnerships

Protect Democracy seeks an experienced, passionate fundraising professional to join our organization as the Director of Partnerships. This is a leadership role reporting directly to the Executive Director and managing a midsize fundraising team working to secure the financial future of the organization, which has a yearly budget of over $45 million. The ideal candidate brings experience securing major gifts or capital investments of at least 7 figures per year and leading major gifts or capital campaigns that raised at least 8 figures. We are looking for an accomplished, passionate team leader with five or more years of experience leading a team with a proven track record of hitting ambitious fundraising goals. The Director of Partnerships is a remote position based in the United States.* The deadline to apply for this role is May 12th, 2025.

Protect Democracy’s approach to fundraising involves building deep, long-term, trusting relationships with donors, who we see and engage as key partners in the broader democracy ecosystem. Our agile, diverse fundraising team has been remarkably effective so far at raising unrestricted general operating funds and building a solid financial runway that allows us to hire exceptional talent and to launch effective interventions, from bringing 150+ legal actions to crafting and enacting critical federal and state legislation to innovating creative solutions like VoteShield, which monitors and protects 160 million public voter records across 24 states.

About our organization: Protect Democracy formed in late 2016, recognizing that the global wave of authoritarianism had begun to erode American shores. We have since assembled a team of 120+ experts who have served under Democrats and Republicans and in the senior ranks of other nonprofit, political, or media organizations. Our team includes lawyers, policy experts, legislative advocates, media strategists, writers, data analysts, and software developers. In 2023, our team received a Skoll Award for Social Innovation and a MacArthur Fellowship.

Our mission is not partisan. We build coalitions of conservatives, moderates, and progressives who put aside politics to defend the principles of democratic government and the rule of law. Critical to this mission is forming programmatic partnerships, including a Harvard Law School clinic, pro bono relationships with the nation’s leading law firms, and dozens of leading national and local groups and actors.

We have crafted an organizational strategy informed by an advisory board of leading experts on how democracies die at the hands of modern autocrats. This expertise and holistic focus on how to recognize and confront the Authoritarian Playbook has shaped our unique approach. As the Director of Partnerships, you will play an essential role in building and maintaining the coalition required to finally achieve our highest aspiration to create a thriving, pluralistic, multi-racial democracy.

At Protect Democracy, we believe that diversity isn’t just a strength — it’s a necessity for tackling the complex challenges facing democracy. A broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences strengthen our ability to analyze problems, craft solutions, and drive meaningful change. We strongly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and from across the political and ideological spectrum to apply. If you meet most but not all of the criteria listed below but believe nonetheless you’d be a stellar match for the role and could grow into it, we want to hear from you.

As the Director of Partnerships, you will:

• Develop and lead major fundraising initiatives, in collaboration with our Executive Director, representing Protect Democracy in external presentations and one-on-one meetings;
• Cultivate, engage, and communicate with the Protect Democracy board, donors, and partner organizations;
• Serve on the leadership team, helping set org-wide priorities and strategy;
• Manage, mentor, and collaborate with the fundraising team in crafting annual development goals and pursuing and tracking progress towards those goals;
• Manage full cycle of existing donor engagement, including planning and conducting meetings with a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects capable of making major gifts of capital investment of $1M+ annually to Protect Democracy;
• Lead efforts to identify, solicit and steward new sources of revenue, including identifying and qualifying new prospects;
• Develop tailored strategies to engage new prospective high-capacity donors and upgrade existing key donors;
• Build and improve on Protect Democracy’s development operations by closely examining needs, assessing possible solutions, and making concise recommendations to the team;
• Oversee Protect Democracy’s development data and oversee various fundraising tools, including Protect Democracy’s donor database;
• Contribute to culture-building initiatives across the organization.

Required:

• Experience in securing one-year major gifts or capital investments of at least $1 million;
• Experience in leading major gifts or capital campaigns that raised >$10 million;
• At least five years of experience managing and developing high-performing teams.

Preferred, but not required:

• Experience managing a high-performing fundraising team in a remote environment;
• Experience raising funds for a 501(c)4.

The ideal candidate also brings:

• A nuanced understanding of our country’s political landscape, the authoritarian threat, and the reality that our democracy has never fully represented communities of color;
• Unfettered enthusiasm for Protect Democracy’s cross-ideological and nonpartisan approach to protecting our democracy;
• Proven track record of having expanded and cultivated existing donor relationships over time;
• Facility with CRM databases and donor data management;
• Exceptional analytical, writing, presentation, and interpersonal skills and experiences cultivating both politically savvy and high level prospective audiences;
• Ability to track, prioritize, and (when necessary) triage and delegate a diverse set of responsibilities to use time efficiently and productively;
• Growth mindset, collaborative orientation, and enthusiasm for giving and receiving feedback up, down and sideways.

Compensation

The starting salary range for this role is $182,300 – $257,400, commensurate with the candidate’s relevant experience, capabilities and skills and in alignment with internal equity.

About Protect Democracy

• *Flexible location. We are a remote-first organization based exclusively in the United States, meaning our staff work within the US and primarily virtually. We also offer shared workspaces for those who enjoy working in an office environment. We are established for remote work in many states across the country, and while candidates based anywhere in the United States are welcome to apply, we may not be able to offer employment in your current location. If you proceed in the hiring process, we will discuss where you currently live and what is possible in our initial interview. All staff are also required to travel at least two times per year to team retreats, as well as occasional project-related travel. (Accommodations to this requirement will be made only in exceptional circumstances.)
• Commitment to an inclusive workplace. Protect Democracy is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences strengthens our ability to analyze problems, craft solutions, and drive meaningful change. Protect Democracy encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.
• Phenomenal benefits. Our benefits package includes generous sick leave and a flexible vacation policy where we encourage team members to take 4-5 weeks every year, along with 12 paid holidays, 4 weeks of paid family medical leave, and 18 weeks of paid parental leave. We also offer a 401(k) plan with up to 6% employer match that vests immediately, full coverage for an excellent health care plan that includes both dental and vision insurance, long-term disability and life insurance for all employees, a home office stipend, and as budget allows, discretionary bonuses.
• Ample opportunities for personal & professional development. Candidates who do not meet all listed criteria should still apply, as our organizational structure focuses on providing mentorship and opportunities for professional growth.