Vice President of Development

OVERVIEW

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is hiring a Vice President of Development to lead our fundraising team and grow the donor partnerships that fuel our work. In this role, you’ll get the opportunity to work side by side with Tarren Bragdon—FGA’s CEO and a pioneer of the 7-Figure Fundraising model with his brother Trevor—to execute the next chapter of FGA’s fundraising growth. FGA has grown rapidly over its 15-year history and now ranks among the top five percent of non-profits in the US by revenue, but it has a major opportunity for continued growth in the next few years.

This is a new role, with a two-part focus:

1) Partner with Tarren to expand our fundraising capacity for the next chapter of FGA’s growth, and

2) Help plan and execute FGA’s vision as part of the Leadership Team.

Tarren currently drives our major donor partnerships, supported by a small, talented team that finds new prospects and cultivates foundation partners. Individuals provide 70 percent of FGA’s funding, so we created this role to make you Tarren’s partner in driving the fundraising strategy, deepening current donor relationships, and building new ones.

You will also join FGA’s Leadership Team: the CEO, the COO, and the other three department leads. That team sets strategy and vision for the whole organization, so you will help shape FGA, not just Development. You will thrive here if you are a leader with deep experience creating and executing strategy, developing talent, and building strong peer relationships through good times and bad.

Two things set this development role apart from many other fundraising jobs: You get to sell a big vision, and you get to report on real outcomes to donors. FGA doesn’t fundraise around lots of small projects, we describe a big vision to prospective donors that they buy into. And we deliver the results—our scorecard is winning, not whining, and we’ve won a lot. Thousands of laws have been changed thanks to our work, and you’ll get to share those wins with our donors.

This is a full-time, remote role. You’ll travel frequently, especially to Florida, and across the country for donor meetings, conferences, and partner events.

CULTURE AND FIT

The people who consistently succeed at FGA are those whose actions and behavior reflect our five Core Values. If you adhere to these values and answer “yes” to each of the following questions, you may be a fit.

1) Candid to Solve: Being willing to have tough conversations in order to solve issues and build trust.

· Do you seek out constructive feedback—and provide it to others—to solve issues and build trust with coworkers?

2) Grow or Die: We don’t have a neutral gear; we must consistently challenge ourselves and each other to grow in our talents and skills.

· Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and do you seek out complementary skills and growth in order to mitigate your weaknesses?

3) Politically Savvy: Policy doesn’t change in a vacuum, but in a political reality that we must understand and account for.

· Do you agree that embracing the realities of politics is necessary to change public policy?

4) Partnership-Oriented: Internal and external relationships are not transactional. That starts with our team members and the perspective that we need the rest of the team to succeed in order to win personally.

· Are you comfortable creating your own structure for work, such as setting work hours, your own priorities, and creating clarity and a work plan from a broad goal?

5) Bought in to Win: We’re at FGA because we want to change policy. No one is counting hours or widgets. We are here to get results, and sometimes, that will require going the extra mile or doing a job that isn’t technically ours.

· Do you fully support FGA’s mission and believe that lives are improved through work, not welfare, and that free markets create more freedom and opportunity than government control?

The vast majority of those who don’t get hired (or don’t last) at FGA are due to a lack of fit with these values. Be prepared to have very candid conversations about them in our interview process.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As Vice President of Development, you will have five primary areas of responsibility:

1) Lead and Build the Development Team

· Set clear expectations, give regular feedback, and conduct quarterly, annual, and salary reviews with every member of your team.

· Grow the team’s capacity by hiring staff and contractors who are the right fit, then build a job-specific onboarding and training plan for each new hire.

2) Execute FGA’s Fundraising Strategy

· Work with the CEO to build long-term strategies for growing FGA’s high-dollar donor partnerships, starting with a customized communication plan and ask for every $50,000+ donor.

· Help every FGA team understand why donors value our work, and partner with them to produce the content that keeps donors informed and excited about their investment.

3) Open Doors with New Prospects

· Lead the team’s outreach to prospective partners, especially individuals, by managing the prospect pipeline, attending donor events, and pursuing third-party connections.

· Serve as one of FGA’s primary ambassadors to donors and prospects, earning referrals from current donors and following up on every lead the CEO brings in.

4) Make the Critical Closes

· Build a tailored strategy for each major donor and make first-time, renewal, and increase asks in person, by phone, and virtually.

· Develop FGA’s seasonal donor pitches with the CEO, and deliver your own personalized pitch to six-figure prospects.

5) Own Development Data and Protocols

· Make sure you and your team use Salesforce, Basecamp, and AI tools consistently to manage donor strategies, moves management, and follow-ups.

· Deliver a quarterly analysis of donor and prospect engagement to the Leadership Team that sharpens FGA’s fundraising strategy.

Key Characteristics for a Successful Candidate

Beyond the Core Values listed above, this role will require you to:

· Build genuine, long-term relationships. Have natural instincts for relationship-oriented sales; earn trust by listening, understanding others’ perspectives and motivations, and turning connections into lasting partnerships. Read the room and navigate big personalities with ease.

· Execute relentlessly. Be tenacious, persistent, and organized; break a strategic plan into the concrete steps needed to win, then work those steps until the job is done. Rally the team behind the plan but don’t just delegate—lead by example.

· Turn vision into a plan. Take a high-level vision, opportunity, or strategic instruction and turn it into a clear, actionable plan.

· Anticipate what’s ahead. Stay disciplined about stepping back from day-to-day work to spot opportunities and obstacles before they arrive.

· Develop people through delegation and equipping. Be selfless: Look for ways to delegate to, equip, and build up others, and enjoy seeing them succeed.

· Navigate uncertainty and risk comfortably, mitigating them but moving forward despite them when necessary.

· Have seven or more years of experience in major gifts fundraising, relationship-driven sales, or business development, with a track record of closing major gifts.

HIRING PROCESS

As this is a key leadership role, expect a thorough hiring process to ensure it’s a great fit for you and for FGA. The process will include several remote interviews, some hands-on assignments, and an in-person interview. Assume it’ll take six to eight weeks to fully complete the process for the successful candidate, but we will strive to keep you up to date on the process as we go.

As part of your application, please use the video intro feature in the application to briefly tell us about yourself, and answer two questions:

1) What is it about FGA that excites you to the point of wanting to sell the organization’s value to others?

2) Tell us about a successful sale or donor pitch that you’ve made—how you prepared, how you made the ask, and what came of it. No names necessary, just the scenario.

3) Want to really impress us? Record a video of your successful pitch as part of your submission.

TIMING, LOCATION, AND COMPENSATION

FGA is seeking to fill this position as soon as possible, ideally before the end of the year.

FGA’s headquarters are in Naples, FL, but all our staff work remotely from across the country. We build our systems and culture around clarity, flexibility, and strong communication. Key elements include:

· Quarterly in-person team meetings at which you’ll build deeper relationships, set clear goals for yourself and your team aligned with FGA’s big vision, and brainstorm how to seize new opportunities

· An intensive 90-day orientation to familiarize you with the FGA team, our policies, and how we operate

· Home office setup, including equipment and communication tools you need to hit the ground running

FGA offers a competitive salary between $175,000–$240,000, depending on experience and qualifications, along with a benefits package that includes a six percent retirement match, health benefits, and generous paid leave.