Development Director

Development Director

Tight Lipped

Position Title: Development Director, Full-time

Location: Remote

Reports To: Executive Director

Start Date: Immediate

Salary Range: $70,000-$85,000

Tight Lipped is seeking a full-time Development Director to lead, manage, and execute our fundraising work. The Development Director will be responsible for our fundraising campaigns, foundation funding, individual giving program, and corporate sponsorship strategy. They will develop and manage relationships with Tight Lipped donors, write and edit fundraising materials and reports, conduct prospect research, oversee individual giving and grants, and steward partnerships with corporate sponsors. The Development Director will serve on our leadership team and be integral to building the foundation of our organization and creating long-term and short-term development and fundraising plans. 

The ideal candidate will be ambitious, self-motivated, highly organized, and have a passion for relationship-building, growing sustainable organizations, and patient-led advocacy. They will have experience successfully fundraising with new or growing organizations that have a challenging path to finding funding and/or organizations that work in patient advocacy, sexual health, stigmatized health conditions, or women’s/LGBTQIA2S+ health. They will have strong writing skills and a proven ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with funders. They will be committed to our mission of fighting for access to care for women and gender expansive folks with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain. They will be resourceful and creative, and have the resilience to navigate setbacks with an eye toward new opportunities.

Who We Are

Tight Lipped is a grassroots movement by and for people with chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain. We believe that people with these conditions should be diagnosed correctly, treated effectively, and given compassionate care. We are driven by a shared vision of a world in which people with vulvovaginal and pelvic pain can lead full lives, free of societal stigma and free to access necessary medical care. Tight Lipped uses a community organizing framework, bringing patients, medical providers, and allies together to collectively shift medical practice and social attitudes and address the root causes of diagnostic delay, ineffective treatment, and negative social attitudes towards pelvic pain. We currently have active chapters in New York, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. Our advocacy campaign is focused on closing the gaps in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) education and ensuring that every OB/GYN knows how to diagnose and evaluate for common vulvovaginal and pelvic pain conditions. 

What You’ll Do

The Development Director is responsible for the following:

Individual Giving: 40%

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with current and prospective individual donors. Manage stewardship and prepare donor communications and briefing materials.
• Conduct prospect research, set ask amounts, prepare regular reports and updates on our progress for all large donors, and support the Executive Director in cultivating major donors.
• Develop and implement individual giving campaigns, including email and phone bank programs, as well as fundraising drives.
• Plan and execute fundraising campaigns and events, and represent Tight Lipped at events.
• Supervise and mentor staff and volunteers who support fundraising campaigns, foster a collaborative and motivated team environment to achieve fundraising goals.

Foundation Funding: 30%

• Cultivate and manage foundation funding, conduct research to identify foundation prospects, craft compelling narratives for grant proposals, gather necessary data and supporting documents for grant applications, manage grant application process, maintain a proactive pipeline of potential grants and funding sources.
• Write and prepare grant proposals, letters of inquiry, reports, communications, and materials for institutional funders, including Annual Report. Gather data and stories that demonstrate the effectiveness and outcomes of grant-funded initiatives.

Corporate Giving: 10%

• Corporate Sponsorship Program: Build out and implement new corporate sponsorship strategy, write and edit materials for corporate sponsors, conduct outreach, and research potential sponsors. 

Strategy: 20%

• Lead the strategic planning and execution of fundraising initiatives to support our organization’s growth and sustainability. Develop and implement comprehensive fundraising plans that align with organizational priorities and financial targets.
• Create and manage the development budget, track income and expenses related to fundraising activities, ensure transparency and accuracy in financial reporting for donors and stakeholders. 
• Foster a culture of fundraising across the movement, work with staff to integrate fundraising strategy into Tight Lipped’s overall campaign and organizing strategy.

Who You Are & Keys to Success

To be successful in this job, you will excel in five key areas:

1. Writing and communication skills: You have exceptional writing skills with the ability to craft clear, compelling, and persuasive narratives, reports, and grant proposals.
2. Relationship-building: You develop and maintain strong relationships with a diverse array of funders and stakeholders.
3. Drive to achieve results: You have a track record of driving successful fundraising efforts and accomplishing ambitious goals even when there are obstacles. You set a high bar and meet it. You have the ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively, and manage time effectively in a remote work environment.
4. Project management: You have experience managing multiple projects with competing deadlines and keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. You plan backwards, are detail-oriented, and involve stakeholders appropriately.
5. Collegiality and team-work: You enjoy being part of a small team and work well with others. You are a direct communicator and bring good humor and compassion to your relationships with co-workers, volunteers, and funders.

Qualifications:

• Required
• A minimum of 5 years experience in fundraising and development, preferably with a non-profit organization and/or in a managerial role
• Proven track record of securing six figure individual donor gifts 
• Proven track record of securing new grants
• Excellent editing and proofreading skills, as well as strong attention to detail
• Passion for health equity
• Experience with funding research and crafting proposals and reports
• Desired
• History of working in a small organization, a hard-to-fund niche, or in an organization focused on health equity
• Knowledge of healthcare advocacy and chronic vulvovaginal and pelvic pain conditions
• Ability to manage/construct databases

What Else You Should Know

This position is full-time and fully remote (employee’s regular work location must be within the United States). Preference may be given to candidates based in Washington, DC, New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego, however strong candidates from outside of these hubs will be considered. The role requires some travel to meet with funders, about 4 times a year (approximately 20 days of travel). The salary for this position ranges from $70,000-$85,000, with exact salary depending on experience.  

Benefits include:

• Health, vision, and dental insurance (Tight Lipped covers 85% of healthcare premiums and 100% of vision and dental premiums)
• 403(b) retirement plan
• Generous PTO, including: 15 paid holidays, 15 paid vacation days (20 days after two years of employment), and 20 days of health & wellness leave per year
• 12 weeks paid family/medical/parental leave available after 12 months of employment 
• Flexible scheduling (“flex time”)

How to Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume by email to hiring@tightlipped.org and indicate “Development Director Application” in the subject line.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning the first week of August.

Equal Employment Opportunity

As an organization, Tight Lipped is committed to taking an intersectional approach to healthcare advocacy and educating ourselves and others about the ways in which reproductive and sexual health are shaped by political, social, and economic forces. Tight Lipped is an equal opportunity employer. We value having staff who are personally impacted by our issues. Tight Lipped is committed to fair and equitable hiring practices and policies that promote and support people who are most marginalized. 

Tight Lipped especially encourages people of color, women, non-binary and transgender individuals, LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, and people with disabilities, to apply. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, parental status, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any protected category.

Systemic inequities in hiring have caused women, people of color, LGBTQIA2S+ folks, and others to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Tight Lipped encourages you to break that statistic and apply, as no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. We look forward to your application. 

Tight Lipped is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Good Fund.