Fundraising Associate, Invest in Open (contract)

[Kaitlin Thaney]

Hi all!We're looking to bring on a Fundraising Associate to help us with some surge capacity as we try to keep up with demand for support given the cuts to international aid and funding for the research sector. Any leads would be terrific! Information below: 

Fundraising Associate (Invest in Open Infrastructure)
Location: Remote, with supervisor based in London
Position type: Full-time (40 hours/week), temporary contract position (6 months) with the possibility of extension
Fee range: US$5,000-6,000/monthInvest in Open Infrastructure (IOI) is seeking a Fundraising Associate to join a growing team working to increase adoption, investment in, and sustainability of open infrastructure in research and scholarship.

The Fundraising Associate position is instrumental to the next phase of IOI’s growth and development as we look to diversify our funding modes and streams as an organization, as well as grow uptake and investment of open infrastructure by institutions and funders globally. Our aim is to direct as much support to the communities we serve while also ensuring our ability to sustain IOI’s core activities.

The Fundraising Associate will play a vital support role for our Director of Development in providing critical capacity to scale our fundraising efforts to achieve these goals. This includes supporting the cultivation of deeper relationships with existing partners, as well as conducting thorough research to identify new prospective funders aligned with IOI's mission. The role will involve qualifying potential prospects, meticulously maintaining a robust pipeline of opportunities, and employing data-driven strategies to track progress and optimize engagement. The Fundraising Associate will be responsible for ensuring that all interactions are well-documented and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of each prospect's potential and interests.

This is initially a contract, remote position, reporting to the Director of Development, with the potential for conversion to a full-time employment contract.

Responsibilities include:

• Prospect research: Identify and research prospective donors (foundations, corporations, individuals) using various resources. Execute strategies for generating new leads and expanding our pool of potential supporters.
• Cultivation and outreach: Assist in developing and implementing cultivation strategies to qualify and develop qualified leads, including personalized outreach, tailored communications, and developing engagement opportunities, including but not limited to 1-on-1 meetings.
• Meeting preparation and follow-up: Prepare comprehensive briefing notes and background materials for the Director of Development and other leadership team members prior to meetings with prospects. This includes researching prospect backgrounds, giving history, philanthropic interests, and potential connections to IOI’s mission. Ensure timely and appropriate follow-up after meetings with prospects, including working with the Operations specialist to set up follow-up meetings or calls, and tracking progress on agreed-upon next steps.
• Proposal/grant writing: Support the development and submission of funding proposals, including writing compelling narratives, and assembling required documentation.
• Database management: Maintain and update donor database records on Airtable. Generate reports and mailing lists as needed. Experience with CRM software is a plus.
• Fundraising campaign support: Assist in the planning and execution of fundraising campaigns, including funder/prospect communication and messaging.

Necessary Skills and Experience

• Demonstrable experience in preparing proposals, donor correspondence, slide decks and background research to support fundraising conversations.
• Understanding of the open research infrastructure, open science and scholarship, and/or digital public infrastructure spaces, including its people, organizations, and connections.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and accountability.
• Comfort and experience in a technology-driven environment.
• Experience working in an organization with a distributed workforce.
• Proficiency in Google Suite.

Nice to have

• Experience with CRM software and/or Airtable

Work location & environment
IOI is a fully-remote workplace. Staff work across a variety of time zones, with leadership based in New York, USA. Candidates should be available 3+ hours / day with leadership.Interested? Please email your CV to ioi-h...@investinopen.org. We will be reviewing CVs on a rolling basis. We’re looking to hire and for this role to start ASAP.

--

@kaythaney

www.kaythaney.com