About Run for Something
Run for Something recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot races to build sustainable power nationwide. Since 2017, RFS has engaged nearly 150,000 potential candidates, endorsed over 3,000, and celebrated 1,000+ election victories. RFS alumni drive impactful changes in housing, abortion access, and education, shaping the Democratic Party's future.
RFS fosters a culture emphasizing work-life balance, sustainability, and deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. With strategic, year-round initiatives, RFS is dedicated to long-term democracy-building.
Position Name: Vice President, Development
Reporting Structure: This role reports to the Co-Founder and President, Amanda Litman
Location: Remote (U.S.)
Job Classification: Full Time, Exempt
Position Summary:
Run for Something is seeking a VP, Development to inspire donors and raise the critical funds necessary to achieve our important mission.
This role will lead and manage the 3-person fundraising team to implement innovative strategies to expand outreach to grassroots operations, major/high net worth and institutional donors and enhance donor engagement. Additionally, the VP, Development will support and advance organizational priorities, maintain alignment with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals, and uphold core values while contributing to a collaborative, inclusive organizational culture.
The ideal candidate will possess exceptional people-centered management, strong relationship building, collaboration, strategic thinking capabilities and a deep belief in RFS’s mission.
This role represents a rare opportunity to be a leader at one of the most pivotal organizations to emerge in the post-2016 political landscape, shaping the long-term fundraising strategy for 2025 and beyond. Your role may evolve to stay aligned with priorities and support our mission of recruiting and backing young progressives for down-ballot offices.
Key Responsibilities
The Vice President of Development is a high-level strategic role and leader on the RFS team - they will ensure that many programs and projects are moving efficiently and effectively towards the key goals and will help RFS accomplish our strategic imperative by:
Fundraising Program Strategy & Execution (60%)
-Develop and implement comprehensive fundraising plans with the President for individual, institutional, and major gifts; adjust and refine the strategy as needed.
-Lead strategic initiatives to prospect, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors of all levels establishing goals and timelines with staff
-Collaborate and manage up to the President, Executive Director and other executives on major donor engagement, including providing materials, talking points, and briefings for donor meetings.
-Build relationships with board members and high profile individuals, identifying their areas of contribution and stewarding them toward those goals
-In consultation with the ED and the President, review the fundraising program's budget, revenue projections, and goals
Management & Leadership (30%)
-Manage, mentor, and coach development staff in line with RFS values and performance management standards to ensure relevant key performance indicators are met; identify and support areas for professional development; ensure RFS performance standards and values are apparent through all reporting lines; advise and direct fundraising consultants.
-Be an active leader and advocate for RFS’ philosophy, mission, values, culture, and DEI goals throughout the organization.-
-Continuously evaluate and innovate on fundraising strategies and tactics; support fundraising literacy across the organization.
-Lead in updating fundraising projections for the entire organization, including any immediate re-forecasting required due to the political environment, as well as overall supervision and review of the monthly updating process for the development team.
Administrative Duties (10%)
-Guarantee legal compliance of funding streams and financials, with support from legal counsel and the Finance & Compliance Department.
-Steward organizational resources with strong expense tracking and internal controls.
-Oversee donor data management for major gift donors in our donor database (NGP-VAN)
-Oversee the planning of fundraising trips, including prospecting, outreach, and prepping travel briefs and materials for trips and donor meetings for the Executive Director, President, and other leadership team members.
Key Competencies and Qualifications
-At least 10 years of fundraising experience with at least two of the following types of entities: 501(c)(4); PACs; or 501(c)(3);
-Demonstrated success in thinking strategically about revenue diversification and revenue growth
-Significant experience leading, managing, coaching and inspiring teams to meet ambitious goals and navigating through change and transformation
-Exceptional ability to build strong relationships with donors and stakeholders at all levels to work towards collective goals with deep emotional intelligence
-Strong project management skills, which includes being detail-oriented, coordinating across multiple departments, managing different stakeholders with competing goals, and holding stakeholders accountable to deadlines
-Proven success in building, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts and high net-worth individuals
-An understanding of the national political fundraising landscape and ability to develop a unique selling proposition for our programs and mission
-Experience managing up to principals and boards of directors
-Exceptional verbal and written communication with a strong eye for detail and editing capabilities.
-Ability to distill and present complex information effectively, tailored to donor interests.
-Expertise in crafting compelling messages through emails, proposals, meetings, and calls.
-Maintain discretion and confidentiality with sensitive donor information.
-Proven ability to work collaboratively across teams and ensure workflow transparency.
-Demonstrated proficiency in using NGP-VAN for fundraising.
-Proven ability to work independently for extended periods in a remote setting.
-Strong dedication to the goals, values, and vision of Run for Something.
Plus Qualifications
-Comfort and experience working directly with major donors
-Experience with unionized work environments, including collaboration with unions or managing within collective bargaining frameworks, is a plus but not essential for this role.
Work Environment
Run for Something operates as a fully remote organization, with team members collaborating from across the U.S. You will work from home or a location of your choosing.
This role involves attending approximately two all-staff or team events per year, which may include overnight travel. Reasonable accommodations are available for employees unable to travel or participate in gatherings.
The position requires working core hours from Monday to Thursday, with occasional night and weekend work.
To prioritize employee health and safety, all Run for Something employees must provide proof of COVID vaccination, with reasonable accommodations considered for disabilities, medical advice, or sincerely held religious beliefs.
Run for Something is committed to building diverse teams and fostering equitable, inclusive environments that maximize the skills, potential, and unique perspectives of our employees. We strongly encourage individuals from marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those with disabilities, to apply—especially those historically underrepresented in elected office. Learn more about our commitment
here.
Compensation & Benefits
The salary for this position is set at $162,100. In order to counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current employees. Run for Something salary bands for a given staff level are benchmarked to the 75th percentile for our sector, and all new employees are paid at the entry point of those bands. Employees then have the opportunity to progress through current salary bands through annual cost of living increases and performance-based pay increases and into new salary bands through promotions.
Learn more about our compensation policy
here.
Benefits at Run for Something include:
-Unlimited Paid Time Off policy Platinum Medical Insurance (100% of premium covered for employees; 50% of premium covered for dependents)
-Dental and Vision Insurance (100% of premium covered for both employees and dependents)
-Professional Development Stipend
-Treat Yourself Stipend ($500 a year to do something that brings you joy)
-Equipment Stipend
-401k
-Work from Home Stipend
-Cell Phone/Internet Stipend
-12 weeks of paid family leave
-Paid Sabbatical (after 3 years of service to RFS)
-Employee Assistance Program~ Four weeks in organization-wide holiday closures, including a two-week winter break
-Flexible, remote work environment
-Transition payment for departing employees
Work Authorization
Due to campaign finance restrictions, candidates must have valid work authorization and cannot be foreign nationals. We are legally restricted to hiring only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (green card holders) for this position.
To Apply
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to early submissions.
If you need accommodations, contact us at
hiring@runforsomething.net with the type of assistance you need. We offer various support, including alternative interview formats and application assistance, to ensure full participation.
For details on our interview process, please visit
here.
Please do not contact us via phone, email, or social media for application inquiries. We cannot respond individually due to the high volume of applications. To ensure equity, we do not offer informational interviews for specific applicants. While applying can be challenging, we strive to keep all candidates informed about their status, though responses may occur after the application deadline.
