Annual Giving Officer

Protect Democracy seeks a thoughtful, detail-oriented fundraiser to join our growing Partnerships team as an Annual Giving Officer. This is a unique opportunity for a talented early-to-mid-career fundraising professional looking to expand their skill set and make an impact in the movement to protect our democracy. As Annual Giving Officer, you’ll steward a portfolio of mid-level donors and run the engagement tools to grow it, including across our grassroots and peer-to-peer fundraising programs.

About the position: In this role, you’ll be a key player on a small, highly collaborative and effective team. We seek to steward deep, long-term, trusting relationships with donors, engaging them as true partners in the broader democracy ecosystem. That approach has paid off: We’ve raised substantial unrestricted operating funds and built a solid financial runway, which lets us hire exceptional talent and launch high-impact interventions. These include 150+ legal actions, critical federal and state legislation, and creative solutions like VoteShield, which monitors and protects 160 million public voter records across 25 states.

About the 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 140+ 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. We deploy litigation, legislative and communications strategies, technology, research, and analysis to stand up for free and fair elections, the rule of law, fact-based debate, and a better democracy for future generations. For this work, our team received a Skoll Award for Social Innovation and a MacArthur Fellowship.

This is a remote position based in the United States.* The priority deadline to apply for this role is October 29, 2026; we will review applications received after that date on a rolling basis.

The Annual Giving Officer will

• Manage a portfolio that currently has about 300 mid level gift partners—both institutional funders and individuals—leveraging technology to assist in regular communications, soliciting gift renewals, and customized cultivation plans where appropriate;

• Aim to grow this portfolio of donors to 500 by 2028 through strong collaboration with Partnerships team members, active stewardship, and management of our newly launched peer-to-peer fundraising tool;

• Write & distribute high-quality quarterly e-newsletter & bi-annual e-appeals to grassroots donors, mostly through synthesis of existing material;

• Assemble high-quality materials and communications that reflect Protect Democracy’s voice and mission, including grant proposals, reports, and donor correspondence;

• Represent Protect Democracy in external meetings with donors and trusted intermediaries;

• Conduct prospect research to identify new high-capacity individuals and institutions aligned with our mission;

• Collaborate with the Partnerships team to set and track ambitious fundraising goals, maintaining accurate and up-to-date records;

• Independently seek opportunities to build and improve on Protect Democracy’s fundraising operations by closely examining needs, assessing possible solutions, and making concise recommendations;

• Contribute to Protect Democracy’s programmatic work and culture.

The ideal candidate brings

• Three or more years of professional experience, including experience working directly with donors;

• Demonstrated comfort and experience with identifying, cultivating, stewarding, closing, and renewing 4-5 figure gift opportunities;

• Proficiency with fundraising tools and CRMs with a preference for Raiser’s Edge experience, and a desire to help our team use data and automation more effectively;

• Ability to correspond persuasively and authentically with key stakeholders;

• A solid understanding of the political and philanthropic landscape;

• Excellent judgment, time management, and follow-through;

• A growth mindset and collaborative orientation, including enthusiasm for giving and receiving feedback in all directions;

• 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.

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 strengthens 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 above but believe nonetheless you’d be a stellar match for the role and could grow into it, we want to hear from you. The Partnerships team thrives on having a variety of perspectives and expertise working highly collaboratively.

Compensation

The starting salary range for this role is $84,300-$94,000 (FLSA Exempt), 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, and this role also requires periodic 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, 6 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. Additionally, we cover employee medical premiums at 100% (with up to 95% coverage for dependents depending on plan selection), and employee and dependents dental/vision at 100%. All employees have access to long-term disability and life insurance, fertility benefits, a home office stipend, and bonuses at the discretion of the Executive Director.

• 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.

To apply for this position, please complete the application linked below. As part of your application, you will be asked to answer a couple screener questions and upload a PDF of your resume. We are weighing responses to our short answer questions highly, so cover letters are truly optional for this role. Not including a cover letter will not be counted against you. That said, we have left the option in case there is something compelling you want to share that you don’t believe will come across in your resume alone.

The priority deadline to apply for this role is October 29, 2026; we will review applications received after that date on a rolling basis.

Applications missing any of the required materials will be considered incomplete and not reviewed.

Important notes

• Contact hiring@protectdemocracy.org if you require specific accommodations at any point in the hiring process.

• Keep an eye on your promotions/spam folders to avoid missed communication.

• A note on fair hiring and automated tech: To help our small team review applications efficiently and fairly, we use automated screening tools to assist with resume and response review. Every candidate flagged by our system is reviewed by a member of our recruiting team; we never rely on automated scoring alone to make hiring decisions. If you have questions about this process, or need an alternative application path as an accommodation, reach out to us at hiring@protectdemocracy.org.

• We are unable to provide status updates for each application we receive. If you reach out and do not hear back, please know it is not for lack of appreciation or interest, but simply for lack of staff capacity to respond to individual inquiries.

• The application will include a voluntary EEO survey so that we can monitor the applicant pool as a whole for representation and equal employment opportunities, and to evaluate our progress as an organization toward a diverse and inclusive workforce, which we believe is a pillar of a thriving democracy. The categories used by the EEO survey are limited and may not reflect your lived experience; please feel free to opt out of any of the questions. Your responses to this survey are entirely separate from your application materials, are not accessible to those responsible for hiring decisions, and will not affect your candidacy in any way.