About Internews

How media and information shape our world is the issue of our time, and Internews is uniquely positioned to play a significant role in how this influence affects the lives of millions of people around the world. 

We are a social-impact organization dedicated to building healthy, trusted and relevant media and information systems in countries and communities where they struggle to exist.  We envision a world where everyone, everywhere can access, create and exchange the news and information they need to shape their communities and the world.

In our 35-year history, we have bolstered the capacity of tens of thousands of media entrepreneurs, journalists and digital activists in over 120 countries. 

Internews has headquarters offices in Washington, DC, London, UK and Arcata, CA, and regional support offices in Bangkok, Nairobi and Kiev.  We have country program offices in 30 additional countries.  Our 2019 annual budget is approximately $60 million. 90% of Internews revenue comes from public/government support with 10% coming from private foundations, corporate giving and individual gifts. 

A critical and strategic priority for the organization is to diversify our funding base and build the resilience of our mission by significantly increasing our private philanthropy and unrestricted giving programs.  The VP of Philanthropy will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to meeting the ambitious goal of raising $10 million in private restricted funding and $1 million in unrestricted funding annually over the next five years. 

GENERAL FUNCTION:

Ideally based in Washington, DC; the Vice President of Philanthropy will provide the strategic vision and technical leadership for Internews’ private fundraising (individual, foundation and corporate philanthropy).  The VP of Philanthropy reports to the President and manages a small team of fundraising professionals (2.5 FTEs), including an experienced Director of Private Development.  The Vice President will:

• Working with the Private Development team, create and implement a long-term, broad-based philanthropic giving strategy that maximizes impact in support of Internews’ mission, while contributing to the financial health of the organization;
• Develop the case, build the strategy and execute a comprehensive plan to expand the network of individuals, foundations and corporations who support the broad mandate of Internews through general support and unrestricted giving;
• Support and advance the robust private, program-related fundraising strategies led by the Director of Private Development;
• Create a compelling vision of the internal organizational culture, change and potential investments that may be required to drive more unrestricted general support, with a goal of growing the cross-departmental internal support for, and capacity to work broadly as a team, to advance our private fundraising goals;
• Work with the communications team as a critical stakeholder in creating a compelling, coherent, organisationally supported and understood case for support;
• Organize and support the Internews Board Private Fundraising Task Force; and
• Set and achieve annual private fundraising targets, approved by the Board and in support of Internews mission.  Our five-year goal for this position is to annually raise $10 million in program restricted support, and $1 million in unrestricted general support. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following; other duties may be assigned:

• Lead the private development team in setting the strategic vision and leadership for all private fundraising in the United States, which supports global impact;
• Serve as part of the Senior Staff team, driving all private fundraising efforts as part of our overall strategic plan, and in coordination with regional and global program teams, the public (foreign aid/institutional) fundraising team and our outreach and communications teams;
• Liaise with the Senior Director of Philanthropy at Internews Europe (based in London) to ensure tailored, market-driven approaches for the US and UK are mutually reinforcing; build from each other’s successes and learn from our failures;
• Oversee the systems to transparently track, cultivate and maintain all private fundraising activities across the organization;
• Understanding of and demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

Unrestricted Fundraising:

• Directly drive our general support/unrestricted fundraising strategies, crafting action plans, cultivating existing donors and developing new major donors, with a target of raising $1 million per year in unrestricted funds;
• Work closely with the board to oversee and manage all aspects of the major donor program including annual campaigns, donor outreach and events;
• Work with the communications team to ensure broad Internews communications and outreach supports this critical body of work.

Private, Program Fundraising:

• Supervise the advancement of program funding from foundations and corporations, led and managed by our Director of Private Development, with a goal of raising $10 million per year in program related private grants. 

Supervisory Responsibilities:

The Vice President of Philanthropy supervises all private development staff and consultants, including a direct team of 2 ½ development professionals.  The Vice President of Philanthropy carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least 15 years of experience in non-profit fundraising, with at least 3 years of major donor fundraising;
• A person who thrives on expanding networks and advocating for mission-driven programs;
• A proven track record of crafting strategies and successfully raising general support/unrestricted funds;
• Ability to plan, set goals, monitor progress and evaluate results;
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team in a flexible, dynamic environment;
• Enthusiasm for the power of media and information technologies a big plus;
• Excellent communication skills: speaking, writing, and listening
• Ability and willingness to travel, occasionally to Internews programs overseas; more often to HQ offices in Arcata, California and London, UK.