Associate Director of Major Gifts International Crisis Group

New York, New York https://www.crisisgroup.org/

Send Nominations or Resume to: Donna Russell Senior Consultant 617-262-1102 drussell@lindauerglobal.com The Opportunity: The International Crisis Group seeks an entrepreneurial, ambitious front-line fundraiser to serve as its next Associate Director of Major Gifts. This position is a tremendous opportunity to pair philanthropists with an organisation dedicated to the prevention, mitigation and resolution of the deadliest and most intractable conflicts around the world. It is a chance to help donors invest in saving lives. Reporting to the Director of Philanthropy, the Associate Director of Major Gifts will cultivate and steward major gift prospects and donors with the objective of enhancing Crisis Group’s philanthropic portfolio. The Associate Director will have exemplary relationship building skills, experience working with senior organisational leaders and high net worth donors, and the ability to engage with various groups and constituencies. The person in this position will know how to navigate complex organisations, and have strong logistical, communication and writing skills.

The successful candidate will be an intellectually curious, highly motivated, broad thinker who has demonstrated ability in securing major gifts and an entrepreneurial approach. They will be a goal-

oriented team player who can work in a fast-paced environment and has a passion for foreign policy and geopolitics. This position is a distinct opportunity to join a global team of dedicated professionals who are deeply committed to advancing Crisis Group’s mission and the cause of peace.

About International Crisis Group International Crisis Group is an independent organisation working to prevent wars and shape policies that will build a more peaceful world. Crisis Group sounds the alarm to prevent deadly conflict. In doing so, they build support for the good governance and inclusive politics that enable societies to flourish. They engage directly with a range of conflict actors to seek and share information, and to encourage intelligent action for peace. The work of Crisis Group is urgently needed as the world is confronted with a dramatic rise in the number of conflicts, with devastating humanitarian, social and economic costs. Efforts to resolve conflicts are complicated by the profound shifts in geopolitics, as well as the increasing prominence of non-state actors ranging from religious militants to criminal gangs. In this more polarized, fragmented and dangerous world, Crisis Group’s work points a way forward. Crisis Group is the preeminent organisation providing independent analysis and advice on how to prevent, resolve or better manage deadly conflict. They combine expert field research, analysis and engagement with policymakers across the world in order to effect change in the crisis situations on which they work. They endeavor to talk to all sides and in doing so to build on their role as a trusted source of field-centered information, fresh perspectives and advice for conflict parties and external actors. Strategic Framework The world today looks vastly different from the one that existed when Crisis Group was established almost 25 years ago. Rivalries among major and regional powers have grown fiercer. Non-state

Project Director, Gender, Azadeh Moaveni during field research in Nigeria

actors have proliferated. Social media and the internet put information – and disinformation – a click away. Competition for policymakers’ attention is ever more intense. Donors demand more. Faith in conflict resolution has faded along with the optimism that the Cold War’s end brought to much of the world. Many of today’s leaders want wars to be won, not ended. Crisis Group’s mission – to save lives by preventing, mitigating and resolving deadly conflict – is as relevant as ever. Their method – field research, sharp analysis, practical recommendations and targeted advocacy– remains sound. Their presence on the ground, pragmatism, independence and global reach position them well for today and the future. The past year has seen sharp improvements in Crisis Group’s productivity, influence, visibility and fundraising. Demand for their analysis and ideas among policymakers of all stripes is rising. Opportunities still exist to nudge leaders toward compromise – whether through quiet persuasion, public pressure or a combination of the two. But to exploit such opportunities, Crisis Group must evolve. To this end, their strategy lays out four principal goals: 1. Sharpening their Analysis. Improve the already high-quality work while integrating new methods. That means retaining and recruiting top staff; devoting extra resources to high-priority crises; upping coverage of major geopolitical trends; ensuring analysis and recommendations incorporate new angles such as gender, climate, technology and economics; facilitating dialogue among conflict parties; and using data and quantitative resources. 2. Enhancing their Advocacy. Target the right people with the right message at the right time. Run high-profile campaigns to save large numbers of lives, better involve trustees, and partner with others where advisable. Appeal to new audiences by balancing long-form reports with shorter, livelier outputs, including video, infographics and interactive web content. 3. Investing in Strategic Communications. Fortify media presence to shape the policy debate, mobilize others as force multipliers, and raise Crisis Group’s profile and brand.

Fundraising Gala 2018

4. Expanding their Fundraising. With a focus on sustainability, the expanded philanthropy, foundations and government fundraising teams will intensify efforts to secure support in pursuit of these goals. In sum these changes – some incremental, some transformative – represent a significant leap for Crisis Group. Read the Strategic Framework 2019-2024 Examples of Impact

Crisis Group’s reporting and advocacy make real change in the world, incrementally over time and often against long odds. On a daily basis, their work informs policy discussions, highlights opportunities for effective early action, guides media coverage and draws attention to under-reported conflicts and humanitarian emergencies. Nevertheless, impact is always hard to quantify. Originally begun as information papers for their donors, they now make their Impact Notes publicly available to give a glimpse of what they do and how they think they are making progress in pursuit of peace.

Crisis Group’s field research and advocacy have a unique and direct impact on alleviating crises across the world. Sometimes their urgent advocacy influences policymakers and policy quickly, as in 2018 when they helped formulate more realistic goals for a French peace initiative for Libya that risked exacerbating rather than reducing tensions. At other times, they shift dominant ways of thinking. In Myanmar, for instance, Crisis Group was the first to warn of the risk of a Rohingya insurrection. Six months later, militant attacks triggered violent operations by the Burmese military that forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee in what became one of the fastest exoduses of modern times.

● Advocating for the safety of the children of ISIS fighters: On 12 January 2020, the Editorial Board of the Washington Post cited International Crisis Group's recommendation of pursuing a “Women and Children First” policy in repatriating Western ISIS affiliates – and warned about the risks to humanitarian values and security of failing to do so.

Consulting Analyst, Alan Keenan during field research in Sri Lanka

● Reconceptualizing Israel-Palestine; Crisis Group was far ahead of the curve when it published a detailed Israel-Palestine peace plan in 2002. The reports defined an endgame, not an Oslo-style incremental approach. It was “a solid basis for … a fair solution,” said Amr Moussa, then Secretary-General of the Arab League. In 2006, Crisis Group mobilized 135 global leaders behind their call for urgent action on putting the “endgame first,” the model for most peace plans since then.

● The struggle for an Iran nuclear deal; Crisis Group was a lone voice in 2003 when it began advocating that Iran could continue to enrich uranium, but under strict limits and international monitoring. They persisted until the idea became mainstream. Crisis Group’s 40-step proposal in 2014 presaged the negotiators’ 2015 breakthrough. Iranian team members commended their role, and a senior U.S. official wrote: “I am sure you recognize your language in the final text.”

● A Peaceful Transfer of Power in Nigeria; Crisis Group helped avert a bloody confrontation

around the 2015 elections in Nigeria. They raised awareness of the risks among international leaders and encouraged them to dissuade the competing politicians from resorting to violence. The teams of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and former UN Secretary-General and Crisis Group trustee Kofi Annan consulted Crisis Group’s experts before those statesmen visited the country. On election night, the losing incumbent rejected pressure from party hardliners to dig in. A senior State Department official told Crisis Group the U.S. “benefited enormously” from their briefing and that their reporting helped “orient efforts.”

● Shaping Colombia’s Peace Process; Fifteen years of Bogotá-based research and advocacy helped foster the flexible, initially controversial approach to transitional justice that became a cornerstone of Colombia’s 2016 peace accord – a spectacular breakthrough after five decades of war. Government negotiator Oscar Naranjo called Crisis Group reports “most detailed and realistic,” and his FARC rebel counterpart said their work was “useful and objective.”

● Sounding the Alarm in Cameroon; In August 2017, seven years after warning of

impending instability, Crisis Group was among the first to alert the outside world to the growing insurrection in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. In April, responding to requests from officials, civil society, religious leaders and diplomats for fresh ideas, they called on the Catholic Church to mediate. Diplomats used Crisis Group’s report as a starting point in encouraging Church leaders’ subsequent push for a conference among Anglophone groups as a first stage in national negotiations.

● An Inside Player in Yemen Peace Efforts; Crisis Group shaped public discourse and

engaged behind the scenes with all front-line actors of the Yemen war. One success in

2018 was in advocating against a Saudi-led coalition offensive on the port of Hodeida, vital for humanitarian supplies. All sides saw Crisis Group’s 2017-2018 reports as setting a basis for reviving talks. Their Yemen expert was seconded for six months in June 2018 to UN Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, who said “the careful and rigorous reports of Crisis Group …give me a better chance of getting my job done.”

The Role

The Associate Director of Major Gifts will cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, both individuals and family foundations with the capacity to give, They will identify and qualify new donors to meet both individual and organisational fundraising goals with the objective of broadening philanthropic conversations and elevating their portfolio to reflect donors at the six- and seven-figure giving levels.

Responsibilities:

● Maintains a personal portfolio of major gift prospects moving each from identification, through gift closure.

● Collaborates with the Development Operations team on identification, cultivation and stewardship opportunities for donors and prospects.

● Routinely engages current Crisis Group supporters, Trustees, and organisation executives in peer-to-prospect identification, visits, and solicitations.

● Works collaboratively with the Project Manager, Stewardship and Events to develop stewardship plans for assigned prospects

● Routinely engages current Crisis Group donors and Trustees in peer-to-prospect identification, visits, and solicitations.

1-year Portfolio and Frontline Fundraising Goal:

● 3 months: Develop cultivation and solicitation plans for all prospects in the Associate Director portfolio and make initial introductions to 50%

● 6 months: Active cultivation is underway, with meaningful qualification, solicitation, and stewardship activity progress demonstrated

● 9 months: Utilizing relationships, identify additional prospects for cultivation and solicitation in year two

● 1 year: Significant solicitation activity and progress toward goal

Requirements include:

In addition to at least 5 years of fundraising experience, including experience with major gifts, the Associate Director of Major Gifts will have international fundraising experience, and be rigorous, highly productive, and entrepreneurial individual. They will ideally also possess the following skills and characteristics:

● Demonstrates comfort engaging with high-net-worth individuals in diverse philanthropic cultural contexts, and a track record of personal success in asking and closing five and six-figure gifts;

● Strong metrics orientation and a willingness to set and achieve defined personal as well as team goals;

● Experience working effectively with board members; ● Experience managing international prospects, prior experience with African, European, or

Middle Eastern prospects preferred, or an openness to learn the fundraising experience of other countries;

● Able and willing to undertake domestic and international travel regularly; able and willing to travel and work outside normal business hours as needed;

● A passion for the work of International Crisis Group and a desire to continually broaden and deepen the organisation’s impact;

● Superior oral and written presentation skills; ● A working knowledge of fundraising software and tools; ● Patient listener, likable, diplomatic, and engaging; ● Collaborative, inclusive, and team-driven.

Leadership

Robert Malley President & CEO Prior to rejoining Crisis Group, first as Vice President for Policy and since January 2018 as President & CEO, Robert Malley served in the Obama administration as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Adviser to the President for the Counter-ISIL Campaign, and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region. He also served as Special Assistant to President Clinton for Arab-Israeli affairs and Director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council.

Before joining the Obama administration, he was Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at Crisis Group, leading the organisation’s research, analysis, policy prescription and advocacy in and about the region.

Robert Malley is a graduate of Yale University, Harvard Law School and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He is the author of “The Call from Algeria: Third Worldism, Revolution and the Turn to Islam” and, with Hussein Agha, of several articles, including “Camp David: The Tragedy of Errors ,” “The Last Negotiation,” “Three Men in a Boat,” “Hamas – The Perils of Power” and “The Arab Counter-Revolution.” He has published articles in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Le Monde and several other publications.

Read a message from Robert Malley, or listen to a Global Dispatches podcast with him.

Amanda Weingarten Chief Development Officer As Chief Development Officer, Amanda oversees Crisis Group’s fundraising efforts in the philanthropy, foundations and government sectors, and is the senior philanthropy fundraiser.

Amanda Weingarten was formerly a Senior Consultant with Graham-Pelton, a fundraising consultancy, where her clients included the International Rescue Committee, UnidosUS (previously named National Council of La Raza), The New School, Jewish Theological Seminary, and Swedish Medical Center Foundation, among others.

Prior to joining Graham-Pelton, Amanda served as Assistant Dean for Development, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The Citadel. In this role, she led a multi-million-dollar multi-year campaign that included landmark grants and gifts for academic programs in computer science, international programs, and security studies.

Amanda grew up in London, and has lived in Paris, Quito, and New York - where she now resides. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and currently serves on Penn’s Learning Resource Center Board of Advisors.

Sarah Pryke Director of Philanthropy Sarah joined Crisis Group in November 2015 and is responsible for building ambitious partnerships with philanthropists, corporations and family foundations. Sarah is the supervisor to the role of Associate Director of Major Gifts.

She previously worked for ActionAid International, where she was International Fundraising Manager responsible for developing and implementing the organisational strategy

for Corporate, Foundation and Major Gift fundraising and supported the set up fundraising initiatives in East Asia, Sweden, South Africa and Brazil.

Prior to that, she spent seven years with Oxfam GB where she held various fundraising positions including Head of Trusts & Foundations. Sarah holds a postgraduate certificate in Conflict and Development from the Open University and a Bachelor in Psychology from the University of Kent.

Background Checks: Prior to submitting your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. Lindauer does verify academic credentials for its candidates, and our clients frequently conduct background checks prior to finalizing an offer.

To learn more, call Donna Russell, Senior Consultant at

617-262-1102 or send nominations or cover letter and resume to

drusssell@lindauerglobal.com All inquiries will be held in confidence.

Setting the Standard in Nonprofit Talent www.LindauerGlobal.com