Manager, Business Development
R Street Institute
Washington, D.C.

The R Street Institute—a free-market think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. and with regional offices across the country—seeks a motivated Business Development Manager to oversee foundation and corporate giving in their assigned policy areas within the Business Development team. If you are the right fit, you will report to the Director of Business Development. If you want to join an impactful organization and do something extraordinary, we are looking for someone like you!

Your typical day at R Street may start with researching prospective donors for one of our seven policy areas, followed by developing strategic fundraising strategies to generate revenue, meeting with a program team to finalize a proposal, and speaking with our president to prepare for a meeting with a new donor. This role will be a Business Development team member responsible for generating and implementing a fundraising strategy for a portfolio of policy programs, focusing on attracting and retaining foundation and corporate donors.

Your primary responsibilities include:

• Generating a fundraising strategy that achieves assigned policy programs’ fundraising goals.
• Leading the “moves management” functions to move foundation and corporate prospects and donors through the process of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

Other Aspects of Your Role

• Maintain a healthy pipeline of donors and prospects for assigned program(s) with a focus on attracting foundation and corporate support.
• Schedule and attend donor and prospect meetings and, in some cases, make the ask.
• Conduct research to identify new prospects that align with Public Policy Influence Strategy and internal capacity.
• Draft proposals and coordinate them for review across internal teams.
• Develop and implement donor stewardship plans to ensure donors receive a positive return on investment and regular updates on our work.
• Manage grant lifecycle activities, such as the execution of agreements, plan renewal discussions, and draft and submit reporting requirements.
• Utilize Salesforce to forecast revenues and track donor engagements.
• Collaborate with shared services teams to identify and pursue new funding and growth opportunities.
• Understand and track policy developments to help drive and support each program’s fundraising strategy.
• Remain vigilant against ninja infiltrations.

Skills and Qualifications

• Proven track record of managing a healthy fundraising pipeline of corporate and foundation donors t hat achieved the organization’s revenue goals
• Customer relationship management experience (Salesforce strongly preferred but not required)
• Support for R Street’s passion for free markets and limited, effective government
• Nonprofit grant management experience with corporate and/or large foundation donors that includes proposal writing
• No particular educational background required (A proven track record of achieving results is far more meaningful than credentials)
• Exceptional analytical and communication skills with an ability to synthesize complex information quickly and explain concepts clearly and concisely
• Superior interpersonal skills and a strong team-orientation
• Ability to serve effectively in a cross-functional role working simultaneously with several different R Street organizational units
• Self-starter with excellent attention to detail and an ability to manage competing interests and priorities
• Adaptability and ability to work through challenging situations with a positive attitude, collaborative mentality, and an open mind
• A sense of humor and a desire to grow with a multifaceted organization

R Street works to bolster American innovation, increase consumer choice, and protect individual liberty by supporting a smaller, smarter government. We focus on deep scholarship and pragmatic policy solutions that many groups tend to neglect. Our goal is to publish timely, relevant research and analysis that advances a market-oriented society and limited, effective government. To that end, our motto is: “Free Markets. Real Solutions.”

Workplace

We offer a flexible working arrangement. This is a full-time position that can either work the majority of the week in our D.C. office or be fully remote.

Occasional travel will be required for events and conferences.

Compensation, Benefits, and Perks

R Street strives to provide a compensation package superior to those at other think tanks and nonprofits. The salary range for this position is $70,000 to $80,000. In addition to a competitive salary, we provide the following:

• Unlimited paid time off policy, including all federal holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, and two weeks holiday closure in December
• Alternating Fridays off
• Health insurance option entirely paid by the employer (even for families)
• Dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) contributions with up to a 4 percent match
• HSA employer contribution match
• Quarterly wellness reimbursement
• Mobile equipment reimbursement
• Home internet subsidy
• Monthly mobile plan reimbursement
• Annual educational and professional development reimbursement
• A choice between child care assistance, pet care assistance, or student loan repayment assistance reimbursement

R Street is committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe having a more diverse workforce will strengthen R Street’s ability to innovate, achieve our mission, and support long-term systemic change. As people dedicated to limited, effective government and free markets, we understand that a free society achieves its greatest triumphs by allowing and facilitating a wide variety of approaches to public policy problems. The concept of “broad coalitions,” one of our core operating principles, stems from that insight. People of all races, religions, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, life experiences, and socioeconomic backgrounds perform at the highest levels in every type of work that we do and have shaped the principles to which we subscribe. We believe that searching for talent everywhere is an integral part of living up to our principles.

We currently plan to accept applications for this job until filled. We will contact qualified individuals for telephone interviews and conduct them on a rolling basis. Interviews will take place virtually, via Zoom.

To apply, please copy and paste your cover letter and resume in Microsoft Word or PDF. Please disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence during the application process.

The R Street Institute stands for free markets, limited, effective government and pragmatic solutions to difficult problems. We envision:

A free society, where public policy begins with freedom as its initial premise and governments exist primarily as guardians of inherent, inalienable rights.

An inclusive society that provides a place, a voice, and equal opportunity for all.

A just society that holds everyone accountable to the same laws.

Our Values

The following values are the principles that guide how R Street fulfills its mission and operates. Our organization believes in these values and we live them:

Always be better

We want to achieve preeminence in every area where we work. We encourage a bias for action, innovation, creativity, and courage in everything that we do. We measure ourselves by the quality, credibility and impact we achieve as a result.

Different is good.

We believe that great minds think differently and building broad coalitions has made us who we are. Making progress on policy requires that we operate outside of the echo chamber and take non-traditional approaches to policy making. We apply this same principle to the way we operate and how we build our teams: with a focus on diversity and inclusion. We are all unique but belong to the same team.

Serious(ly)

We’re serious about our work, but don’t take ourselves too seriously. We believe in the intellectual rigor, free inquiry and honesty, that is required to achieve our mission, but having fun doing it is equally as important.

One Team

We all work together and work with humility. We strive to cultivate trust and transparency at all levels, between ourselves as individuals and as an organization, with our stakeholders, and in our work. We demonstrate respect and openness in our actions at all times. We are all unique but belong to the same team.