Manager, Principal & Major Gifts

Who we are:

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. For more information, visit vera.org.

Vera has a staff of 240 people, is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York and has offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New Orleans. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity in the workplace. We expect our staff to embody respect, independence, collaboration, commitment, anti-racism, and equity—both in our outward-facing work and the internal culture of our workplace. We value a range of experiences in people’s educational backgrounds and encourage people who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system to apply.

About the team:

The Development team at Vera is a dynamic group of humans with the critical task to secure funding to advance Vera's mission and initiatives. The work of this team directly contributes to Vera's ability to carry out our mission to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those impacted by mass incarceration.

As the Manager of Principal & Major Gifts, you will work with the Director of Principal & Major Gifts to execute the strategy to expand support from High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs) and Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWIs), to achieve annual fundraising goals, and to build a robust pipeline for future growth in the portfolio. In addition to serving as the primary thought partner to the Director of Principal & Major Gifts, you will collaborate with colleagues on adjacent teams to build resources to support frontline fundraising, partner with Vera program leads and principals on relationship management, and you will manage a focused personal portfolio of existing high-level donors and prospects. 

About the role:

Portfolio Management 

• Take on and elevate a portfolio of donors with the ability to increase their philanthropic investments in the mission of Vera Institute 
• Strategically design, facilitate, and coordinate all communication with an assigned portfolio, and among Vera principals engaged in donors' relationship to Vera in a fashion appropriate to programmatic priorities and donor interest 
• Execute a robust discovery churn to upgrade contributions 
• Partner with Vera principals to develop and expand funding relationships 
• Execute donor meetings in partnership with Vera program staff 
• Manage and staff donor cultivation and stewardship events as required by the engagement calendar of the Development Department 

Strategy Development 

• Serve as a primary thought partner to the Director of Principal & Major Gifts in the creation of the national major gift plan and the development of the PMG pipeline 
• Collaborate with development colleagues on the creation of major gifts departmental infrastructure, development event creation, and prospect research 
• Help create and follow processes to maintain best fundraising and operational practices, utilizing clearly defined goals, objectives, and transparent method

 Cross-Team Collaboration 

• Collaborate with colleagues to formulate strategies to promote prospect engagement, to identify prospective donors, and to build collateral materials to support frontline outreach work
• Provide Vera’s program and leadership team members with effective strategies for approaching donors and prospects
• Approach the shared work of the Development team