Director of External Relations (Remote)

Ballotpedia seeks a full-time, 100% remote Director of External Relations to lead its External Relations department.

Ballotpedia’s External Relations team focuses on building and growing donor relationships with current and prospective donors in support of Ballotpedia’s mission to provide comprehensive, neutral, and trustworthy information about every candidate and election in the US. They match donors, foundations, and other key partners with opportunities to achieve shared goals and help meet the organization’s revenue goals.

The Director of External Relations will drive strategy, manage donor relations personnel, and collaborate closely with the CEO, COO, and others across the organization. This role emphasizes donor engagement, cultivation, and solicitation while supporting other strategic revenue and partnership goals. The Director serves as a passionate advocate for Ballotpedia, fostering relationships with donors, partners, and other stakeholders.

The Director reports to the COO and serves on Ballotpedia’s leadership team.

Responsibilities

As the External Relations Director, you will:

Department Leadership

• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic revenue plan to meet annual donor-focused revenue goals.
• Lead, mentor, and manage the growing External Relations team, providing coaching and fostering professional growth.
• Regularly evaluate and refine department systems, processes, and structures to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Build and maintain tools to track department metrics, including progress toward KPIs and donor revenue goals.
• Create and manage the department’s annual business plan and budget.
• Prepare and present performance reports to internal and external stakeholders.

Donor Relations and Revenue Generation

• Lead the development of moves management plans for current donors and top prospects, focusing on matching donors with projects and products that meet their goals and interests.
• Supervise the creation and management of donor pipelines, ensuring a robust prospect pool.
• Draft and review funding proposals, grant reports, and donor materials.
• Manage a portfolio of major donors and oversee the execution of tailored cultivation and stewardship plans.
• Collaborate with data sales and non-donor revenue staff to align efforts on donor-funded initiatives and partnerships.

Collaboration and Strategic Outreach

• Develop Ballotpedia’s non-revenue outreach plan, including maintaining key relationships and identifying new partnership opportunities.
• Partner with executive leadership and other department heads to align on cross-department initiatives and goals.
• Represent Ballotpedia at conferences and trade shows, as needed.

Qualifications

An ideal Director of External Relations will have:

• Deep passion for voter education, civic engagement, and Ballotpedia’s mission to provide comprehensive coverage of all elections.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in donor relations and fundraising, including experience meeting with donors and closing gifts, and at least 2+ years of team management experience.
• Demonstrated success in managing multiple donor-related revenue streams, including individual giving, foundation support, and online fundraising.
• Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams, with a focus on mentoring and professional development.
• Strong interest in working at an organization prioritizing growth, and understanding of the resultant expectations that places on revenue growth.
• High level of organization, attention to detail, follow-through, and the ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously with success and accuracy.
• A track record of developing effective donor engagement strategies, with strong relationship-building skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling proposals and presentations.
• Familiarity with 7-Figure Fundraising methods and experience building robust moves management plans are highly desired. 
• Strong analytical mindset, with proficiency in leveraging data to inform strategic decisions, with the ability to flex between strategic and tactical responsibilities
• High proficiency with donor CRMs (Salesforce preferred) and digital collaboration tools (e.g., Google Suite, Slack, Asana).
• Experience working in sales or fundraising and managing staff from a virtual office.
• Availability to travel as needed (approximately 20-25%).

Environment

The Director of External Relations will work remotely from their home location. All Ballotpedia staff work remotely. To join Ballotpedia, you must have a computer with Internet access. 

Ballotpedia uses Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, and more), Slack, and Asana to accomplish our goals, and the External Relations team uses SalesForce. Familiarity with the Google Suite, Slack, Asana, and SalesForce, or similar tools is helpful.

Ballotpedia has a flexible work environment, BP Flex, in which every employee enjoys unlimited vacation and flexibility in scheduling. Each employee will be oriented to the principles of Ballotpedia’s flexible environment during new employee training.

Compensation

The pay range for the Director of External Relations, consisting of a combination of base salary and structured performance incentives, is $90,000-130,000, commensurate with experience. 

In addition to salary, Ballotpedia offers an annual benefits stipend equivalent to $8,000 that is paid out in equal increments in each paycheck once an employee becomes benefits eligible. The stipend may be used to pay for a full benefits package, including health, vision, and dental insurance; retirement accounts; and more. If benefits are not elected, the stipend is taxed as regular income and added to salary. 

To Apply

To apply click on 'Apply for this job' below and fill out the form. Please attach the following in PDF format if possible:

• résumé
• cover letter detailing your interest in Ballotpedia’s mission/this position and your answer to the following question: “What excites you about the opportunity to connect donors with Ballotpedia’s mission?”

Please ensure that either your résumé or your cover letter include your current address.

About Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia is a mission-driven organization dedicated to providing Americans with accurate, relevant, and reliable information about politics, elections, and public policy. Our goal is to close the ballot information gap and help voters make informed decisions. We value innovation, humility, hunger, and a collaborative spirit and are committed to continuously improving our offerings to better serve our audiences, readers, and candidates.