Associate Director / Director of Development

Who We Are

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to equipping the next generation of Americans with the skills to communicate and collaborate across lines of difference. We work with U.S. colleges and universities by providing co-curricular programming for students, professional development for faculty and staff, and strategic guidance to leadership. Our goal is to foster constructive dialogue at every level of the institution and to create the conditions for lasting organizational change. CDI was co-founded by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling author of The Righteous Mind and The Anxious Generation.

The Role

CDI is looking for an Associate Director or Director of Development to run our fundraising operations. You’ll report directly to our Co-Founder and Executive Director, who will continue to serve as CDI’s primary fundraiser. Your role will be to enable her fundraising in two key ways: (1) by running an exceptionally organized fundraising operation behind the scenes, and (2) by being responsible for grant writing and reporting responsibilities. This role combines meaningful ownership—you’ll operate with significant autonomy—with the chance to work with an experienced fundraiser and deepen your own expertise.

We’re looking for a development generalist with two super strengths: (1) operational excellence and (2) exceptional writing and communication skills. You bring rigor and organization to everything you touch, and you can make complex ideas clear and compelling without flattening their nuance. You notice details, anticipate what’s coming, and are always looking for a smarter way to run the work.

We’re open to candidates with different levels of fundraising experience. At the Director level, you’d take on more relationship management and strategy from the start; at the Associate Director level, you’d have room to grow into those responsibilities over time. What matters most to us is that you take real pride in the quality of your work and believe deeply in CDI’s mission.

What You’ll Do

Grant Writing & Management

• Lead development and submission of compelling grant proposals, reports, and donor materials.

• Translate CDI’s work and impact into clear, compelling narratives that resonate with funders while staying true to CDI’s voice and strategy.

• Collaborate closely with Finance, Marketing & Communications, and program teams across CDI to gather the content needed for grant proposals and reports.

• Maintain an exceptionally high bar for both the quality of all grant materials and the efficiency of the processes behind them.

• Maintain a comprehensive grants calendar; proactively manage all deadlines for grants and other funder commitments.

Development Operations

• Own the systems and infrastructure behind CDI’s fundraising work, from HubSpot and funder records to internal workflows and documentation.

• Maintain and refine core assets, including reusable grant content, case studies, pitch decks, templates, and annual reports in collaboration with the Marketing & Communications team.

• Partner closely with Finance to process new contributions, track grant requirements, and maintain funder and grant documentation.

• Keep CDI’s fundraising pipeline current and actionable; partner with Finance to translate that pipeline into revenue projections.

• Build and continuously improve the workflows, tools, and systems that keep CDI’s fundraising function running smoothly.

Fundraising Strategy & Relationships

• Proactively manage the preparation and follow-through around the Executive Director’s funder relationships, enabling her to focus on relationship building.

• Support the Executive Director in shaping fundraising strategy and priorities.

• Conduct prospect and landscape research to identify new funding opportunities and inform fundraising strategy.

• Depending on experience, directly manage and steward a portfolio of funder relationships.

• Collaborate with Partnerships to find ways to turn development into a growth engine, including leveraging funders as a source of leads and enabling our partners to fundraise in order to cover the cost of CDI programs.