Title:                      Development Writer, Donor Communications

Reports to:          Director, Development Strategy

Job Summary:   The Development Writer is responsible for effectively communicating Heritage’s work and conservative ideas to multiple donor audiences (i.e., individuals, corporations, foundations) in a way that builds relationships and inspires larger gifts to The Heritage Foundation, Heritage Action, and Daily Signal. This position works on donor-facing materials including proposals, reports, pitch decks, mailings, digital communications, custom stewardship pieces, and other high-impact communications as needed.

Job Duties:

• Write major gift proposals and other high-level communications specifically tailored to individual donors and use a “donor-centric” approach.
• Respond to donor correspondence in a highly personalized manner that accurately explains Heritage’s position on specific policy issues while maintaining and building good relationships between Heritage and major donors.
• Collaborate throughout the enterprise to stay up to date on current policy work and grasp its implications for the donor base.
• Collaborate with gift officers to better understand the motivations of and how best to communicate with high-level individuals and foundations.
• Work with the Assistant Director and other development writers to conceptualize and communicate effective donor messages that support distinct Heritage campaigns and efforts.
• Effectively communicate Heritage’s message in the “voice” of various Heritage trustees and executives.  

Qualifications:

Education:                   B.A. in Communications, English, Marketing or related degree

Experience:                 3+ years of experience in development writing preferred

Communication:       Strong writing and proofreading skills; ability to communicate with                                                                    individuals within and outside Heritage

Technology:                 Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with AI-enabled tools and programs

Other Requirements:

• Understand and support the Heritage mission and vision for America, and the department’s goals and objectives.
• Excellent grasp of English technicalities, including grammar and usage.
• Ability to vary and control nuances of tone, diction, rhythm, pace, and other stylistic features to make a piece of writing suit its purpose.
• Ability to proof and edit copy.
• Familiarity with AP Style guidelines.
• Ability to clearly and persuasively relate the aims of Heritage policies and programs to the philosophical concerns of donors.
• Ability to boil down technical aspects of Heritage policies and programs into language for a general audience.
• Ability to manage and complete multiple writing assignments simultaneously and often under tight deadlines.

Benefits and Salary:

The Heritage Foundation offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, best-in-class health care, vision, and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement funding, “take what you need” PTO and sick leave, 14 weeks of paid leave for new moms and 6 weeks of paid leave for new dads, among other programs.

The salary range for this role is $68,000 - $82,000 annually. This range is a good-faith estimate, and the final salary offered to a selected candidate depends on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, and other qualifications; internal and external market pay for comparable jobs; and level of hire based on aforementioned qualifications.