Director of Development

Who We Are

Unruled Masses (UM) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit building new and dynamic public civic intelligence and nonviolent action infrastructure. Our mission is to help ordinary people expose abuse, map corruption networks, and coordinate peaceful, strategic resistance and democracy-building worldwide. We are nonpartisan, evidence-driven, and partner-focused — uniting people with intelligence, materials, and communications to help reclaim institutions and rebuild equitable communities.

Who You Are

You are a strategic architect of resources who understands that a movement is only as strong as the engine that powers it. You have 7–10 years of progressively responsible development experience and a proven track record of standing up fundraising operations from the ground up. You don’t just "ask for money"—you build trusted relationships, craft compelling narratives, and design the systems that turn shared values into sustainable impact.

You are a builder and a leader. You recognize that UM’s mission requires a sophisticated, diversified funding model—blending institutional grants, major gifts, and grassroots support. You are ready to lead a volunteer team of grant writers and fundraisers, translating our Chief Data Officer’s intelligence work and our CTO’s technical infrastructure into a "case for support" that resonates with global philanthropists and democracy-focused foundations.

What You'll Do

• Fundraising Strategy & Design: Stand up the initial fundraising infrastructure for UM. Create a comprehensive 12-month development plan covering annual giving, major gifts, and institutional grants.
• Campaign Development: Lead the creation and execution of specialized fundraising campaigns to support our civic intelligence database and global resistance materials.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a growing team of volunteer fundraisers and grant writers, ensuring clear goals, accountability, and alignment with UM’s mission.
• Donor Relationship Management: Serve as the primary philanthropic liaison for high-net-worth individuals and foundations. Develop individualized stewardship strategies to move prospects from initial interest to transformational giving.
• Grant Oversight: Supervise the grant lifecycle—from identifying opportunities to reviewing proposals and managing reporting requirements for 501(c)(3) compliance.
• Systems & Accountability: Implement "moves management" within our CRM to track donor activity, projections, and outcomes with high data integrity.
• Ethical Stewardship: Ensure all fundraising efforts adhere to the highest ethical standards, protecting the confidentiality of our researchers and the integrity of our nonpartisan stance.

Exceptional volunteers may:

• Advise the Board of Directors on long-term sustainability and endowment strategies.
• Represent UM at global human rights and tech-for-good summits to build brand awareness among donors.
• Grow into the Chief Development Officer (CDO) role as the organization transitions to paid staff.

Ideal Qualifications

• Experience: 7–10 years in nonprofit development, with specific success in major gifts ($10k+) or foundation relations.
• Leadership: Proven ability to lead and inspire a remote, volunteer-based team.
• Strategic Thinking: Experience building a development department or fundraising plan from scratch.
• Communication: Exceptional storytelling skills; ability to explain complex civic tech and "intelligence mapping" to a non-technical donor audience.
• Mission Alignment: A deep commitment to democracy, transparency, and the belief that ordinary people can reclaim their institutions through strategic action.
• Self-Directed: Comfortable working in a high-growth, "startup" nonprofit environment where you must be both a strategist and a doer.

Nice to have:

• Experience with fundraising for civic tech, human rights, or investigative journalism.
• Familiarity with international donor networks or democracy-building foundations (e.g., NED, Open Society, Ford Foundation).
• Knowledge of CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, DonorBox, or HubSpot) for donor tracking.

The Organizational Context

Our technical and editorial teams are already operational—building the database and publishing research. Your role is the final, critical piece of the puzzle: securing the resources to scale this work. You will report to the Executive Director and work in close partnership with the Chief Data Officer and CTO to ensure our funding strategy is perfectly aligned with our operational needs and technical milestones.

Compensation & Commitment

This is an unpaid volunteer role. We are flexible on hours and can work around your schedule, but ask for a meaningful initial commitment (roughly 5–10 hours/week for 3–4 months) to stand up our core fundraising efforts, followed by lighter ongoing leadership support. As we grow our 501(c)(3) funding, paid staff roles may be offered to those who demonstrate exceptional dedication and impact.

Benefits of Volunteering with Unruled Masses

• Founding Architect Status: Be the person who builds the financial engine of a first-of-its-kind public civic intelligence organization.
• Executive Leadership: Gain high-level experience leading a multifaceted fundraising department and shaping the trajectory of a global movement.
• Real-World Impact: Your work directly enables the exposure of corruption and the protection of democracy worldwide.
• Elite Network: Collaborate with a global team of professionals across intelligence, law, human rights, and technology.