VP Development & Partnerships

VP Development & Partnerships – Tusk Philanthropies

Over the past decade, Tusk Philanthropies has built a different kind of organization. We have spent $8.5 million to unlock $6.8 billion in public funding for hungry children. We are building a national movement to make secure mobile voting a legal option in state and local elections. We are using AI to democratize access to the political tools that have traditionally been reserved for insiders so everyday Americans can effectuate change in their communities. And we continue to take on issues where better strategy, stronger coalitions and smarter campaigns can create meaningful change.

Unlike most foundations, we're usually both the funder and the operator. We design the strategy and drive the work ourselves, combining lobbying, communications, grassroots organizing, public-private coalition building, research and advocacy to move public opinion, influence decision makers and win durable policy change. We take risks most foundations avoid, challenge conventional wisdom and go after opportunities that others overlook.

Our philanthropic portfolio is genuinely hard to categorize. We operate across public policy, civic engagement, technology and philanthropy. Some of what we do is about making sure low-income children have food every day. Other work is about expanding democratic participation among marginalized groups or giving people better tools to effectively engage in their communities. We launch new initiatives when we see a problem worth solving that others have overlooked.

To date, our work has been funded primarily by our founder, Bradley Tusk, with additional support from donors to our hunger and mobile voting initiatives. That has let us move quickly, take risks and build a real track record. Now the opportunity in front of us requires a broader base of supporters and a more diversified revenue mix. We need someone who can bring exceptional donors, foundations and partners into the work and raise the resources needed to sustain and expand it.

The Job

As VP of Development & Partnerships, you'll build and lead Tusk Philanthropies' fundraising and partnerships strategy, growing our highest-impact initiatives nationwide. You'll report directly to Bradley, work closely with the C-suite, and sit at the senior table as a strategic partner. Fundraising for both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) grants, strategic partnerships and donor engagement all belong to you, along with a meaningful role in how the organization presents itself externally. 

You'll assess our existing priorities and develop a fundraising and partnerships strategy designed to execute them at scale. This will include setting and driving progress against fundraising goals across foundations and individual donors, refining our communications and marketing strategy, securing high-value partners and validators, and strengthening our operational infrastructure. 

Your first 90 days will focus on understanding Tusk Philanthropies' funding gaps and developing a strategy to position the organization for major multi-year grants from institutional foundations. This diagnostic phase will inform how we sustain and scale across our full portfolio, in close partnership with the Mobile Voting Project's CEO around that initiative's specific funding needs.

We use permissible political strategy, coalition building, advocacy and public pressure to produce real-world outcomes. Sophisticated donors and grantors rarely see philanthropy run this way. Your job is to make that the selling point, find the audiences most likely to embrace it and position Tusk Philanthropies as the place serious people go when they want their resources to produce outsized, measurable results. 

What You'll Actually Do

• Build the development operation from the ground up: strategy, systems, operations materials and partners required for long-term financial sustainability.
• Serve as a thought partner to Bradley and program leaders across Tusk Philanthropies on fundraising strategy, marketing and communications, and external engagement.
• Build and manage a pipeline of donors, foundations and strategic partners, and personally cultivate and close at the highest levels, bringing new relationships into the Tusk ecosystem while working with Bradley to leverage existing ones.
• Shape the fundraising narrative, case for support and donor-facing materials, and make an unconventional portfolio legible to people who write large grants or checks — for both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4)-eligible initiatives.
• Find opportunities that raise the profile of Tusk Philanthropies and expand our reach, whether through speaking engagements, media, partnerships, coalitions or other platforms for Bradley and senior leaders.
• Design and lead regular donor engagement, from briefings and roundtables to other convenings that deepen relationships, expand networks and create new opportunities for support.
• Develop a network of validators, advisors and credible voices that extends the organization's reach and legitimacy, with particular focus on those most relevant to the Mobile Voting Project.
• Represent our priorities externally with conviction, not talking points, stemming from a deep understanding of and commitment to our work.
• Develop an impact and evaluation framework, with reporting systems that track what's working across our fundraising strategy and where to improve.
• Put real stewardship and reporting practices in place. Accountability is the whole brand.

Who We're Looking For

• A dynamic leader who has successfully secured significant financial support for ambitious and innovative organizations, initiatives or investment platforms, and has the standing to open high-value doors independently.
• Someone who has built from nothing, or rebuilt something that had lost momentum (and understands from experience that there's a real difference between creating an operation and running one). 
• A strategist who can make politically inflected, unconventional work genuinely compelling to sophisticated donors, funders and partners.
• Someone with the credibility and confidence to represent the organization alongside a high-profile founder, and the judgment to know when to lead and when to support. Someone who actually enjoys working across multiple issue areas, is comfortable wearing many different hats and pivoting when needed, and is able to make a broad portfolio land as a strength with the right audience.
• Someone with a track record that demonstrates they are genuinely energized by work that spans public policy, philanthropy, technology and civic engagement.
• A leader with a strong network of their own, and the drive to keep building it.

We're less focused on which sector you come from than we are on what you've accomplished. You might come from philanthropy, venture capital, political fundraising, higher education, a think tank, a membership organization or media. What matters is a proven record of delivering results in a relationship-driven environment where trust, credibility and partnerships determine outcomes.

The Process

We respect your time and try to keep the process focused. You can expect four to five conversations over roughly five weeks: an initial screen, a conversation with Bradley, meetings with senior leaders across the Tusk ecosystem and a working discussion where we'll ask you to talk through how you'd approach our funding landscape. No written deliverables, no donor lists, just how you think. For finalists, we conduct thorough reference checks, including conversations with funders who know your work firsthand. We'll be transparent about where you stand throughout the process and we ask for the same candor in return.

The pay range for this position is expected to be $200,000 - $250,000 per year. Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, experience, market factors, and business need. 

Tusk Philanthropies is an equal opportunity employer and does not disqualify or discriminate against applicants based on their race, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender, age, and sexual orientation.