Application Guide

How to Apply for Director of Individual Giving (candidates can be based anywhere in the US + new salary range)

at Climate Defiance

🏢 About Climate Defiance

Climate Defiance is a bold, unapologetic organization that uses mass turnout, nonviolent direct action, and strategic communications to elevate climate change as a top political issue. Unlike incrementalist groups, they directly confront decision-makers and have a proven event model featuring high-profile speakers. If you're fired up about the climate crisis and want to work for an organization that demands real accountability, this is the place.

About This Role

As Director of Individual Giving, you will build and deepen relationships with donors across the country who are fed up with the status quo. You'll carry a portfolio of current donors, convert event attendees into long-term supporters, and build the systems and pipeline for mid-level and major gifts. Your work directly funds cutting-edge climate action, making you critical to the organization's growth.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your day might start with reviewing donor engagement metrics and preparing for virtual meetings with major donors. You'll then join a strategy call with the events team to discuss how to convert attendees from an upcoming action into donors. Afternoon could involve drafting personalized outreach emails to new prospects and updating the CRM with notes from a recent donor call.

🚀 Application Tools

Generate Cover Letter

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Climate Defiance Is Looking For

  • An experienced development professional with a proven track record in individual giving, including major donor portfolio management and pipeline building.
  • Passionate about climate justice and aligned with Climate Defiance's confrontational, non-incremental approach to holding decision-makers accountable.
  • Skilled at relationship-building, with the ability to engage high-profile event attendees and convert them into committed donors.
  • Comfortable working remotely and independently, with the ability to build systems from scratch for a growing organization.

📝 Tips for Applying to Climate Defiance

1

Highlight specific examples of building a major donor program from the ground up, including systems and pipelines you've created.

2

Demonstrate your familiarity with Climate Defiance's events and model—mention any events you've attended or followed, and how you'd leverage them for donor conversion.

3

Show your passion for climate action by referencing recent campaigns or actions by Climate Defiance that inspired you.

4

Quantify your fundraising success: include dollar amounts raised, donor growth rates, or portfolio size increases in your resume and cover letter.

5

Address remote work experience explicitly—mention tools you've used for donor management (e.g., Salesforce, EveryAction) and how you build relationships virtually.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your alignment with Climate Defiance's bold, unapologetic approach to climate advocacy.", 'Specific experience building individual giving programs, especially major donor pipelines and event-based fundraising.', 'Your ability to work independently and remotely while maintaining strong donor relationships.', "Concrete examples of how you've turned event attendees into long-term donors."]

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Review Climate Defiance's recent actions and campaigns (e.g., protests at political events, direct confrontations with officials) to understand their tactics.
  • → Study their event model: past speakers, formats, and attendee demographics to see how you could leverage events for fundraising.
  • → Read their mission and values on their website to ensure alignment with their unapologetic, confrontational style.
  • → Look at their current donor communications (emails, social media) to understand their tone and messaging.
Visit Climate Defiance's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you build a major donor pipeline from scratch at a growing organization like Climate Defiance?
2 Describe your experience with event-based fundraising—how do you convert attendees into donors?
3 What strategies do you use to identify and qualify new major donor prospects?
4 How do you stay motivated and maintain donor relationships in a remote work environment?
5 What is your understanding of Climate Defiance's theory of change, and how does individual giving support it?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't emphasize incremental or bipartisan approaches—Climate Defiance is explicitly against the status quo.
  • Avoid generic fundraising language; instead, show you understand their specific event-driven, high-energy donor base.
  • Don't downplay the need for building systems—they want someone who can create structure from scratch, not just manage existing processes.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Climate Defiance!

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