Open Positions at the Gilder Lehrman Institute

The Organization

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) is the nation’s leading American history organization dedicated to K–12 education. The Institute’s mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources. Since its founding in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute has created powerful and meaningful ways to teach and learn history. Focusing on primary sources, the Institute offers teacher seminars, online courses, exhibitions, digital materials, and print publications that enable students of all ages and backgrounds to study the nation’s past.

The Institute brings the work of today’s leading historians into classrooms and homes around the globe. Through public events, publications, posters, videos, exhibitions, essays, and a dedicated website rich in primary sources, the Institute brings every period of American history to life. The Institute’s diverse education programs, including the acclaimed Hamilton Education Program, provide opportunities to explore five centuries of American history. The Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School network comprises twelve million students and more than 90,500 teachers from more than 34,000 schools worldwide.

The Role

Are you passionate about the field of education? Excited to inspire young people to be civically engaged at this critical moment for American democracy? Looking for an entrepreneurial fundraising role that allows you to be creative, hands-on, and part of recruiting the next generation of engaged supporters? The Gilder Lehrman Institute’s Development team is looking for you! 

The Institute’s annual operating budget is approximately $11M, nearly $5M of which comes from philanthropy. We are currently seeking a Senior Manager of Donor Relations and Communications, reporting to the Director of Development. The successful candidate will truly love to write and be excited about being a leader in rethinking how the Institute pairs words, images, and video to communicate the urgency of our mission and the impact of our programs to current and prospective donors. While writing will be an important component of this job, the Senior Manager will also have the opportunity to engage directly with donors. This is an ideal position for someone who is interested in the donor relationship-building aspects of fundraising, while relishing the idea of spending a significant portion of your time immersed in creating the materials that are so essential to effective fundraising. The writing that the Manager oversees will range from shorter to longer formats depending on the donor-related need, but with an overall emphasis on distilling our work into highly concise pieces that use graphic design and visual elements as useful to our storytelling.

The Senior Manager will play a key role in

• Creating compelling marketing materials that help staff, Trustees, and other stakeholders fundraise for priority programs and our annual fund  
• Strengthening our donor stewardship by regularly producing compelling communications pieces 
• Helping to sustain and grow our portfolio of donors by writing impact reports, proposals, and other materials to secure funds 
• Cultivating current and prospective donors in meetings   

The Senior Manager will be joining the Institute at a dynamic time, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary throughout 2024 and continue to enhance and expand our nonpartisan K–12 and public programming at a critical time for our nation.  

This role will be based in New York City, and currently requires working in person at least one day per week in GLI’s midtown office. 

Position Overview

The Senior Manager will play a crucial role in bringing our stories to life across donor audiences and mediums, helping us sustain our current donor base and significantly expand and diversify this base. Specific responsibilities will include

• Creating a toolkit of essential fundraising collateral for staff, Trustees, and President’s Council members to use in reaching out to donors, developing materials in both deck and document-based formats 
• Producing donor newsletters and other key donor communications pieces that capture highlights of the Institute’s work, taking these projects from start to finish by proposing the most compelling content, writing copy, and executing relevant graphic design elements  
• Supporting the success of donor cultivation events by writing event-related collateral including e-blasts to advertise event opportunities, written program materials distributed to event guests, and post-event publicity pieces  
• Developing and executing a plan for Trustee communications to inspire their giving and outreach by sharing impact stories 
• Managing a calendar of direct mail appeals, identifying compelling opportunities to solicit giving to our annual fund, and developing aligned appeal pieces (which could take the form of letters, videos, or any other creative approach to fundraising)
• Managing communications with donors who give to specific initiatives and/or programs in specific states, developing a calendar of outreach opportunities, and writing compelling updates to provide regular touchpoints throughout the year 
• Writing donor reports and proposals, working with the Institute’s Education team to develop compelling updates on our impact and cases for support 
• Supporting or leading annual meetings with a portfolio of donors to secure critical funds

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• An excellent writer, who also enjoys writing in multiple different formats and finding the right balance between telling stories through words, images, and videos 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite applications 
• Basic graphic design skills strongly preferred (i.e., you feel comfortable using Canva or equivalent tools to design a 1-page marketing document or design an e-blast)
• Prior experience in non-profit fundraising and/or communications, or demonstrated experience in another professional role that requires writing for external audiences and building key external relationships  

Other Qualifications

• Commitment to GLI’s mission and enthusiasm about communicating the mission to external audiences
• Exceptional project management skills, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment that involves juggling multiple projects at once and being detail-oriented about each task
• Strong relationship management skills and intuitive understanding of how to handle sensitive communications with care   
• Team-oriented with a desire to participate in creating a strong team culture 

Compensation

Compensation range: $70,000–$80,000 annually.  

The Gilder Lehrman Institute offers a generous and inclusive benefits package, including employer-paid health, dental, disability, and life insurance, 401(k) and FSA plans, and paid time off in the first year of hire, including a paid winter recess from December 26 to 31.

To Apply

Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume in a single file to hr@gilderlehrman.org. Please include “Senior Development Manager” in the subject line of your email. Please also let us know how you heard about the role. 

Candidates must also submit as separate attachments two work samples that highlight relevant skills for this position. One sample should be a narrative piece of writing (a short piece of two or three pages is ideal, with the maximum submission length being five pages). The second sample should integrate graphic design and narrative elements. Pieces written for donors or other marketing purposes are ideal. Candidates applying without a background in fundraising or communications may choose samples at their discretion that demonstrate relevant skills.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, sex, gender identity, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, height, weight, or any other legally protected status. If you meet many but not all the criteria and feel you may be a good fit for the role, GLI encourages you to apply.

The Organization

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) is the nation’s leading American history organization dedicated to K–12 education. The Institute’s mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources. Since its founding in 1994, GLI has created powerful and meaningful ways to teach and learn history. Focusing on primary sources, the Institute offers teacher seminars, online courses, exhibitions, digital materials, and print publications that enable students of all ages and backgrounds to study the nation’s past.

The Institute brings the work of today’s leading historians into classrooms and homes worldwide. Through public events, publications, posters, videos, exhibitions, essays, and a dedicated website rich in primary sources, GLI brings every period of American history to life. Diverse education programs, including the acclaimed Hamilton Education Program, provide opportunities to explore five centuries of American history. The Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School network comprises more than 12.6 million students and 97,000 educators from more than 35,000 schools worldwide.

The Role

Are you an events maven who loves running both VIP and large-scale events from start to finish? Interested in fueling the impact of a mission-driven organization? Excited by the idea of helping to inspire civic participation at this critical moment for American democracy? GLI’s Development team is looking for you!

We are currently seeking a Special Events Manager, reporting to the Director of Development, to lead and continue to evolve our dynamic calendar of events. The right candidate will have exceptional project management, collaboration, and communication skills, and take pride in impeccable attention to detail. GLI’s key events include

• The GLI Annual Gala, our largest fundraising event of the year (held in May), draws approximately 300 people including business, civic, and philanthropic leaders, as well as renowned scholars and historians. Our 2024 honorees were Dr. Annette Gordon-Reed, Ruth & Sid Lapidus, and Bill & Lia Poorvu.
• Hamilton VIP events, which include two types of events: our Hamilton matinee events and our student forums. Held six times per year, the matinee event brings together VIPs to learn about our Hamilton Education Program over a lunch followed by attending a matinee with more than 1,000 students from Title I–eligible schools across the New York City area who are participating in our yearlong program. At the student forum, hosted in public schools, students perform their original pieces inspired by the Broadway musical for the cast’s feedback and participate in a discussion with touring cast members about history and civic engagement. Investors often join to witness our program’s impact on students, and we attach a lunch or reception to the event.
• The National History Teacher of the Year celebration, honoring an exceptional American history K–12 teacher and celebrating the profound impact that educators have in the civic lives of their students. Past award presenters include former First Lady Laura Bush, Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
• Book Prize ceremonies (e.g., the Frederick Douglass Book Prize and the Lincoln Prize), which serve as donor cultivation activities by providing access to esteemed historians engaging in dialogue about their award-winning scholarship on pivotal topics.

Additionally, throughout the year, GLI hosts smaller cultivation events, such as private cocktail receptions and dinners, that help broaden awareness of our work among potential investors.

The Special Events Manager will be joining GLI at a dynamic time as we continue to enhance and expand our nonpartisan K–12 and public programming in response to the urgent needs of the moment.

This role will be based in New York City, and currently requires working in person at least one day per week in GLI’s midtown office.  

Position Overview

The Special Events Manager will manage all aspects of VIP engagement events from annual planning to the production of each individual event. This position will also work closely with the Director of Development and Associate Director of Development to build a strategy for enriching GLI’s special events to deepen the engagement of donors, prospects, our Board of Trustees, and other key stakeholders toward the goal of growing our revenue base. The Special Events Manager will be encouraged to bring a fresh perspective to how we “wow” our audiences through the way we tell our story and showcase our impact as part of our events. Additionally, the Manager will help develop new strategies for how we recruit event sponsors/underwriters and how we cultivate event attendees to become supporters. The Manager has the support of our Development Coordinator, who plays an active role in running many of our events. 

Responsibilities

• Managing the production of events through the use of strong project plans and workflow tools to set, assign, track, and advance critical tasks from event kickoff to completion
• For the annual gala, collaborating with and helping to manage an external consultant who supports select aspects of gala event planning, invitations and guest outreach, and other logistics 
• Collaborating with the Development Director and President to create run-of-show outlines that elevate the voice of the students and teachers we serve and the historians they learn from 
• Recruiting and, as relevant, preparing teachers and students who are part of event programs
• Developing and leading thoughtful, strategic meeting agendas with the Development Director, President, and other collaborators to efficiently advance event planning goals  
• Working with the Marketing team to plan and ensure execution of an overall communications plan for each event; working with this team, and with outside vendors, to create compelling video and print assets to support event goals 
• Managing event invitations and RSVP tracking, working with the Director of Development on guest lists, and liaising with our IT and Marketing teams and external designers and mail houses as relevant
• Evaluating and securing event space and related vendors; working with venues, A/V teams, and others to ensure a seamless attendee experience for each event 
• Serving as the day-of-event point person for venues, vendors, GLI staff, and other event participants; recruiting and preparing staff volunteers for each event
• Managing budgets, tracking event expenses, and working with the Finance team to ensure payments are processed on time  
• Streamlining and strengthening event workflow by proactively seeking opportunities to create/refine systems that support effective management and memorialize best practices for future event cycles 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree  
• Commitment to GLI’s mission and enthusiasm for communicating the mission to external audiences
• At least two years of prior fundraising experience preferred, though candidates with other compelling experience related to the role and/or GLI’s mission will be considered 
• Outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to prioritize and manage overlapping projects while remaining focused on quality in a fast-paced and goal-oriented environment
• Ability to “think on your feet,” provide direction and assistance, anticipating problems and developing solutions
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively as well as operate independently
• Team-oriented with a desire to participate in creating a strong team culture
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite applications
• Familiarity with Salesforce a plus 
• Must be able to manage events after traditional business hours 

Compensation

Compensation range: $60,000–$70,000 annually, commensurate with candidate’s experience; candidates with significant non-profit event management experience may be considered outside this range.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute offers a generous and inclusive benefits package, including employer paid health, dental, disability and life insurance, 401(k) and FSA plans, and paid time off in the first year of hire including a paid winter recess from December 25 to January 1. GLI also offers a comprehensive flex time and comp time policy.

To Apply

Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume in a single file to hr@gilderlehrman.org. Please include “Special Events Manager” in the subject line of your email. Please also let us know how you heard about the role. 

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, sex, gender identity, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, height, weight, or any other legally protected status. Frequently cited statistics show that women and people from underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they think they meet 100% of the criteria. If you meet many but not all the criteria and feel you may be a good fit for the role, GLI encourages you to apply.