GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.
GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011 and delivered cash to more than 2 million people in 15 different countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.
Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, span 21 different countries and 69 languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.
Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision-making, and strive to build an ambitious, dynamic and high-performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit.
We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed, and grow. We support high ownership, flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.
Level: Associate
Reports to: Senior Manager, Philanthropy Special Projects
Location: This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.
Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel ~1–2 times per year to one of our countries of operation for team retreats, donor field visits, or other events.
About this role
GiveDirectly’s Special Projects team is a lean, high-performing team that supports the organization’s highest-priority fundraising opportunities in close partnership with senior leadership. The team works on bespoke, high-value initiatives with major philanthropies and partners, often involving complex coordination across fundraising, programs, product, research, and finance.
As Associate, Special Projects, you will play a critical support role across the team’s portfolio of work. You will help scope and research new opportunities, build and maintain the systems that enable high-quality execution, support donor engagement and events, and jump in where needed to move priority fundraising efforts forward. This is a great role for someone who is highly organized, intellectually curious, and excited to work across strategy, donor engagement, operations, and execution in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
What you'll do:
-
Fundraising & Special Projects Support:
- Support the execution of high-priority fundraising initiatives, working closely with Special Projects team and senior leadership
- Contribute to the development of concept notes, pitch decks, briefing materials, and engagement plans for major donors and partners
- Help coordinate cross-functional inputs from Programs, Product, Research, Finance, and Programs teams
Opportunity Scoping & Research:
- Research and “sleuth” potential new funders, partners, and strategic opportunities
- Support early-stage scoping of new ideas by gathering background research, synthesizing insights, and flagging promising leads
- Track emerging themes and opportunities relevant to GiveDirectly’s fundraising and program ambitions
Systems, Process & Team Enablement:
- Build and maintain systems, trackers, and documentation that help the Special Projects team operate efficiently and at high quality
- Support Salesforce and internal tracking to ensure engagement records, timelines, and deliverables are up to date
- Help institutionalize learnings from donor engagements and special projects to improve future work
Donor Engagement & Events Support:
- Support logistics, preparation, and follow-up for donor meetings, events, and field visits
- Help ensure donor experiences are thoughtful, well-coordinated, and aligned with GiveDirectly’s values and strategy
What you'll bring:
- Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
- A track record of tenacious problem solving and getting things done.
- Exceptional organization and attention to detail, paired with consistent reliability and strong follow-through.
- 3+ years of experience in a fast-paced, high-performance environment (e.g., consulting, start-up, nonprofit).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially for high-stakes and external-facing materials, with a continuous desire to improve those skills.
- Comfort juggling multiple priorities and adapting as needs shift.
- Genuine enthusiasm for GiveDirectly’s mission and the opportunity to catalyze step-change organizational growth and impact for recipients.
- Experience applying AI tools to streamline workflows and improve productivity.
- Strong alignment with our values, and ability to actively demonstrate our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
Compensation
At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role, location, and cost of living. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.
Unless otherwise noted, the benefits stipend may be used to cover benefits or taken as additional taxable income.
United States
- Base Salary: $74,900
- Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~$7,490 with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be $8,763)
- Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $82,390+
- Annual Benefits Stipend: $21,393
United Kingdom
- Base Salary: £47,800
- Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~£4,780 with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be £5,593)
- Estimated Total Compensation at Target: £52,580
- Annual Benefits Stipend: £2,760
This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US or UK, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.
Why work at GiveDirectly?
At GiveDirectly, we work to ensure that you have everything you need to excel in your role and on your team, including:
- A supportive team that works hard and cares hard
- A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
- Flexible paid time off that staff is encouraged to take
- Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development
#LI-REMOTE
Working at GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.
Commitment to Safeguarding
As a global organization working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.
These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.
**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing, reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or exploitation.” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**
Reasonable Accommodations
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at careers@givedirectly.org with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.
Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!