The Organization
Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) was established in 1973 to serve the legal needs arising from the lack of opportunity, criminalization of poverty, and racial inequity experienced within Chicago’s Cabrini Green public housing community. Since then, CGLA has grown beyond a single neighborhood to become a citywide, countywide, and statewide leader in holistic legal services, legal information and resources, and advocacy exclusively for low-income individuals negatively impacted by the criminal legal system. Any engagement with the criminal legal system can greatly disrupt an individual, family, and community’s quality of life.
CGLA is distinguished among legal aid service providers locally, throughout Illinois, and nationally as having expertise in legal matters related to the direct and collateral consequences of the criminal legal system. Since 2014, we have been the sole legal aid services provider serving Cook County with the distinction of focusing exclusively on individuals and families who have been adversely impacted by the criminal legal system in all our legal program areas: criminal records, criminal defense, housing law, and family law. We provide direct legal services, advocate for policy reforms, and provide legal information and resources to other legal aid organizations, pro bono attorneys, and the general public. We also support our clients holistically with wraparound social services from our social workers. Our policy and advocacy work is not performed as a separate entity; rather it is informed by our legal services and the lived experiences of our Leadership Council, an Advisory Group made up of former CGLA clients and community members directly impacted by the criminal legal system.
CGLA’s Mission, Purpose and Vision
• Mission: We provide holistic legal services that include social support services and advocacy for individuals and communities negatively impacted by the criminal legal system.
• Purpose: CGLA exists to remove barriers to equity in the criminal legal system.
• Vision: A more just and equitable criminal legal system.
Position Overview
The Director of Development serves as an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting Cabrini Green Legal Aid’s long-term fundraising strategy consistent with the mission, vision, purpose, and values of the organization. The Director works in close collaboration with the Executive Director and the Executive Leadership Team and is responsible for overseeing all fundraising and development activities, including development-related communications. The successful candidate will be able to comprehend CGLA’s work and impact and translate to appropriate audiences. The Director of Development will help forge new relationships to build CGLA’s visibility, impact, and financial resources. The Director of Development will design and implement a comprehensive plan for developing key external alliances by cultivating individual, organizational, and institutional support. We seek an innovative leader with a racial and economic justice lens who will work to expand and diversify CGLA’s donor base/pipeline and work closely with team members to secure funding for new and existing initiatives. This position will collaborate with the Director of Programs and Director of Policy & Advocacy on grant and project funding opportunities. This position will collaborate regularly with the Director of Finance on grant proposals, reports, and revenue projections. Additionally, this position will collaborate with the board of directors, particularly the Board’s Fundraising and Development committee as well as the Finance committee, to actively engage in and support fundraising efforts and long-term financial strategies. Lastly, the Director of Development will direct the work of up to two team members to secure and strengthen CGLA’s financial health and support the expansion of the organization’s network, capacity and continued programmatic success. This position reports directly to the Executive Director and serves as a member of the Executive Team.
How To Apply
Apply via our website at https://www.cgla.net/careers