Los Angeles, CA

Philanthropy Program Officer, ACLU of Southern California

The Organization

Founded in 1923, ACLU SoCal is dedicated to defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights. ACLU SoCal works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend the principle that every individual’s rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin. ACLU SoCal has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire, and Kern County.

Position Overview

To Apply: Please submit your cover letter, resume, and writing samples.

*Applicants please be aware we will only be reviewing candidates that have provided all required documentation.*

Remote Work: Remote work available due to “Safe at Home” order.

OVERVIEW

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) seeks a Philanthropy Program Officer. Under direction of the Deputy Director of Philanthropy, the Philanthropy Program Officer manages the department’s prospect research program, helps to lead the major gifts team cultivation and solicitation efforts, centralizes and coordinates the executive portfolio, develops and manages priority donor materials and major department publications, assists with event planning and other department needs, and manages a small portfolio of donors.

CLASSIFICATION

Full-Time, Non-Exempt

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Prospect Research (25%)

  • Leads the philanthropy department’s prospect research program by:
  • Producing weekly reports to track income from all portfolio donors and new prospects;
  • Identifying major gifts prospects based on reporting and making recommendations for portfolio assignment as needed;
  • Conducting biographical and financial capacity research on donors and prospects;
  • Facilitating a series of quarterly portfolio review meetings for the portfolio officers to assign new prospects;
  • Managing database administration to transition individual donors in and out of portfolios;
  • Managing a research request process to support portfolio officers;
  • Collaborating with the national ACLU fundraising team on developing strategies and processes for prospect development;
  • Creating analytical reports to track success of prospect research program.

Major Gifts Program Management (20%)

  • Under the direction of the Deputy Director of Philanthropy, manage the cultivation and solicitation efforts of the major gifts team including:
  • Designing and implementing a fiscal year calendar to centralize the cultivation and appeal schedule of the major gifts program, strategically developing a year-long series of touches to keep donors cultivated and solicit renewals;
  • Manage the application of the calendar by coordinating between major gift portfolios and ensuring coherent program-wide implementation;
  • Maintain a retroactive department calendar in order to track meetings, cultivations, appeals, grant deadlines, and events as they take place.
  • At calendar and fiscal year end, collaborate with department staff to track and collect pledge payments and contributed income;
  • Prepare analytics and reporting to support assessments on the performance of major gift portfolios and health of the donor pipeline.

Executive Portfolio Management (15%)

  • Under the direction of the Chief Development Officer (CDO), provide high level management of the executive portfolio through:
  • Fielding calls from donors and prospects, answering inquiries and fulfilling requests;
  • Ensuring database integrity by entering records of correspondence between CDO and donors into database, managing data in the accounts, and uploading supporting documentation related to solicitations and pledges;
  • Arranging key internal and external appointments, including travel arrangements and reservations;
  • Preparing strategy memos and materials for individual donor and prospect meetings;
  • Drafting correspondence to individual donors and prospects;
  • Drafting detailed proposals in collaboration with Chief Development Officer and/or Deputy Director of Philanthropy for soliciting major gifts and follow-up correspondence.

Priority Materials Development (15%)

  • Lead the production and management of donor materials including:
  • The creation and maintenance of the affiliate-wide summary of legal and legislative advocacy, project area-specific informational leaflets; and more;
  • The creation and management of the Annual Report in collaboration with development, advocacy, communications, and finance staff;
  • Editing, as needed, Individual Giving Team staff’s donor materials and external-facing writing products to ensure consistent donor messaging about ACLU work;
  • Archiving department cultivation and solicitation materials for department’s institutional memory;
  • Maintaining printed materials and other inventory of branded fundraising stationary.

Fundraising (10-15 donors) (15%)

  • Manage portfolio of 10-15 donors including creating individualized strategies for each donor; writing customized proposals to solicit, renew, or increase support; and uploading all pertinent information into the donor database.

Philanthropy Department Support (10%)

  • Support the planning and hosting of donor cultivation events;
  • Provide administrative support for development-focused board committees;
  • Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Minimum of 2-3 years of experience working in the nonprofit industry, with at least 2 years on a development team.
  • Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication and presentation skills. Ability to understand and follow many different areas of civil rights work, and to describe many different areas of work in a way that is concise, compelling, and easy to understand for donors and prospective donors.
  • Strong organizational skills. Ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track progress towards achieving objectives.
  • Proficiency with office technology and information systems (including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and donor databases, preferably Salesforce.
  • Must be available for travel within Southern California (travel expenses will be reimbursement)
  • Must be available for some weekend and evening responsibilities.
  • Passionate about civil liberties and civil rights. A professional approach and a commitment to a workplace that values and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances.

BENEFITS

The hourly range for this position is $28.20- $33.33. Benefits include medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff members and their eligible dependents; life and long-term disability insurance; 401(k) plan with employer match; ample vacation and sick leave with thirteen paid holidays.

TO APPLY

Please complete an application and submit your resume, cover letter, and writing sample through our career portal below:

Online Career Portal: https://secure.onehcm.com/ta/ACLUSC.careers?CareersSearch (please attach all documents in the resume upload section)

ACLU of Southern California is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion and to strive to maintain a workforce that reflects the communities that we serve. The ACLU SoCal is an equal opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable law.  We encourage all qualified individuals to apply and value people of all races, genders (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientations, disabilities, citizenships, ages, religions, and national origins and who have different marital statuses, family caregiving responsibilities, lived experiences with the criminal justice systems, and genetic information.  ACLU SoCal does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these characteristics.

The ACLU SoCal is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail akim@aclusocal.org.  If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

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