Under the direction and guidance of the director of philanthropy, the SMGO will play a key role in managing relationships with existing donors, creatively engaging supporters in our work, and identifying and securing new major gift portfolio donors that will enable longstanding, tangible civil liberties victories. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA) is seeking a full-time Senior Major Gifts Officer (SMGO) in the Pittsburgh region to help expand our organization’s fund development program to sustain our presence and programmatic impact across the state.

Job Opportunity

ACLU of Pennsylvania

Senior Major Gifts Officer

 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (ACLU-PA) is seeking a full-time Senior Major Gifts Officer (SMGO) in the Pittsburgh region to help expand our organization’s fund development program to sustain our presence and programmatic impact across the state. 

This is a great opportunity for an experienced fundraising professional who is invested in social justice to join Pennsylvania’s premier defender of civil liberties. We are a passionate, highly motivated group of attorneys, public policy and legislative advocates, communications experts, community organizers, administrators, and fundraisers, and we are looking for exceptional talent to join our team.

 

The SMGO will help raise transformative gifts that will expand and sustain our programmatic goals. Under the direction and guidance of the director of philanthropy, the SMGO will play a key role in managing relationships with existing donors, creatively engaging supporters in our work, and identifying and securing new major gift portfolio donors that will enable longstanding, tangible civil liberties victories. The SMGO will be responsible for managing a portfolio of approximately 100 donors (each with an estimated capacity to give $10,000 or more). 

 

The SMGO is responsible for structuring sophisticated giving strategies, including blended, complex assets, and planned gifts. This role requires an entrepreneurial, highly autonomous fundraiser who may also mentor junior development staff and strategically engage executive leadership and board members to maximize philanthropic revenue.

 

The SMGO will serve as a key member of our five-person fundraising team. The SMGO will serve as a trusted advisor to the director of philanthropy, help influence overall development strategy, and lead a statewide initiative. Please note that this position is hybrid, with a suggested two days a week in the office. 

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The SMGO will spend much of their time directly interacting with donors (both virtually, by phone, and in-person) in helping them fulfill their passions and interests through their giving to the ACLU. The goal is to expand the number of leadership ($10,000+) and planned gifts from ACLU supporters across the commonwealth. 

 

Responsibilities include:

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 100 donors (each with an estimated capacity to give $10,000 or more) with the goal of qualifying, cultivating, and soliciting major and planned gifts. 
• Create and execute individual cultivation and solicitation strategies for qualified donors.
• Directly solicit major and planned gifts in person and virtually, and partner with the Executive Director and Director of Philanthropy on key solicitations.
• Develop unique stewardship opportunities and participate in broader donor cultivation events.
• Work with the appropriate program staff to secure project information to develop personalized materials directed at individual donors/prospects that are in line with donor interests and programmatic priorities.
• Maintain working knowledge of local and national programmatic priorities and issues as they occur.
• Partner with colleagues from the national ACLU to advance key donor relationships. 
• Engage members and donors in all the ways they can support advancing the work - through donating time, talents, and ties. 
• Assist with events and communication to donors about the ACLU-PA’s mission, activities, and successes in a compelling, inspiring, and motivating way.
• Center principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all work, embedding the values in fundraising, program development, and organizational practices and processes.
• Other special projects as necessary.

 

Data Management:

• Record on a timely basis all meaningful interactions (in-person and virtual meetings, phone calls, etc.) with donors in the donor database, including qualification assessments, donor strategies, and action steps for follow-up.
• Manage a fiscal year plan for portfolio management.  
• Create reports as required by management that accurately reflect portfolio activity and performance. 

 

Strategic leadership

• Contribute to the design and execution of comprehensive fundraising strategies, the organization’s overarching major gifts strategy, and special organizational initiatives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the ED and DoP, actively preparing these executives for high-level donor interactions and staffing them on major cultivation events.
• Help in planning and executing major gift donor events.
• Partner with prospect research and data analytics to identify emerging high-net-worth prospects and systematically elevate donors into principal giving tiers.
• Contribute to the planning and design, and lead the execution of a statewide development initiative. 

 

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

 

• Minimum three years of experience in major gift fundraising and prospect development. 
• Expressed commitment to the ACLU-PA’s mission and core priorities, including criminal legal reform, voting rights, First Amendment rights, immigrants’ rights, LGBQ&T equality, privacy and security, and racial justice, and experience centering those directly impacted by these issues.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity. inclusion, and belonging,  using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances.
• Strong dedication to ethical fundraising through a racial justice lens, including an emphasis on centering the voices of directly impacted individuals and a resistance to using tokenism or white savior narratives in fundraising work.
• Demonstrated commitment to working collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.

 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

 

• Demonstrated non-profit development experience is preferred, but other, transferable experience will be considered. Direct work soliciting donors and closing and stewarding major gifts is ideal.
• Demonstrated understanding, knowledge of, and commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and the ACLU of Pennsylvania’s mission.
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office technology (i.e.,  Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint).
• Strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for building strong professional relationships with donors, board members, volunteers, staff, and the general public.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to speak comfortably and compellingly with donors about the potential impact of their philanthropic investments in the ACLU.
• Experience working with Salesforce and knowledge of the Philadelphia philanthropic community is a plus.
• The ability to work occasional evening, weekend, and irregular hours and to travel within the state as needed.

 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The ACLU-PA offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and competitive with public interest salaries. The annual salary for the position is $96,044. Benefits include 11 paid holidays along with generous vacation (including two paid shutdown weeks a calendar year) and sick leave; half-day Fridays; individual/family employer-provided health insurance; life insurance and long-term disability; and a defined contribution plan with employer match. Relocation assistance may be available for out-of-state candidates. This position is full-time, salaried, and exempt.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references (please include email, phone, and relationship to you) via our career pagehttps://aclupahr.applytojob.com/apply.No phone calls please. All applications are treated confidentially.

 

Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled, at which time this announcement will be removed from our website. 

 

The ACLU-PA is an equal opportunity employer.  We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-PA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or record of arrest or conviction.

ACLU-PA’s hiring process will comply with Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards (“Ban the Box”) ordinance.

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. ACLU-PA reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

 

ABOUT ACLU-PA

The ACLU-PA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest organization, dedicated to defending and enhancing personal freedoms protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights through litigation, legislative advocacy, and community education. It is a fast-paced environment that addresses headline-making issues with powerful personal stories and dynamic, precedent-setting solutions. The ACLU-PA has three offices, ten volunteer chapters, over 40,000 members and donors, 40 employees, and a $5.3 million operating budget.

 

The ACLU-PA comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union (the “Union”) of Pennsylvania and the ACLU Foundation (the “Foundation”) of Pennsylvania. The Union is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, and ACLU membership dues fund its lobbying work. Donations to the Union are not tax-deductible. The ACLU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Foundation funds support litigation and public education efforts. Donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible. The Major Gifts Officer is an employee of the ACLU Foundation of Pennsylvania. 

 

Both the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the ACLU Foundation of Pennsylvania have the same overall mission, and share office space, employees, and the same board of directors. The two entities are jointly known by the term “ACLU-Pennsylvania.” 

 

To learn more about the work of ACLU-PA, please visit www.aclupa.org.

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