Description
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:
The mission of Equal Justice Works is to create a just society by mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice.
Equal Justice Works provides a continuum of opportunity that begins with incoming law students and extends into later careers in the profession. Three primary areas of focus of the organization include:
- Public interest programming on law school campuses including hosting the largest national public interest law conference and career fair in the country.
- The Equal Justice Works Fellowships program which funds hundreds of public interest attorneys across the country each year to close the justice gap on issues such as foreclosure, community economic development, immigration, civil rights, homelessness, access to healthcare, and domestic violence. More than 80% of fellows continue doing public interest work after their fellowship ends.
- Advocacy for loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs) and federal legislation that enable graduates to pay back their loans as a percentage of income and to get loan forgiveness after 10 years of public service.
This is an exciting juncture for the organization as it has grown dramatically in the last few years in size and scope to a current annual operating budget of $15 million and a staff of approximately 40. Going forward, Equal Justice Works is on the path to scale into a mid- sized organization so that it can inspire and provide opportunities for the legal community to change lives, make careers, and deliver on the promise of justice for all.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY:
The Senior Director of Institutional Advancement (serving as the senior fundraising professional) is responsible for designing and executing the overall fundraising, marketing and communications strategy for the organization. He/she will work very closely with the COO, Executive Director, Board of Directors and Senior Team to build a “best-in-class” department.
The Senior Director of Institutional Advancement will capitalize on the increased scale and strong organizational position to manage, cultivate and steward the current donor base, while growing new support. Primary focus areas include devising a compelling development strategy, continuing institutional support, developing a more robust individual donor program, overseeing the very effective annual gala (raised $2.9 million in 2014), building and staffing a strong team, and collaborating with internal and external partners to accomplish ever more-challenging goals.
This is a tremendous opportunity to leverage Equal Justice Works’ superb reputation to accelerate fundraising commensurate with growth in programs.
Key Responsibilities Include:
Fundraising
- Lead and drive a rigorous and innovative fundraising strategy nationally in a complex, integrated development operation including foundations, corporations, law firms, individuals, government and others.
- Foster a shared vision for fundraising across the organization and drive a culture of philanthropy in partnership with the COO, Executive Director, Board and Senior Team.
- Manage and grow foundation, corporate and individual major giving program; personally identify, cultivate and solicit major gifts.
- Oversee the signature gala event and a variety of cultivation activities including innovative approaches as appropriate.
- Create and implement appropriate systems and procedures to support fundraising endeavors across the organization and allow for growth.
- Prepare and oversee regular fundraising progress reports for the senior management team and Board, organizational budgets, and funder compliance requirements in a timely and responsible manner.
Marketing and Communications
- Develop and oversee the implementation of a marketing and communications strategy in conjunction with the Director of Marketing and Communications to reach targeted audiences through online and traditional media, and other outlets.
- Ensure the consistent articulation of Equal Justice Works’ desired image and position in publications (print and online) and communications.
- Create an effective online strategy with the Director of Marketing and Communications to develop the organization’s web and social media presence.
- Internal Relations and Management
- Serve on the senior management team, providing the leadership to help Equal Justice Works be a well-integrated, effective and collaborative organization.
- Partner with heads of primary program lines to support their (and their teams’) own fund development activities, while providing institution-wide oversight and coordination of activities to pursue the best strategies with each donor and avoid overlap and duplication.
- Strategically recruit and hire a high performing Institutional Advancement team; provide a healthy environment for growth, professional development, cross training and cooperation.
- Coordinate with senior management on the development and tracking of annual programs and enterprise wide strategies, budgets, reports and calendars related to all Equal Justice Works fundraising and communications.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
The successful candidate will be a seasoned, highly motivated and strategic fundraising and communications executive with the ability to build a rigorous program, streamline current processes, and grow new avenues of revenue. He/she will have the combination of the style and experience to be a front line fundraiser as well as be a highly capable planner and executor. A passion for equal justice is a must.
Primary Professional and Personal Attributes Include:
- A minimum of 10+ years of senior fundraising, management and communications experience with deep experience in major gift fundraising preferred.
- Demonstrated success in personally initiating and securing 5-7+ figure major gifts, grants and sponsorships with proven ability to manage all stages of the pipeline.
- Exceptional relationship building skills with the ability to manage and sustain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong business acumen with an understanding of the big picture of an organization, its interdependencies and impact of strategic direction.
- Superior communication skills, open and transparent, with demonstrated ability to translate and message complex issues to a wide range of audiences, from legal professionals to high net worth individuals to corporate and government leaders.
- Proven ability to lead, motivate and encourage teamwork as well as communicate a clear vision of success and inspire others to effectively achieve goals.
- Strategic, highly professional executive presence with the independence, integrity and work ethic to effectively drive this initiative.
- A demonstrated belief in the importance of collaboration, team work and a positive and strong organizational culture.
- Strong computer and social media skills, including database management.
- Knowledge of the Washington, D.C., New York City and national legal and philanthropic communities preferred.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree or JD a plus.
TRAVEL: Regular travel expected, approximately 30%.
COMPENSATION: Salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with experience.
EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, physical or mental handicap, matriculation, or political affiliation. Equal Justice Works encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position.
HOW TO APPLY:
To apply, please carefully follow these instructions. Send your cover letter in the body of the email. Do not send it as an attachment. State the reason for your interest in the position, provide a brief summary of your professional experience, your stated salary requirements and address your background in relation to working on these issues. If you have applied for a previous position with Rethink Media please indicate this in your email. Attach your resume to the email and make sure to include your name in the title of the attachment (eg: resume.EmilyJones.doc). Email your application to settleson@gmail.com, subject line: Equal Justice Works -- Senior Director of Institutional Advancement.