Director of Development

Civil Rights Legal Center Seeks Director of Development with 10+ Years of Experience

Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a non-profit, civil rights legal center, seeks a dynamic and motivated Director of Development, passionate about disability rights and able to build a high-performing development team, strengthen core systems, and drive a comprehensive fundraising strategy. Reporting to the COO, the Director of Development will oversee consultants supporting events, database management, and donor-facing design and content production, and will grow the development team’s capacity to meet individual and institutional fundraising goals. This position is based in New York City, with the opportunity to work hybrid.

DRA advances equal rights and opportunities for people with a wide range of disabilities through high-impact litigation utilizing federal, state, and local disability law. With offices in New York, Chicago, and Berkeley, DRA fights for equal access and dramatic improvements for people with disabilities in all areas of life, including technology, health care, employment, transportation, education, voting, juvenile justice, housing, and more. With a high success rate for more than 30 years, DRA continues to take on significant and novel cases to achieve meaningful impact for people with disabilities across the nation. For more information on DRA’s mission and impact, visit .

The Director of Development is responsible for leading DRA’s national fundraising initiatives. This includes building and managing external relationships and expanding awareness about the organization and its mission. Our ideal candidate has a history working directly with major donors and a track record of growing revenue generated from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Because of DRA’s mission and high-impact legal work, it is important for the Director of Development to have experience building relationships with law firms and other legal entities. Growing and diversifying our sources of contributed income is also essential to meet the increasing demand for the unique high-impact litigation we do year over year. We seek a team player who will ensure we meet our $2M fundraising goal in 2027, and $2.5M in 2028.

Core Responsibilities

Development Strategy (20%)

• In partnership with the COO, set quarterly and annual revenue goals and define strategic fundraising priorities to achieve them.
• Enhance systems to track fundraising progress and provide regular milestone reports to the Board of Directors and Executive team.
• Develop and implement strategies to strengthen existing institutional fundraising and event-based fundraising.
• Build a structured major donor program, including cultivation practices, stewardship systems, and leadership engagement models.
• Develop DRA’s planned giving and cy pres award strategies as long‑term growth initiatives.
• Ensure implementation of best practices for donor pipeline growth and development with targets for donor acquisition, donor renewal rates, and lapsed donor reactivation goals.
• Work with the Board Development and Communications Committee, engaging members by articulating development strategies and securing member buy-in for key initiatives.
• Set strategic direction for donor communications ensuring alignment with fundraising priorities and donor engagement goals.

Donor Prospecting, Cultivation, and Stewardship (60%)

• Identify, qualify, and cultivate individual and institutional prospects through research, screenings, and meetings.
• Collaborate with the COO, CEO, board members, and advisors to cultivate and steward major donors and prospects. Provide moves management strategy, tactical guidance, and logistical support for leadership’s donor engagement.
• Directly manage a portion of the major donor (individual and institutional) portfolio.
• Work with the Communications Strategist on donor-related content to communicate successes to current supporters, acquire new donors, and increase event attendance.
• Collaborate with legal and communication teams to develop compelling funding proposals and informational materials for individual and institutional donors.

Development Oversight & Management (20%)

• Build long‑term development capacity by hiring individual giving and institutional giving staff over the next two years, transitioning from a department of one to a fully staffed team.
• Oversee the transition of donor communications, proposals, and reports from the Communications Strategist to the development team as new staff are hired.
• Oversee implementation and effective ongoing use of Salesforce in recording donor communications and interactions to ensure accurate, actionable donor data and support moves management.
• Manage consultants to execute the annual gala and other events, maintain effective database systems, and support DRA’s donor communications across digital, print, and event materials.
• Ensure accurate quarterly accounting of contributed revenue—projected and actual.
• Participate in DRA’s management team.

Qualifications:

• Ten+ years of development experience, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated record of building and leading a high-performing team, including hiring, onboarding, supervising, and developing staff.
• Excellent analytical, planning, and strategic thinking skills.
• Success in building rapport and maintaining long-term relationships with major donors.
• Success in soliciting and securing major gifts.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of the philanthropic landscape and prospect research methodologies/best practices.
• Experience successfully managing multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Salesforce (or other donor CRM software), wealth screening software, and other relevant technologies.
• Track record in supporting and empowering executives and board members on development-related goals/activities.

An Ideal Candidate Is:

• Passionate about DRA’s mission and vision
• Excited about helping to grow DRA’s fundraising programs
• Knows the New York City and national fundraising landscape
• Willing to travel between New York, Chicago, and Berkeley
• Agile working both independently and with a team in a fast-paced environment
• Flexible and willing to help get work done

Compensation

DRA offers a competitive salary of $150,000-$170,000 depending on experience. Comprehensive benefits including top-tier medical, dental, and vision insurance with 100% paid employee premiums, 401(k) with company contribution, generous holiday and paid time off benefits, and additional health and commuter benefits.

How to Apply

Please send the following to View email address on click.appcast.io with “Director of Development” as the subject:

1. Cover letter (including how you learned about this job opening). Applications without cover letters will not be considered.
2. Resume
3. Three professional references (at least two direct supervisors). References will not be contacted until finalists are identified.
4. A writing sample (1-3 pages)

DRA is an equal opportunity employer and values a diverse workforce and inclusive culture.

DRA encourages applications from all qualified individuals and does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

DRA is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the employment process. If a reasonable accommodation is needed for the hiring process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io with the subject line “Accommodations Request.”

Applications accepted through October 23, 2026