Development Director

Innocence & Justice Louisiana (IJLA) is seeking a Development Director. The Development Director will play an important role in ensuring the financial stability and future growth of IJLA. The Development Director is responsible for leading and planning comprehensive fundraising and stewardship initiatives and activities to fully support the mission and the work of IJLA.

The Development Director will report directly to the Deputy Director and will work closely with the leadership and management teams at IJLA. The Development Director will supervise the Development Coordinator. This is a full-time, in-person position at IJLA.

About IJLA

Innocence & Justice Louisiana frees innocent people sentenced to prison and those serving unjust sentences. We recognize the root causes of wrongful convictions and unjust sentences as systemic racism and inequity. We work to expose and address these root causes by securing the release of the wrongfully convicted and unjustly punished; sharing our clients’ stories in court, the legislature, the community, and the media; and supporting our clients to enable them to live well and fully in the world after their release.

Responsibilities & Duties:

Development

• Oversee and manage development and fundraising efforts for IJLA.
• Create a comprehensive and diversified development plan on an annual basis in alignment with strategic and budgetary goals/priorities/needs.
• Evaluate success against the development plan with data analysis and benchmarking.
• Be primary point of contact and staff manager for external fundraising / event committees, supporting their work with materials, guidance, and oversight.

Donor Engagement & Stewardship

• Own a portfolio of donor relationships and manage local and national donor engagement through e-mail, phone, and/or in-person meetings.
• Develop and execute a stewardship strategy on an annual basis.
• Set strategy for new donor prospect research and donor reengagement in partnership with other team members.
• Be responsible for CRM leadership and ensure the implementation of best practices to ensure CRM data quality, and accurate tracking of donor engagement.
• Evaluate the donor experience and communicate and incorporate feedback to team members, as appropriate.

Grants

• Manage grant strategy, including identifying new grant opportunities and handling relationships with grant and foundation managers.
• Prepare grant applications, and/or oversee the grant writing process by others, tracking major milestones and responsible parties to ensure timely submission of letters of intent, applications, and submission requirements.
• Ensure the tracking of grant awards and rejections and when available, analyze and incorporate feedback and recommendations into future proposals and strategy.
• Work with the leadership and operations to transition grants to appropriate parties with clear expectations, future requirements and reporting milestones.

Events

• Oversee the creation and management of an annual event calendar.
• Establish the budget, fundraising goals, and content and themes for all events.
• Spearhead the selection of venues and vendors, including contracting in collaboration with operations and leadership.
• Develop standardized templates for event hosting, with workplans that include major milestones and responsible parties, due dates, and event run of shows, and related event policies and procedures.
• Conduct post-event analysis and compile lessons learned and key takeaways.
• In collaboration with Communications, create event promotions and community outreach strategy and materials.
• Manage event host committees, sponsorships and conduct sponsor outreach.
• Manage event donor and sponsor stewardship post events.

Communications

• With the Communications Manager, identify compelling stories to highlight IJLA’s work, including the impact on clients, to support fundraising efforts and grant applications.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in fundraising, preferably for a non-profit organization. A plus – experience in criminal legal aid/reform organizations or similar social justice work.
• Hands-on experience in donor relations, major gift solicitation, campaign management, and event planning, including large events.
• Demonstrated success in grant-writing – securing, and managing government, corporate, and foundation grants.
• Strong relationship-building, leadership and management experience.
• Ability to design long-term fundraising campaigns and revenue strategies, analyze fundraising trends, and manage multi-project pipelines.
• Excellent written, verbal, and public speaking abilities to pitch donors and inspire teams. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively to diverse internal and external audiences.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency with customer relationship management (CRM), donor management software, and MS Office Suite.
• Experience using data, metrics, and reporting to inform decisions and drive performance.
• Past supervisory/coaching/mentorship experience.
• Ability to work both independently and in a collaborative setting. A self-starter who asks questions and seeks clarification, when needed.
• Ability to travel.
• Willingness to work irregular hours and weekends for events or to meet deadlines when necessary.
• Valid driver’s license.

Salary & Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $80,000 – $90,000. Salary will be commensurate with relevant experience. IJLA offers a very competitive benefits package, including medical/dental/vision and six weeks of paid vacation, 401k match, and cell phone reimbursement. IJLA is a family and pet friendly workplace.

Application

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Please e-mail a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and three references to View email address on click.appcast.io . Please include the job title in the e-mail subject line. Please do not call. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

IJLA is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce reflective of the diverse communities we serve and support. IJLA works to advance racial justice and equity. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and legal system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.