The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Florida seeks a Major Gift Officer (MGO). This position will be located in Palm Beach or at our Miami office. We also have offices in Tampa, Pensacola, Orlando, Tallahassee and Jacksonville.
The ACLU Foundation of Florida is an affiliate of the national ACLU, a national public interest organization devoted to the defense of the Bill of Rights. For over 100 years, the ACLU has served as the nation’s primary protector of the liberties that define our democracy. The organization implements its vital civil liberties mission in all 50 states in large part through affiliate entities such as the ACLU of Florida. The Florida affiliate currently has a budget of over $8 million and 49 staff members, placing it among the larger ACLU affiliates in the nation.
The ACLU of Florida, the state’s largest civil rights and civil liberties organization, employs litigation, public policy advocacy, organizing, and public education to protect and promote a broad range of constitutional values and individual rights, such as freedom of speech, racial justice, right to privacy, religious liberty, criminal justice reform, voting rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, disability rights, and immigrants’ rights.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Major Gift Officer is a staff position within the affiliate’s Development Department, reporting to the Deputy Director of Philanthropy.
The MGO will work to ensure that the ACLU of Florida meets our fundraising goals by qualifying new prospects and building strong relationships with current donors to prioritize the work of the ACLU and maximize financial support. The MGO will focus on increasing philanthropic donations to support the ACLU’s work to defend and expand civil rights and civil liberties from donors and prospects. The MGO will also explore planned giving opportunities with donors.
The ACLU of Florida is engaged in a new four-year, $30 million fundraising campaign to expand the affiliate’s capacity in order to transform Florida. In addition to soliciting gifts to the annual fund, the MGO will solicit and close special campaign gifts to accomplish this exciting new goal.
The MGO will work closely with members of the ACLU of Florida’s development department and development colleagues at the national ACLU, as well as with staff in every department of the state organization.
The MGO will spend a significant amount of time in direct interaction with donors, to ensure that each donor can fulfill their desire to contribute and support the work of the ACLU in a manner that is consistent with the donors’ values. The positions will require travel within Florida and possible travel outside of Florida for training purposes.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage a portfolio of approximately 150 donors.
- Conduct and analyze publicly available research, consistent with ACLU privacy policy, on donors and prospects in the MGO’s portfolio.
- Create individual goals for each person in the portfolio.
- Create a comprehensive cultivation and solicitation strategy for donors and prospects in the portfolio and execute strategies that fulfill donors’ goals.
- Develop and implement a communications plan to keep in regular contact with donors on programmatic issues and key organizational developments.
- Directly meet with, inspire, and solicit major, campaign and planned gifts.
- Partner with senior and program staff on donor engagement opportunities.
- Provide support to senior staff in preparation of donor solicitation and stewardship including the development of briefing materials.
- Qualify prospects.
- Work with staff to collect programmatic details to develop communication and personalized proposals consistent with donor interests and programmatic priorities.
- Track portfolio activity, communication, and progress in a Salesforce database.
- Create reports as required by management that accurately reflect portfolio activity and performance.
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
· Develop special cultivation and stewardship opportunities, such as small virtual or in person gatherings with donors and prospects.
· Maintain working knowledge of the ACLU’s programmatic priorities and issues.
· Other duties as assigned.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
While no one person will have all the qualities enumerated below, the successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes:
- A strong commitment to the principles and values of the ACLU and its mission.
- Minimum of five years of experience in nonprofit fundraising with a proven track record of soliciting, closing, and stewarding major gifts and campaign gifts, or comparable experience.
- Experience soliciting planned gifts is also preferred.
- Excellent oral, and written communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to simplify complex themes and activities into a short, compelling presentation or written piece.
- Familiarity with talking about utilizing public policy advocacy and litigation to promote social justice.
- Strong people skills and the ability to communicate effectively and respectfully on the phone, via email, in virtual meetings, text and in person with donors, volunteers, staff, and the general public.
- Persuasiveness and perseverance in attaining goals.
- Strong organizational skills, ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
- Ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track progress towards achieving goals.
- Ability to keep sensitive information private and secure.
- Familiarity with moves management.
- Personal initiative and a sense of humor.
- A confident and professional work style.
- Ability to work independently and exercise good judgment in stressful circumstances.
- Friendly, outgoing, and collaborative approach, and a strong team-oriented style.
- Proficiency with office technology and information systems (including Word, Excel, Outlook) and a donor database (Salesforce, ResearchPoint, Looker).
- Must be available for travel across the state, as well as limited out-of-state travel.
- Knowledge of the Florida philanthropic community preferred.
- Ability to work beyond the traditional workday and work week as needed.
- Fluency in Spanish or Kreyol preferred, but not required.
Compensation will be commensurate with experience, within the range of $52,000 to $70,000. The ACLU of Florida provides excellent benefits, including health and dental insurance with generous vacation, holiday and sick leave policies, as well as a Defined Contribution 401K Retirement Plan.
Please send a cover letter, resume, and one writing sample by email to [email protected]. All inquiries should include Major Gift Officer in the subject line and all attachments should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please indicate where you learned of this job posting. No phone calls, please.
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. The ACLU of Florida reserves the right to change the job description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.
The ACLU of Florida is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU of Florida encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If selected for an interview, please inquire if financial assistance is needed in order to attend.
The ACLU of Florida makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations and assure that its recruitment and employment efforts provide persons with disabilities with full opportunities for employment in all positions.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail [email protected] . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.