Chief Advancement Officer

Who We Are:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description:

The Chief Advancement Officer will be responsible for all aspects of institutional fundraising, donor engagement, marketing and communications, advancement operations, and data management. The Chief Advancement Officer will design and execute effective strategies and processes and develop the infrastructure necessary to raise the organization’s visibility and reach strategic goals. The Chief Advancement Officer will work closely with the Senior Leadership team, the Board of Directors, and a dedicated team of fund development, marketing, and communications professionals to advance ALDF’s mission and goals. This position will lead and cultivate an advancement team, diversify and grow revenue streams, build robust systems and processes to fuel and sustain fund development, strengthen ALDF’s reputation and brand to amplify impact, deepen the fund development partnership with the Board of Directors, and collaborate with other members of the Senior Leadership team to support a health culture and achieve shared goals. The Chief Advancement Officer will be an experienced leader with deep knowledge and passion for the nonprofit sector and a nuanced and current understanding of relevant developments and dynamics impacting ALDF's mission. The CAO will approach their work with a learning mindset and have a demonstrated commitment to building strong, engaged, collaborative teams.

How You Will Make a Difference:

Leadership & Strategic Direction

• Lead a diverse team of Advancement professionals by establishing and setting strategic goals and initiatives that support ALDF’s mission and strategic plan.
• Formulate long-term fundraising and communications strategies to grow ALDF's Advancement program.
• Develop strong relationships with the Board of Directors, internal and external stakeholders and others critical to the success of Advancement efforts.
• Implement systems and metrics to monitor progress towards fundraising and marketing goals.
• Report on efforts, financial results, and the impact of fundraising and marketing efforts to Senior Leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Articulate ALDF’s work and mission to diverse audiences through various forms of media.
• Oversee Advancement operations and the donor database.
• Work with Advancement staff to develop, manage, and oversee the budget.
• Actively participate in networks to benefit ALDF.
• Encourage the professional development of Advancement Team members.
• Design and develop strategic goals for the Advancement team that supports ALDF’s mission and strategy.

Development Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of ALDF’s development program and team.
• Create and implement a strategic and tactical fundraising plan that includes major, planned, corporate and foundation giving, and direct marketing that support ALDF’s organizational strategic plan.
• Be an active leader in building new, and enhancing current, philanthropic relationships and giving initiatives for individuals, private foundations, and other sponsorship opportunities.
• Strategically set goals that support ALDF's fundraising efforts, including prospect outreach, donor stewardship, legacy giving, direct marketing campaigns, and corporate and foundation giving.

Communications Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of ALDF’s Communications department and team.
• Create and execute a strategic communications plan and initiatives that support ALDF’s brand and organizational strategy.
• Develop and implement processes and systems that effectively communicate and engage a wide range of audiences, support the organization’s goals, and drive brand growth.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for internal and external communications, including events, messaging, media relations, brand management, and creative direction for all marketing assets.
• Ensure that ALDF’s mission and vision are reflected throughout the organization, and that all communications are on brand.
• See that the organization’s website and social media are actively updated and effectively utilized to provide the public with information and impact data about our current work.
• Lead the development of a philanthropic messaging strategy aligned with the organization’s overall branding, marketing, and communications.

We Offer Competitive Compensation with Excellent Benefits, Including:

• A starting annual salary of $197,422 for most geographic locations.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C., Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, the starting pay is $207,813.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, the starting pay is $218,203.

To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rates. Rates are determined by role, using set geographical factors.

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available.?
• Generous paid time off provisions:
• 192 hours of PTO.
• 19 paid holidays.
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave.
• 401k plan with a maximum 5% employer contribution match after one year of employment.
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion).
• Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• Additional information:

This is a U.S. based position. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer and committed to providing an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. ALDF conducts all internal and external operations, programs, and employment-related decision making (including hiring decisions) without regard to actual or perceived race, ancestry, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, political affiliation, disability or medical condition (including physical, intellectual, or psychiatric), sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, age, or other protected category, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws.

Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.

The application deadline for this position is June 1, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early as we may make a decision before the deadline closes.

We Are Looking for Candidates With:

• 7+ years of progressive experience in strategic development and/or communications.
• At least 5+ years in a formal people leadership or executive role with a track record of modeling inclusive leadership for high performing teams.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Experience designing and overseeing effective strategic marketing and/or communications or marketing programs.
• An understanding and demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
• A collaborative partnership and solutions-oriented collaborative mindset.
• Exceptional leadership skills and experience expressing a vision for the organization and inspiring alignment to that vision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including communicating with a variety of internal and external stakeholders. Strong listening and relationship building skills.
• Excellent problem solving, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities.
• Empathetic interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with others in a team-oriented environment and with external partners.
• The ability to implement vision, think strategically, creatively problem solve, and exercise good judgment and self-control.
• Commitment to working with integrity.
• Experience with donor database systems and system implementation, as well as basic software applications, such as Microsoft Suite.
• The ability to travel periodically for staff meetings and retreats (estimated 1-3 trips annually). Additionally, the Chief Advancement Officer must be available for periodic travel to conferences, training, Board meetings, and donor meetings as required.