Director of Development

Job Title: Director of Development

Reports To: Executive Director

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Remote

About Life After Justice:

Life After Justice (LAJ) fights to right the wrongs of our criminal legal system – freeing wrongfully convicted individuals and restoring their lives after justice. LAJ is driven by the lived experience of our founders and Board of Directors, who spent a combined 93 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit. This lived experience is crucial to our mission, vision, and how we approach combatting wrongful convictions.

LAJ’s mission is to free wrongfully convicted individuals, restore their lives, and drive systemic change through data-driven programs and initiatives by:

• Strategically litigating cases to promote fairer, more just, and more equitable laws and legislation;
• Providing a network of holistic mental health, well-being, and technology services to support wrongfully convicted individuals reclaim their lives and sense of self by addressing the issues of mind, body, and spirit; and
• Advocating on behalf of wrongfully convicted individuals and their loved ones within state and federal governments to establish an ecosystem of holistic support and empowerment.

About the Role:

Life After Justice is seeking an entrepreneurial, mission-driven Director of Development to build and scale our fundraising strategy during a critical stage of growth. This role is ideal for a creative builder who thrives in start-up environments and is excited to design and execute non-traditional, relationship-centered, and movement-based fundraising strategies from the ground up. The Director of Development will be responsible for rapidly cultivating a base of individual, institutional, and strategic supporters; activating new revenue channels; and translating LAJ’s powerful lived-experience leadership and innocence-focused mission into compelling funding opportunities.

This leader will serve as both strategist and doer — equally comfortable setting vision, building systems, and personally cultivating and closing gifts and will ensure that all aspects of development work collaboratively with Marketing/Communications, Finance, and other key areas of LAJ’s operations. The ideal candidate will be collaborative, entrepreneurial, solutions-oriented, a self-starter, and comfortable in a fast-paced team environment. This role reports directly to the Executive Director and collaborates with LAJ’s Board of Directors, staff, interns, and volunteers.

Responsibilities & Duties:

30% Grants & Institutional Funding

• Lead the strategy, cultivation, and submission of grant proposals to foundations, corporate partners, and government funders
• Identify and pursue new institutional funding opportunities aligned with LAJ’s mission and growth priorities
• Develop compelling, data-informed proposals and cases for support in partnership with program and finance teams
• Manage relationships with funders from prospecting through stewardship and reporting
• Build a sustainable pipeline of recurring and multi-year institutional support

30% - Donor & Partnership Development

• Rapidly cultivate and grow a base of individual donors, major gifts, and mission-aligned partners
• Identify and secure non-traditional funding sources including impact investors, justice-focused philanthropies, media partnerships, and strategic corporate collaborations
• Personally manage and close major gift relationships
• Serve as the primary driver of daily fundraising operations—personally creating, writing, and managing donor communications (newsletters, email campaigns, appeals, stewardship messages, and follow-ups) to actively cultivate, engage, and grow the organization’s donor base.

30% - Movement-Based & Innovative Fundraising

• Develop creative, non-traditional fundraising approaches beyond events and grants (campaigns, storytelling initiatives, digital fundraising, community-based giving, partnerships, etc.)
• Leverage LAJ’s founders, board, and wrongfully convicted community as authentic ambassadors and storytellers
• Translate lived experience and innocence reform into compelling cases for support

5% - Field & Mission Expertise

• Build deep familiarity with the innocence, criminal justice reform, and reentry ecosystem
• Cultivate relationships with aligned organizations, funders, and advocates in the justice community
• Position LAJ as a trusted, high-impact funding partner within the field

5% - Board & Leadership Partnership

• Partner with the Executive Director and Board to strengthen fundraising engagement and confidence
• Coach and equip board members and leadership to effectively participate in cultivation and asks

Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the innocence, criminal justice reform, or social justice funding landscape strongly preferred
• Bachelor’s Degree in nonprofit management, business administration or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a proven track record of building fundraising programs in early-stage or growth-stage nonprofits preferred
• Success in major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, and special events.
• Demonstrated success creating new donor pipelines from scratch
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write compelling donor communications, grant proposals, and marketing materials.
• Experience with fundraising software and donor databases – Bloomerang preferred.
• Strong leadership and management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, Board members, and volunteers.
• Comfortable with entrepreneurial, non-traditional, and creative fundraising strategies
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Adaptable, flexible, and able to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable working remotely and managing projects in a remote setting.
• Ability to manage multiple projects independently while coordinating with a team.
• Sensitivity to the lived experiences of all individuals involved.
• Humble and confident; willing to handle tasks of any size.
• Values constructive feedback.

Regular Work Schedule:

• Normal business hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, with a flexible schedule based on business needs.

Salary Range:

• Annual salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $80,000 to $100,000.

Benefits:

• Fully remote work environment, healthcare stipend (transitioning to a corporate health plan), paid holidays, PTO, and potential future benefits including 401K and group health care.

Expected Start Date:

• April 1, 2026

Application Process:

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references to natasha@lifeafterjustice.org by DATE.

Life After Justice is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in its workforce. We strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds, particularly racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, and those with non-traditional experiences or educational backgrounds, to apply for this position.