Major Gifts Officer

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will be a crucial member of the fundraising team, focusing on raising significant gifts to support programmatic goals. They will manage relationships with existing donors and secure new funding sources, handling a portfolio of approximately 100 donors, each capable of giving $10,000 or more. They will work to ensure that the ACLU-VA meets its growing philanthropic goals by increasing philanthropic donations to support the ACLU-VA’s work to defend and expand civil rights and civil liberties while managing portfolios of donors and prospects.

The MGO will understand how to gather and track data, determine priorities, set and reach ambitious fundraising goals, communicate inspiring messages, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects while working collaboratively with teams across functional areas. 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 our work in a manner that is consistent with their values. The MGO will be located in Northern Virginia.

Who We Are

The ACLU-VA strives to be Virginia's premier guardian of civil liberties and a recognized champion of civil rights for all Virginians. For over a hundred years (55 in Virginia), the ACLU has made a profound difference in the lives of clients and community members, as well as historic contributions to our country and state. Now, more people than ever before have turned to the ACLU to fight back against unprecedented new attacks on civil rights and liberties. We are also committed to pursuing impactful policy changes at the local and statewide levels to achieve racial equity and advance civil liberties and civil rights for everyone. The ACLU-VA is committed to ending racist policing, cutting the number of people incarcerated in Virginia, increasing access to quality mental and medical care, ending sex and gender-based discrimination at work and in schools, and securing a constitutional right to vote for everyone.

What You'll Do

To help us protect and advance the ACLU's mission, the Major Gifts Officer will:

• Cultivate, solicit and steward a portfolio of approximately 100 major donors and prospects;
• Create a comprehensive cultivation and solicitation strategy for donors in the portfolio and execute strategies that fulfill donors’ goals in a manner that donors are respected, retained, and inspired to increase their support;
• Develop and implement engagement opportunities to nurture philanthropic relationships;
• Track moves management metrics including portfolio activity, communication, and progress to goals and benchmarks;
• Directly and independently solicit major gifts ($10,000+);
• Partner with staff and Board members on donor engagement and stewardship opportunities;
• Develop and participate in strategic donor engagement opportunities;
• Work with development and communications teams to create and implement a donor stewardship communication plan for portfolio donors;
• Collaborate with program staff to secure project information and develop personalized materials for individual donors/prospects that align with donor interests and programmatic priorities, including progress reports resulting from gifts;
• Provide support to other solicitors, including the Executive Director and Chief Development Officer, in preparation for solicitation or stewardship opportunities, including concise briefing materials for meetings with donors and prospects.
• Develop long-term fundraising plans, set objectives, and track progress towards achieving goals;
• Develop and execute long-term cultivation and solicitation strategies for high-level prospects and donors;
• Lead and work in partnership with Executive Director, Chief Development Officer, board, staff and volunteers to encourage a culture of philanthropy and accomplish ACLU-VA fundraising objectives;
• And more…. See the full job description here

Who You Are

Our "Must Have's"

• Significant experience in nonprofit fundraising with a proven track record of independently soliciting, closing, and stewarding major gifts ($10,000+).
• Experience in collecting and using data and research in developing and setting development program priorities.
• Proficiency with office technology and information systems, including online communications, word processing, and CRM systems.
• Willingness and availability to work beyond the normal work day, on weekends, and/or more than 40 hours a week as necessary.
• A commitment to the mission and goals of the ACLU, and to racial justice and civil rights issues and an understanding that these issues are central to overall protection of civil liberties
• A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, to refrain from unlawful discrimination and to comply fully with all applicable laws; a personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity and national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability and socio-economic circumstance, and able to work with diverse individuals within the organization and broader community.
• Valid Virginia Driver’s license with willingness and ability to make regular trips between Northern Virginia and Richmond, drive throughout Northern Virginia or take Uber and other public transport and occasionally travel to other states for conferences and training

What Else You Should Know

The ACLU of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, bi-or multi-lingual (including Indigenous languages) speakers, multi-cultural individuals, members of the LGBTQ community, those who have been formerly incarcerated or are currently under supervision, and other people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We seek to build a diverse team and an inclusive organizational culture. All qualified applicants who share our vision and who have a desire to contribute to our mission are encouraged to apply.

Salary is based on market factors and individual experience and abilities. The salary range for this position is $84,000 to $107,900. The ACLU of Virginia is a unionized workplace, and this position is part of the bargaining unit. To preserve the opportunity for advancement, we do not typically hire above the mid-point of the range ($95,950). In addition, we offer excellent benefits including paid time off, generous paid holidays, a 401k plan with employer contribution, flexible spending account, paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, 50% employer-paid dependent medical coverage, life insurance, wi-fi stipend, wellness stipend, student loan assistance, annual sick leave, short-term and long-term disability insurance, and professional development allowances.

Due to COVID-19 and our desire to keep our employees safe, our organization is currently following a long-term hybrid work policy. This position, however, will be completely remote from the northern Virginia area and will occasionally require a presence in the downtown Richmond office.