Development Director

POSITION DESCRIPTION

ILAP is at a dynamic time in its organizational development, having recently completed a successful growth campaign and sustainability planning process, and we are looking ahead to a strategic planning process in 2025. We are seeking a Development Director who is excited to join our dedicated fundraising team as we build and innovate a new annual fundraising plan to increase revenue beyond the current $3.5 million over the next several years.

With the Executive Director and Board of Directors, the Development Director is responsible for raising funds and growing support for ILAP’s work and mission. This position supervises two Development Team staff members and interns/volunteers.

We take a collaborative and iterative approach to our development work and strive to create an environment of open communication and mutual support, where ideas, feedback, and responsibilities are shared freely. We believe fundraising should be grounded in race, equity, and social justice, and that bold action is needed to achieve justice and accountability in our immigration system. In alignment with these values, ILAP’s development efforts are rooted in a commitment to community-centric fundraising.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic planning and leadership (20%)

• With Executive Director and Chair of the Development Committee of the Board of Directors, continuously engage in strategic thinking, planning, and implementation to meet funding needs and growth goals.
• Build, maintain, and assess a development program that secures sustainable resources, strengthens relationships with supporters, and results in increased funding over time.
• With Policy Director, oversee organizational communication and marketing activities and ensure all materials align with ILAP’s brand, messaging, and narrative change work.
• Serve on ILAP’s Leadership Team to support ILAP’s overall strategic and management direction.
• Convene Development Committee of the Board of Directors, report development goals and progress to the Board of Directors, and support Board of Directors in its fundraising responsibilities.

Supporter engagement and solicitation (60%)

• Develop strategies and activities that engage, solicit, and steward donors, funders, and other supporters, integrating an understanding of race, class, power, and privilege in philanthropy.
• Implement and innovate new annual fundraising plan with creative strategies that focus on individual donors and relationship building.
• With Executive Director, identify and lead opportunities for growth in major and planned giving. Develop and manage campaigns for special initiatives.
• Represent ILAP at community events, stakeholder meetings, and conferences to connect with prospective donors and raise ILAP’s visibility.
• Work with Development Team to manage and grow ILAP’s annual fund, with a focus on engaging everyday donors and implementing tailored donor communications and events.
• Work with Development Team to manage and grow ILAP’s portfolio of grant funding, with a focus on maintaining deep relationships with Maine-based funders and raising ILAP’s visibility among regional and national funders.
• Support collaborative fundraising efforts with partner civil legal aid providers, including the Campaign for Justice.
• Maintain strict client and donor confidentiality in accordance with ILAP protocols and ethical standards in fundraising.

Team management and supervision (20%)

• Supervise, coach, and support Development Team members to successfully execute their work plans, meet professional development goals, and create a positive workplace environment that promotes employee engagement and satisfaction.
• Work with Development Team to integrate community-centric fundraising principles into collective work.
• Manage Development volunteers, interns, and outside consultants as relevant.
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of ILAP’s programs and impacts, general developments in immigration law and policy, and philanthropic priorities and trends.
• Participate in ILAP staff, team, and supervisor meetings, collaborating and sharing expertise with other staff and volunteers.
• Participate in organization-wide wellness activities, team building, and trainings, and actively contribute to ongoing equity work.
• Perform such other tasks and assume such other responsibilities deemed appropriate by the Executive Director or Board of Directors.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s and advanced degree or certification/credential or training. Equivalent education and/or experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of direct experience managing and leading fundraising activities in the nonprofit sector. Experience launching new initiatives or campaigns highly desirable.
• Demonstrated passion for advancing immigrant rights and a history of personal and professional commitment to racial justice and equity. Expertise and understanding of the immigration system built through lived experience highly desirable.
• Comfort leading and managing a robust development program that includes individual giving, institutional giving, events, and communications activities.
• Experience managing and growing individual giving programs, with experience prospecting, engaging, soliciting, and stewarding current and new six-figure donations and grants a plus.
• Experience translating an organization's mission and programing into compelling written and oral communications in English for donor and funder audiences. Comfort communicating complex topics simply and effectively.
• Knowledge of and commitment to community-centric fundraising principles.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to understand, balance, and respond to feedback and priorities of colleagues, supporters, and partners. Formal supervision experience highly desirable.
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency with Office 365 and donor database management. Comfort with website management and email marketing software, social media platforms and/or design software a plus.
• Track record of taking initiative, troubleshooting problems, and developing solutions through continuous improvement and skill building. Experience successfully planning and implementing competing tasks and projects.
• Excitement about creative thinking, brainstorming, and exploring new ideas.
• Gracious and understanding team member who works collaboratively and builds strong professional relationships.
• Availability for periodic evening and weekend activities.
• ILAP conducts job-related background checks to ensure a safe and secure work environment in which staff, clients, resources, and assets are protected, while protecting the integrity and confidentiality of information gathered.

COMPENSATION

The salary range for this position is $84,000 - $94,000. ILAP also recognizes the value of having staff who speak common client languages and offers a base salary increase for applicants with spoken proficiency in these languages.

ILAP offers a generous benefits package. Current benefits include:

• Fully paid individual health and dental insurance coverage and significant coverage for dependents’ health insurance;
• Vacation (20 days), holidays (13.5), sick days (12), and personal days (4);
• Paid parental leave and a paid family and medical leave policy;
• Paid sabbatical after each 5 years of employment;
• Employer retirement contributions;
• Health savings plan;
• Employer paid premium for long term disability and life insurance;
• Individual and staff-wide professional development opportunities; and
• Alternative Work Arrangement (eligible after 90-day onboarding).

TO APPLY

Send cover letter and resume by e-mail to hr@ilapmaine.org with the subject line “Development Director.” Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled.

HIRING PROCESS

Qualified candidates offered to take part in the hiring process will begin with an initial interview. Finalists will be invited to a second-round interview with the initial team and 2-3 additional staff members.

ILAP will then check references before extending a written offer of employment to the selected candidate, which will detail salary, benefits, and other important information.

We are committed to notifying applicants who are not selected in a timely manner throughout the process.

Based in Portland, Maine, with a satellite office in Lewiston, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) is Maine’s only state-wide immigration legal aid organization. ILAP’s mission is to help low-income immigrants improve their legal status and to work for more just and humane laws and policies affecting immigrants. ILAP’s work includes direct legal services for over 3,000 clients each year; education and outreach to immigrant communities and service providers; and systemic advocacy on local, state, and federal immigration law issues.

ILAP is committed to having a respectful, collaborative, and equitable work environment, with equal opportunity for all employees. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We believe in building an organization that is reflective of the communities that we serve and is diverse in work background, experience, education, race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental, and physical abilities. We believe that having a diverse and equitable organization strengthens our programming and services and advances our organizational values.