Director of Philanthropy
Reports to: Executive Director
About the ACLU of Louisiana
At the ACLU of Louisiana, we envision an equitable Louisiana that upholds the rights, dignity, and safety of all people and courageously acknowledges and endeavors to repair historical injustice that continues to harm marginalized communities. Our team seeks to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of all Louisianians by working to dismantle systems of oppression that harm the most vulnerable members of the community, specifically Black, Brown, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities.
Our work reflects the ideals of peace, justice, and love.
We fight for change through a vigorous legal, policy, and community-centered strategy dedicated to ending white supremacist policy and law. We are engineers for real social change. We steep ourselves in a thorough understanding of Louisiana and American history to free ourselves of bias and ignorance.
It has been said that the fight for civil liberties never stays won; as cynical as that may sound, the ACLU of Louisiana remains confident that we—and justice—will prevail.
Currently, our team includes 15 individuals that are deeply passionate about doing the work and embodying the values of our organization each day. We invite individuals who have experience in and share our passion for social justice to join our team.
The Opportunity
The Director of Philanthropy plays a pivotal role in driving the financial growth of the ACLU of Louisiana by leading a comprehensive, multi-channel fundraising strategy that supports the organization's mission to protect and advance the rights of Black and Brown Louisianans. This key leadership position involves grant-writing and reporting; managing corporate, law firm, and foundation relationships; cultivating major gift donors; discovering new high-capacity prospects (both individuals and institutions); overseeing annual giving campaigns, including GiveNOLA Day and our end-of-year campaign; engaging with ACLU-LA donor affinity groups; overseeing supporter stewardship; and event fundraising. The Director of Philanthropy collaborates closely with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and internal teams to align fundraising efforts with organizational goals, ensuring the financial sustainability and impact of our work.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and Implement Fundraising Strategy
- Develop and execute a multi-channel fundraising strategy.
- Ensure the strategy includes major gifts, foundation grants, corporate partnerships, law firm donations, annual giving campaigns, and revenue from our annual Ben Smith Fete gala.
- Regularly assess and adjust the strategy with the Finance Department and Executive Director to ensure financial goals are met and exceeded.
Major Gift Fundraising
- Manage a portfolio of 80 individuals; cultivate and maintain strong relationships with current and prospective donors.
- Complete 5 individual donor meetings per month, and log all donor contact notes in the Salesforce database.
- Create personalized engagement plans for individual donors, foundations, and corporations, and coordinate with ACLU National to code all strategies in the Salesforce database.
- Implement strategies to deepen donor commitment and secure long-term support
- Identify new high-capacity prospects, including individuals and institutions.
Corporate, Foundation, and Law Firm Relations
- Maintain a portfolio of 40 institutional partners.
- Manage the grant application process (grant writing & submitting) and ensure compliance with reporting requirements.
- Maintain strong relationships with grantors through in-person and virtual visits and email communication, to secure ongoing support.
- When possible, renew or upgrade current grants with existing corporate, foundation, and law firm partners.
- Identify new foundation opportunities.
- Explore opportunities for new and innovative corporate collaborations.
- Stay current on existing pro bono law firm partners and their work with us, and create relationships with firms who are new partners.
- Collaborate with program staff to align grant proposals with programmatic goals.
- Code and track grant spend-down in collaboration with staff members logging expenses and the Finance team.
Event Fundraising
- Lead the staff and board planning committees for the ACLU of Louisiana’s Annual Ben Smith Fete Gala.
- Lead the gala’s Award Nomination Process.
- Meet all fundraising and attendance goals for event.
- Work with Communications to drive ticket sales.
Team Leadership and Development
- Lead and mentor a dedicated fundraising team.
- Set clear performance goals and regularly evaluate team progress.
- Foster a collaborative, results-driven environment that encourages professional growth.
- Provide team members with the tools, training, and support needed to excel.
Collaboration Across Departments
- Work closely with the Executive Director, Communications, Finance, Administrative, Legal and Advocacy teams.
- Align fundraising activities with the organization’s goals and messaging.
- Ensure consistent and coordinated efforts across all departments involved in fundraising.
- Support Communications in developing and writing various materials with a donor audience, including the annual report.
Financial Reporting and Analysis
- Monitor and report on fundraising progress to the Executive Director and Board of Directors.
- Analyze fundraising data to identify trends and adjust strategies as needed.
- Attend weekly Finance meetings with the purpose of ensuring transparency and accountability in all financial reporting related to fundraising and grant spend-down.
- Lead reconciliation process with ACLU National Office.
- Support Finance team during annual audit as requested.
Board Engagement
- Lead the Board’s Development Committee via monthly meetings
- Work with the broader Board of Directors to leverage their networks for fundraising efforts.
- Involve board members in donor cultivation and solicitation when appropriate.
- Provide regular updates on fundraising activities to keep the board informed and engaged.
Strategic Planning
- Contribute to the organization’s strategic planning process with insights on fundraising trends.
- Ensure that fundraising strategies are aligned with and support the overall organizational plan.
- Identify opportunities and challenges in the fundraising landscape and adjust strategies accordingly.
To be successful in this role:
- Experience: Minimum of 8 years of frontline fundraising experience, with a proven track record of securing major gifts and grants.
- Preferred Experience: Experience with annual giving campaigns (e.g., GiveNOLA, End-of-Year Campaigns).
- Skills: Superior relationship-building skills with a high level of comfort in soliciting major gifts; excellent oral and written communication abilities; strong organizational and project management skills.
- Commitment: Deep commitment to the ACLU’s mission and a personal dedication to advancing civil rights and social justice.
- Travel: Availability for regular travel throughout Louisiana, with occasional out-of-state trips.
- Work Hours: Flexibility to work beyond traditional hours as needed.
