Development and Special Events Associate

The Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) is seeking to hire a
full-time Development and Special Events Associate to support our
fundraising efforts and coordinate special events to engage our
supporters and raise awareness about our mission.

 

About SCHR

 

The Southern Center for Human Rights is working for equality,
dignity, and justice for people impacted by the criminal legal
system in the Deep South. SCHR fights for a world free from mass
incarceration, the death penalty, the criminalization of poverty,
and racial injustice.

 

Over our forty-seven-year history, SCHR has litigated
precedent-setting cases in the South, in hostile climates, against
all odds. SCHR has forced county and state governments to make
significant improvements in prisons and jails to reduce
overcrowding, provide adequate medical and mental health care, and
abate violence and abuse. We have argued and won five death penalty
cases at the US Supreme Court, four of which challenged profound
race discrimination in capital trials. Our combined litigation and
policy advocacy helped bring about the creation of a statewide
public defender system in Georgia. For more information about SCHR,
see our website at www.schr.org.

 

About the Position

 

We are seeking a passionate and dedicated Development and
Special Events Associate to join our team. The successful candidate
will play a key role in managing our donor database and gift
acknowledgment process, coordinating special events to bolster
support for our mission, and supporting other development efforts
as needed.

 

SCHR’s $4.9 million annual budget supports multi-faceted legal
advocacy campaigns to challenge abuses within the criminal legal
system throughout the Deep South. Our revenue stream comes from a
mix of foundation grants, individual and corporate contributions,
special events, fellowships, and investment income. SCHR neither
solicits nor receives government funding. We typically host four
in-person fundraisers per year, which take place in Atlanta, San
Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C.

 

The Development and Special Events Associate reports to the
Development Director and works closely with the Administrative
Team, in particular the Marketing Director, Communications
Director, Finance Directors, and Executive Director.

 

We seek someone with a deep and authentic commitment to the
inherent dignity of our clients and our mission to create a world
free from mass incarceration, the death penalty, the
criminalization of poverty, and racial injustice. This is an
opportunity to create systemic change working in an organization
where we all give 100% in an environment that tends to be high
stakes, high energy and does not conform to traditional 9 to 5
schedules. Achieving our bold mission often requires weeknight or
weekend hours and a can-do attitude while we also strive to support
our staff in maintaining their resiliency through our benefits
package and positive, passionate work environment.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

Individual Giving and Donor Database Management

 

• Assist with sending appeals, acknowledgments, gift statements,
  and other donor communications
• Assist in the development and implementation of donor
  stewardship and cultivation strategies, including wealth
  screenings
• Manage database entry and integrity: data entry, event
  attendance/sponsorships, gift receipt and processing, gift
  acknowledgments, donor research, donation reports, and records
• Plan and execute an annual calendar of data maintenance tasks
  including deceased record finders and address scrub
• Assist in the monthly reconciling of donor database and
  financial accounting systems

 

Special Event Coordination

 

• Help coordinate four annual special events in Atlanta, New
  York, San Francisco, and Washington DC
• Identify new prospective event supporters
• Manage event logistics, including timelines, vendor
  relationships and contracts, volunteer responsibilities, and
  participant engagement
• Coordinate with key volunteers and event committees to elevate
  event experiences for our guests

 

Other Responsibilities

 

• Provide support for foundation relations activities, including
  foundation prospecting, grant proposals, and grant reports
• Support other development tasks, including major donor
  cultivation and stewardship, planned giving campaigns, annual
  appeals, and other campaigns

 

 

Qualifications & Experience

 

SCHR seeks applicants who are highly motivated, detail-oriented,
well-organized, communicate well with others, have strong writing
skills, and have a deep commitment to SCHR’s work. The candidate
should be both a strong team player and able to work independently.
The ideal candidate is someone who has prior employment or
volunteer experience with under-served communities. The candidate
should also have a willingness to venture into new situations and
tenacity in seeking new opportunities for donor engagement. People
with direct personal or familial experience with the criminal legal
system are deeply encouraged to apply.

 

The ideal candidate will have:

 

• Professional experience in development and/or administrative
  assistance
• Experience with donor databases, preferably Every Action or
  Salsa CRM
• Prior experience working with special events
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with a passion
  for building relationships with donors, allies, and the public
• High-level knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Dedication to uprooting anti-Black racism and working to
  advance SCHR’s commitment to antiracism
• Engagement in social justice community, familiarity with issues
  in the criminal legal system, and a passion to embrace SCHR’s work
  and mission
• Familiarity with legal work, law firms, and the metro Atlanta
  philanthropic community is a plus

 

Commitment & Compensation

 

SCHR seeks a commitment of at least three years. Salary is
commensurate with experience, within SCHR’s modest, public interest
salary range of $50,000-$60,000. SCHR offers an excellent, 100%
premium-paid benefits package including medical, dental, vision
care, and life insurance. Additional benefits include modest
stipends for transportation and wellness, access to a flexible
spending account, and childcare assistance (if eligible).

 

This position is in-person at our Atlanta office. Our office
maintains a hybrid schedule, with staff required to be in-person
three days of the week (absent travel, illness, or other excused
absences), and flexibility to work remotely the remaining two days.
Accordingly, all applicants should be willing to live in the
Atlanta area.

 

TO APPLY

 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the
position is filled. Those who are interested are encouraged to
apply immediately. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Email careers@schr.org
with the following:

 

• Statement in the subject line of the e-mail that you are
  applying for the Development and Special Events Associate
  position;
• Letter of interest;
• Resume;
• Writing sample (e.g., an article for a blog, academic paper,
  policy brief or whatever shows your style and voice).

 

The Southern Center for Human Rights is an equal
opportunity, affirmative action employer, which welcomes qualified
applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, gender identities,
sexual orientations, abilities, nationalities, military status, as
well as those who have been system-involved.