Development Director

Development Director

The Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) seeks an experienced
Development Director to help deepen our impact. The Development
Director will play a critical role in advancing SCHR’s mission by
developing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies,
cultivating relationships with donors and partners, and ensuring
financial sustainability. The ideal candidate will have a strong
background in nonprofit fundraising, excellent communication
skills, and a deep commitment to social justice.

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-six-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

The Development Director is a leader in the organization whose
work is critical to ensuring that we have the resources necessary
to be impactful. The Development Director is responsible for
setting and implementing SCHR’s development plan and creating
strategy to achieve our annual budget. This includes managing
development activities (including special events, our donor
database, and donor cultivation and stewardship); engaging the
Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers in fundraising efforts;
and identifying new sources of funding. Our $4.9 million annual
budget supports a 35-person staff and the cost of investigation,
litigation, and organizing against the abuses of the criminal legal
system in the South. SCHR neither solicits nor receives government
funding.

SCHR’s revenue stream comes from a mix of foundation grants,
individual and corporate contributions, special events,
fellowships, and investment income. SCHR employs a variety of
fundraising strategies to ensure we have the financial resources
necessary to fulfill our mission. SCHR typically hosts four
in-person fundraisers per year, which take place in Atlanta, San
Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C.

The Development Director reports to the Executive Director and
supervises and partners with the Foundation Relations Manager and
Development Associate to carry out the development plan, and works
closely with the Administrative Team, in particular, the Marketing,
Communications, and Finance Directors as well as SCHR’s
receptionist.

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

Fundraising Strategy

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy to
  support SCHR’s programs
• Identify and pursue funding opportunities through grants,
  individual donations, corporate donations, planned giving, and
  special events
• Work with Board Development Committee to create 50th
  Anniversary endowment campaign

Individual/Major Donor Cultivation and Stewardship

• Identify, cultivate, and grow individual donor base
• Cultivate corporate relationships
• Direct major donor program(s)
• Supervise direct mail solicitations, annual appeals,
  acknowledgements, and other donor communications
• Create personalized and compelling communication materials to
  engage donors and supporters
• Manage and expand monthly donor, planned giving, matching gift,
  and other giving programs
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications Directors on
  donor recognition initiatives
• Coordinate with SCHR Ambassadors on donor stewardship
  activities and activities designed to diversify SCHR’s donor
  base

Foundations

• Supervise grant writing, research, budgeting, compliance, and
  reporting in coordination with the Foundation Relations
  Manager

Special Events

• Plan and manage two major annual regional fundraising events in
  Washington D.C. and Atlanta
• Plan and manage receptions as determined annually in areas of
  concentrated support, such as San Francisco and New York
• Identify other opportunities for special event-based
  fundraising
• Work with the Marketing Director to organize other campaigns
  and initiatives to engage current and potential supporters

Board Fundraising

• Convene and co-chair the Board Development Committee
• Engage Board members in fundraising to support SCHR’s
  mission
• Support the Executive Director in facilitating regular Board
  communication and in planning two annual Board meetings

Collaboration and Partnership

• Collaborate with program staff to gather information about
  programs and outcomes for grant applications and donor reports
• Build partnerships with other organizations, community groups,
  and stakeholders to expand fundraising opportunities and reach new
  donors

Financial and Administrative

• Perform financial reconciliation and reporting
• Prepare income projections and budgeting
• Conduct annual charitable registration and reporting
• Manage donor database
• Control and maintain donor files

Qualifications & Experience

SCHR seeks applicants who are highly motivated, detail-oriented,
well-organized, excellent communicators and collaborators, strong
writers, effective managers, and deeply committed to SCHR’s
mission. The candidate should be both a strong team player and able
to work independently. The ideal candidate is a self-starter with
prior employment or volunteer experience with under-served
communities and tenacity and creativity in seeking new
opportunities for donor engagement. Prior experience working in a
legal setting is preferred. People with direct personal or familial
experience with the criminal legal system are strongly encouraged
to apply.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A proven track record of fundraising success for nonprofit
  organizations of similar size and budget
• Experience effectively supervising, mentoring, and training
  staff
• Dedication to uprooting anti-Black racism and working to
  advance SCHR’s commitment to antiracism
• Demonstrated success in cultivating major donors, developing
  fundraising campaigns, and a passion for special event
  planning
• High level knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite; donor databases
  (Salsa preferred); and web, social media, and email
  communications
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and interest
  and ability to successfully interact with donors, allies, and the
  public
• Engagement in social justice community, familiarity with issues
  in the criminal legal system, and a passion to embrace SCHR’s work
  and mission

Commitment and Compensation

SCHR seeks a commitment of at least three years. Start date is
negotiable. Salary is commensurate with experience, within SCHR’s
public interest salary range of $90,000 – $115,000. SCHR offers an
excellent, 100% premium paid benefit 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
position is filled. Those who are interested are encouraged to
apply immediately. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
Email [email protected] with the
following:

• Subject line of the e-mail: “Development Director position _
  [First Name Last Name, Pronouns)”;
• Letter of Interest;
• Resume; and
• Writing sample (e.g., the narrative portion of a grant
  proposal, a solicitation letter, 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 that welcomes qualified
applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, gender identities,
sexual orientations, abilities, nationalities, and military status,
as well as those who have personal experience with the criminal
legal system.