Director of Individual Giving

Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused
on providing high-quality legal services to children and families
in DC.  As an organization, we envision a world in which all
children have a strong foundation of family, health and education
and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of
oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC
children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve
children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will
affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that
change endures.  A key part of our mission is to challenge and
reduce ways in which racism and other biases – structural and
interpersonal – prevent each of us, our organization and the
systems in which we work from providing children a strong
foundation from which to thrive.   

Our greatest assets are our people.  We recognize that
people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel
our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our
community. Staff members at Children’s Law Center advance the
organization’s mission through their leadership, result-orientated
mindset and commitment to cultural humility.  We are looking
for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally
and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference
in their community.  Children’s Law Center’s continued success
depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and
exemplify these attributes.

Program Description

The Development team at Children’s Law Center (CLC) is charged
with raising philanthropic dollars to fund the essential work that
our staff do each year to carry out the mission of the
organization. Development staff build relationships and steward
local, regional and national foundations, law firms, corporations
and individuals who give annual and multi-year gifts.

In 2024, the Development team’s goal is to secure $5.9M through
a diverse set of appeals, events, campaigns and personal
solicitations. In preparation for the organization’s
30th anniversary and the implementation of an essential and
ambitious new strategic framework, CLC aims to scale charitable
revenue to reach $9M annually in five years.

Job Summary

The Director of Individual Giving is primarily a direct
fundraiser, personally or through a network of volunteer
fundraisers, and plays a critical role in CLC’s individual giving
program managing the annual fund (mail, email and social media
appeals), mid-level donor program and Champions for Children
Campaigns (individual donor giving from corporations and law
firms). This position also builds and co-manages a pipeline of
major donors through the Kite Club (major donor society for donors
of $1,500 to $10,000+) by engaging in strategic cultivation,
stewardship and personalized solicitations.

Role Responsibilities

Kite Club – 30%

• Build a robust pipeline of prospective Kite Club members so we
  can increase from 300 to 450 $1,500+ donors by 2028.
• Engage a portfolio of approximately 50 lower- and mid-level
  Kite Club members comprised of mostly individual donors as well as
  several family foundations and corporate supporters.
• Identify, develop and draft materials to support Kite Club
  solicitations.
• Create event and/or engagement strategies to cultivate
  relationships.
• Recruit, train and coordinate volunteers’ prospect portfolios
  and actively support their cultivation and solicitation moves.

Champions For Children Campaigns – 30%

• Lead individual giving campaigns with participating companies
  and law firms.
• Coordinate with Director of Corporate Philanthropy on firm and
  corporate gifts, ancillary corporate support and the announcement
  of each year’s winners of the Champions for Children
  competitions.
• Manage 20+ volunteer coordinators of campaigns throughout the
  year.
• Work with the Development and Communications teams to create
  collateral.
• Plan and project revenue and track pledges and gifts from
  individuals.

Mid-Level Donors – 10%

• Develop and lead the process to qualify annual fund donors as
  prospects for Kite Club through personal engagement, screening and
  research.
• Build and manage a mid-level donor portfolio of approximately
  50 supporters, while growing this level of donors from 225 to 700
  by 2028.
• Strategize and implement plans to steward and increase current
  donor support.

Annual Fund – 30%

• Collaborate with leadership to craft a robust annual fund plan
  and timeline.
• Develop and implement strategies to identify new annual fund
  supporters to double the 800 individual donors to more than 1,700
  in the next 5 years.
• Coordinate with Communications staff to author mailed appeals,
  e-appeals and social media posts).
• Plan and implement stewardship touch points and letters.

Qualifications

• Proven success on securing new and renewed leadership annual
  fund level gifts.
• Experience executing fundraising strategies to build
  relationships with individual donors resulting in significant
  funding in a nonprofit setting, preferably in a legal or political
  context.
• Experience successfully soliciting, closing and stewarding
  donors making gifts of $1,000 – $10,000 or more.
• Experience writing fundraising appeals, collateral, reports and
  other development-related materials for print and digital
  platforms.
• Experience with prospect research, including working with
  wealth screening tools.
• Strong project management skills.
• Experience with volunteer management.
• Experience with events management.
• Experience with fundraising/Customer Relationship Management
  software (e.g., DonorPerfect, Raiser’s Edge).
• Proficient at managing multiple assignments through clear and
  direct communication.
• Adept at working independently and as a team member.
• Ability to work efficiently and problem-solve.
• Strong capability to work well under pressure and in a
  fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent professional judgment and ability to maintain
  confidential information.

Required Skills and Experience

• 7-10 years’ experience with fundraising and individual
  solicitation, with 5+ years of direct solicitation experience with
  individuals preferred.
• Experience working with boards of directors.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 or 2016,
  especially Word & Excel.

Organizational Competencies

• Cultural Humility – an openness to self-reflection and to
  understanding and respecting other cultural experiences and points
  of view and viewing individuals as experts in their own culture and
  experiences.
• Giving and Receiving Feedback – the ability to be
  self-reflective, give and receive appreciative, coaching,
  constructive, interpersonal and evaluative feedback.
• Conflict Management – a process which is designed to guide
  individuals and groups from the moment of conflict to the
  implementation of an identified solution.  This process
  incorporates skills and techniques, including recognizing points of
  conflict, identifying the facts and feelings involved to get to the
  root of the issue, investigating equitable solutions, implementing
  and evaluating solutions, and supporting and guiding others
  throughout the process.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position ranges from $80,000-
$95,000 annually for applicants based on relevant experience.
 Children’s Law Center offers a generous benefits package that
includes medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term
disability insurance; employer-provided retirement contributions;
flexible spending plans; and vacation, sick, holiday, family and
medical leave. Children’s Law Center is a 501(c)(3) organization.
 Employees with federal student loan debt can apply for Public
Service Loan Forgiveness. For more information, go to https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/special-programs/pslf. 

Application Instructions

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter as one PDF
file via CLC’s careers page (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).  

Children’s Law Center is committed to fostering a diverse and
inclusive environment. If you believe that you need accommodation
to search for, or apply for, one of our positions please send an
email to [email protected]. In
your email, please include the accommodation you are requesting and
the job title you are applying for. It may take up to three
business days to receive a response to your request.

Hybrid Working Conditions

Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work
schedule.  Employees are required to work in-person from
Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week.
 At least one of these days must be either Tuesday or
Wednesday.  The hybrid work schedule is subject to change
based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and
safety.  Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role
responsibilities.

Background Checks

Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be
subject to a background check.

EEO

Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are
committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and
existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard
to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender
identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran
status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation,
and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law,
ordinance, or regulation. In compliance with federal law, all
persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility
to work in the United States and to complete the required
employment eligibility verification form upon hire.  We invite
you to visit our website to learn more about our company and our
career opportunities (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).

DEI Statement

Children’s Law Center is dedicated to building a world that is
inclusive in approach and has equal opportunities and equitable
outcomes for all. Our organization is committed to developing and
supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist
community, where all members can create and feel a sense of
belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts, we work
toward racial and social justice for children and families in
DC.