Vice President, Development

About the Organizations

Founded in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading non-profit organization (501(c)3) in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. NILC’s mission is grounded in the belief that everyone living in the U.S. regardless of race, gender/gender identity, immigration status, or economic status — should have equal access to justice, resources, and educational and economic opportunities that enable them to achieve their full human potential. Together, NILC and the affiliated NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF), a 501(c)4 organization, work to advocate more directly for federal immigration reform policies. NILC is committed to advancing its mission — which intersects race, immigration status, and class — through racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation.

Headquartered in Los Angeles with an office in Washington, DC, NILC seeks to achieve just laws and policies that address systemic inequities, create narrative and culture change for an inclusive and equitable society, and build a healthier and more powerful movement. For more information, please visit www.nilc.org and www.immigrantjusticefund.org/.  

NILC is at an exciting moment in its organizational trajectory, supporting our strategic framework and scaling the organization and its work through influencing systems, policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, engaging in movement and power building, and narrative and culture strategies in addition to continuous improvements to our operational model. We are looking for entrepreneurial, results-driven, relationship builders who are committed to NILC’s mission and values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty.

About the Position

The Vice President, Development (the VP) serves as a member of the NILC Senior Leadership Team (SLT) providing strategic leadership and guidance on NILC and NILC Immigrant Justice Fund’s fundraising functions. Reporting to and working closely with the President, the VP, Development is responsible for

leading a high performing development department, creating and successfully implementing a diversified fundraising plan that meets and exceeds the annual and multi-year revenue needs of the two organizations, a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4), and strengthening the long-term sustainability of both organizations. In addition to strategy and management, the VP will hold and develop a portfolio of donors and prospects to solicit major gifts. The VP will also collaborate closely with the EVP, Narrative Change & Marketing and the VP of Communications on NILC and IJF’s marketing/communication strategies and execution related to programmatic content.

NILC’s annual budget is approximately $20 million, around 85% of which is from institutions and 15% of which is from individuals (both grassroots and major donors). NILC Immigrant Justice Fund’s budget is approximately $1 million, with a goal to grow the organization. NILC also serves as a fiscal sponsor for certain initiatives of varying size and complexity, ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than $1 million.

A results-driven and experienced leader and development professional, the VP will lead the creation & implementation of a robust strategy for development and bring a strong strategic and organization-builder mindset drawing from experience in other progressive movement organizations.

This role is not a member of the Bargaining Unit. 

The VP, Development will be responsible for providing leadership and driving success in the following key areas:

Specific Position Responsibilities

Organizational & Strategic Leadership

·       Develop and oversee a comprehensive and diverse fundraising program to meet and exceed both annual and long-term goals for both NILC, 501(c)(3), and NILC IJF, 501(c)(4), including but not limited to: institutional giving, a major individual donor program, unions and private sector contributions, and a general donor program, including strategies to expand the donor base and potential to diversify revenue streams.

·       Serve as a subject matter expert and key thought partner to the President, Executive and Senior Leadership Teams (ELT/SLT), and Boards of Directors in developing fundraising strategies, annual fundraising goals, and long-term targets for NILC and NILC IJF guided by NILC’s Strategic Framework.

·       Create and promote a fundraising culture within NILC aligned with our values of equity, inclusion, and impact to enhance efforts across all NILC/NILC IJF teams in developing high impact partnerships that provide visibility, build credibility, and grow our list of prospective funders & donors.

·       Collaborate with Programs leaders and team members to understand and incorporate the day-to-day programmatic work and priorities into the ongoing and future development initiatives.

·       As a member of the Senior Leadership team, provide the organizational leadership required to shape the direction of the organization, manage change, and ensure strategic integration across Development, Operations, Communications, and Programmatic teams to foster a collaborative & results-oriented culture.

·       Identify innovative solutions and strategies to gain visibility and opportunities for NILC and IJF.

·       Engage with key stakeholders, including movement partners, allies, donors, and board members to advance NILC’s priorities, seeking out aligned external partnership & collaboration opportunities.

Departmental Management & Execution

·       Accountable for the successful execution of development strategies in coordination with the Development team including direct engagement in fundraising, identification of prospective new funders and major donors, and addressing funding priorities that are necessary to advance programmatic goals.

·       Build and manage an active portfolio of 50+ major donors and/or prospects, cultivating and stewarding meaningful individual donor relationships with current and future donors.

·       Prepare & support the President, members of ELT/SLT, and Board Members (in partnership with Executive Office team) to effectively engage in fundraising work, including funder and donor stewardship and cultivation activities, serving as a liaison for development activities.

·       Lead team members to integrate narrative change, movement building, and programmatic strategies together with development strategies in executing Development strategies and plans.  

·       Facilitate Programs teams’ support for development initiatives as needed including collaboration with Programs leaders, overseeing development requests for Programs staff, and providing training and support.

·       Represent NILC and NILC IJF in external networks and alliances and attend events and meetings.

·       Work with the Communications Staff to oversee development of unified messaging for funder-facing products and other marketing collateral with programmatic content including appeals, annual reports, website and social media content, and donor cultivation events, keeping donors informed, thanked, and involved in ways that are accurate and aligned across the organization.

·       Lead short-, medium-, and long-term strategic & operational planning including individual/team expectations for the Development department in alignment with overall organizational priorities.

·       Strengthen data-driven approaches to the development team’s work to strengthen decision making, create more ability for strategic foresight, and oversee the general reporting of development information in a timely manner for a variety of audiences.

·       Work in partnership with the ELT, SLT, and Finance team to monitor and evaluate development budgets and financial reports to ensure they are fiscally and administratively sound.

·       May be a part of or lead cross functional/departmental projects using the MOCHA framework/methodology

Supervisory Responsibilities

·       Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains staff.

·       Oversees the daily workflow and productivity of Development team.

·       Acts as a coach and mentor including providing constructive and timely feedback to foster a collaborative environment that develops strengths, improves weaknesses, and encourages creative problem-solving.

·       Actively manages direct and indirect reports using applicable performance management software including documenting regular check-ins, goal progress, and any other relevant information in the system for performance and coaching purposes.

·       Directly & indirectly manages staff in a unionized environment, possibility of additional staff.

·       Handles discipline and performance issues in accordance with organizational policy.

·       Manages outside consultants, third party administrators, and vendors.

Shared Organization Responsibilities

·       Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of low-income immigrants by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice.

·       Attends & actively participates in NILC meetings at organization, department, project, and individual levels.

·       Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background & perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other.

·       Follows through on commitments acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities & processes for monitoring work, measuring results, and designing feedback loops.

·       Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.

·       Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidences, and showing consistency between words and actions.

·       Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.

In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need.

What We’re Looking for in This Role

·        Proven and verifiable direct experience in successful fundraising for nonprofit organizations of NILC’s/IJF’s size.

·        Commitment to NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of low-income immigrants and a demonstrated commitment to human rights, racial, economic and social justice, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all.

·        Collaborative, proactive, and action-oriented working style with a strong service mentality promoting mutual accountability and inspiring trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC team members, and NILC leaders alike.

·        Demonstrates sound judgement in decision-making, high integrity, & utmost respect for confidentiality.

·        Excellent communication skills both orally and in writing: ability to read, analyze, and interpret as well as draft documents with demonstrable success creating compelling proposals to secure grant funding and present complex programmatic information clearly and persuasively.

·        Self-starter with a strong strategic ability to move daily tasks forward in alignment with NILC’s broader organizational needs and goals.

·        Ability to create and implement strong strategic development plans in collaboration with team members at all levels of the organization, managing multiple projects with competing deadlines.

·        Demonstrated ability to integrate financial analysis to generate, evaluate, and act on strategic development options and opportunities.

·        Deep knowledge and understanding of the nonprofit advocacy space and its impact on development and fundraising goals and tactics.

·        Excellent relationship-building skills with diverse stakeholders, including institutional funders, high net worth donors, political donors, organizational leaders, and team members at all levels.

·        Recognizes each team member's unique background and perspective to achieve team goals and develop team members in a positive and motivating working environment.

·        An inclusive management style that places deep value on diverse perspectives and emphasizes the development and growth of team members and encourages learning and continued improvement.

Qualifications Required

·       Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and work experience in nonprofit organizations

·       12+ years of relevant work experience in development and fundraising in the nonprofit sector, with at least 6 years of management/leadership experience

·       Demonstrated ability to create and execute a development strategy & work collaboratively in a mission-driven, culturally diverse organization committed to advancing diversity, equity, & inclusion

·       Demonstrated experience organizing and executing complex or multiple time-sensitive fundraising projects and events involving many participants and deadlines

·       Demonstrated ability to raise funds from major donors and institutional funders

·       Proficiency with in-office and virtual environments and software such as MS Office, data analytics, internet research, databases, and virtual collaboration tools

·       Previous experience with donor databases and/or CRMs

Preferred Qualifications

·       Master’s degree, MBA, or other advanced degree in relevant area a plus

·       15 – 20+ years of relevant work experience and 8+ years of management/leadership experience preferred

·       Experience in a nonprofit organization with budgets of $20 million+ strongly preferred

·       Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint a plus

At NILC, we know that talented people may have different backgrounds or experiences, and if your education and experience doesn’t exactly align with the above that’s okay! NILC believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. NILC’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization. We encourage you to apply and let us know in your cover letter why you are qualified and the right fit for this role and NILC.

Work Environment

Location & Travel:

NILC's offices are located in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California. For this role, up to 20 - 50% of overnight interstate travel may be required; role specific travel as well as quarterly to the NILC Washington, DC office or another location withing the US for 3-5 nights. The salary range for this role is  $154,900 - $193,600.

Compensation:

NILC’s compensation and benefits philosophy is to provide a competitive offering in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization.

Physical Demands

·       Remaining in a stationary position, often standing, or sitting for prolonged periods

·       Communicating with others to exchange information.

·       Repeating motions, like typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.