About the Organization
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 immigrant justice including direct federal immigration policy reform. NILC is committed to advancing its mission — which intersects race, immigration status, and class — through racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation.
About the Position
This position is a 2-year term limited role, renewable based on funding.
The National Immigration Law Center is seeking a Sr. Specialist, Major Gifts who will manage a portfolio of NILC (501c3) and IJF (501c4) donors and prospects giving $5,000+. The Sr. Specialist, Major Gifts will report directly to the Director, Fundraising Campaigns and work closely with other members of the development department, as well as with NILC senior leadership and program staff.
This role is a member of the bargaining unit.
The Sr. Specialist, Major Gifts will be responsible for providing leadership and driving success in the following key areas:
Specific Position Responsibilities
Major Giving Program Strategy and Execution
- Collaborate with the Director of Fundraising Campaigns to support a major giving donor program that includes both short- and long-term strategies.
- Collaborate with Strategic Communications team to develop the messaging for major giving communications including creation of coordinated strategies on shared donors, high-profile collaborators such as celebrities and other strategic partners as needed.
Portfolio / Pipeline Management + Donor Engagement Strategy
- In consultation with the Director, Fundraising Campaigns and other members of the Development Department, manage a select portfolio of 80-120 major donors and prospects with the capacity to make annual gifts of $5,000+, including their cultivation, stewardship and solicitation.
- Perform donor and prospect research leading to support individual goals and comprehensive strategic plans.
- Coordinate with Director, Fundraising Campaigns and Sr. Specialist, Midlevel Giving on donor upgrades and upgrade strategies.
- Collaborate with the Development Operations team to provide an enhanced level of donor services to all major donors.
- Record all interactions and post-meeting reports promptly in database and communicate all aspects of meeting, from set-up to follow-up, to other team members as needed.
- Meet portfolio goals including number of donor meetings and meaningful, monthly personalized donor contacts.
- Carry out successful donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship via virtual meetings, phone calls, personalized direct mail as needed, and in-person meetings on a regular basis to understand donor interests, motivations, and capacity.
- Coordinate with the Development team to plan and execute donor cultivation events – both virtual and in-person.
- Leads the planning and execution of special donor events including salons, Emersonian Dinners, and similar events targeted at major gift donors.
- Coordinate with the Development Department on donor pipeline prospects and management.
- Establish and execute a communications calendar for the major gifts audience that includes cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
- Work with the appropriate staff to secure program/project information and use this information to develop materials directed at individual donors/prospects, such as highly personalized proposals or stewardship reports that detail progress resulting from a gift.
- Prepare or support preparation of donor briefings and prep memos for the President and senior organizational leadership as needed.
- Assist the department in stewardship of major and leadership donors, identify articles and other materials to send donors, reinforcing the importance of their support and our appreciation of their commitment to NILC, and share with other staff.
- Work with the Director, Fundraising Campaigns to support NILC and IJF board members in donor outreach, stewardship, and solicitation activities.
Revenue Growth and Upgrades
- Work with the Development Operations team to identify potential prospects and transition donors into the major gifts giving program and collaborate with the Director, Fundraising Campaigns and on solicitation strategies.
- Coordinate with Director, Fundraising Campaigns and Sr. Specialist, Midlevel Giving on donor upgrades and upgrade strategies.
Planning & Strategic Operations
- Monitor and analyze the major giving revenue performance and donor strategy through regular reports with the Director, Fundraising Campaigns and Development Operations to track progress, identify issues, and institute corrections as needed.
- Maintain up to date records of donor engagement and moves management in Raisers Edge.
- Stay well-versed in the current work of NILC on the local, state, and national level – and be an effective representative of the organization.
Shared Organization Responsibilities
- Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice
- Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual level.
- Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background and 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 and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.
- 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 confidence, 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
- Commitment to NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income 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 inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC/IJF team members, and NILC/IJF leaders alike.
- Demonstrates sound judgement in decision-making, high integrity, and utmost respect for confidentiality.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills: ability to read, analyze, and interpret as well as draft documents such as reports, correspondence, and presentations for various audiences.
- Self-starter with a strong strategic ability to move daily tasks forward in alignment with NILC’s broader organizational needs and goals.
- Flexibility to travel and work occasional evenings and/or weekends for donor meetings and events.
Qualifications Required
- High School diploma required.
- 7-10+ years of experience required, with at least two years of experience working in the nonprofit industry, specifically in nonprofit fundraising, including progressive responsibility and a proven record of securing visits with prospective donors, and soliciting, closing, and stewarding mid and major gifts.
- Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication and presentation skills.
- Strong organizational skills. Ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track progress towards achieving objectives. .
- Proficiency with in-office and virtual environments and software such as MS Office, internet research, and virtual collaboration tools.
- Experience with and strategic use of at least one advanced CRM.
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with the concepts of moves management.
- Experience with Raiser’s Edge NXT database preferred.
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.. For this role, up to 25% of overnight interstate travel may be required; travel is typically quarterly to the NILC Washington, DC office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights.
Compensation & Benefits:
NILC’s compensation philosophy is to pay competitively in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization. Compensation for the role will depend on several factors including qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. The salary range for this opportunity is $89,300 - $111,600.
Remote work locations are as follows: (Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin). To be considered, applicants must live in one of the work locations.
NILC's benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, STD, and LTD insurance, healthcare and dependent care FSA, stipends and/or reimbursements for wellness, phone, and internet, generous paid time off, a robust holiday schedule, an employee assistance program (EAP), along with additional voluntary insurance packages.
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.
