Prospect Development Manager

Application Deadline: February 15, 2023
 
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA) is seeking a Prospect Development Manager (PDM) to design, lead, and implement a comprehensive prospect research and qualification program. In collaboration with ACLU-WA and National ACLU colleagues, the PDM is responsible for identifying, prioritizing, researching, and assigning the best prospects for major, leadership, and planned gifts; applying an equity-informed approach to research and analysis to help diversify the portfolio; monitoring portfolio health through key performance metrics; proactively advancing donor pipelines with research-informed strategy recommendations; and providing business intelligence-informed reporting. The PDM reports to the Director of Development.
 

OVERVIEW

The ACLU of Washington is a leader among state affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union, the country's premier guardian of liberty. We work in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect and extend American rights to freedom, fairness, and equality. The ACLU is both nonprofit and nonpartisan. We have a staff of 50+ and are supported by more than 135,000 members, activists, and donors.
 
The ACLU of Washington is committed to ending racism in Washington State and throughout the country. This includes how we work with each other, and with our partners and allies in the communities we serve. We are committed to bringing anti-racism to all aspects of ACLU-WA's internal and external functions, including but not limited to recruitment; hiring and human resources; strategic planning; ally, donor, and volunteer relations; Board and committee processes; and deciding what cases to litigate and what legislation to support and oppose. We are looking for candidates who share this commitment to advancing racial justice, both internally in our organization and externally in the communities that we serve.
 
*Please note: the ACLU-WA is currently transitioning towards a hybrid workstyle. To aid remote work, we provide laptops, home office supplies, certain equipment, and technology support. You will need an effective WiFi connection and a way to reach you by phone. This position is eligible for either a work phone or phone stipend, as well as an additional $100 stipend each month to help cover any additional costs while working from home.
 
The ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, socio-economic circumstance, or record of arrest or conviction. We do not conduct criminal background checks on our candidates. People of color, women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.
 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Participation in ACLU-WA’s race equity work. This may include utilizing ACLU-WA race equity tools, adopting ACLU-WA race equity practices, serving on the Race Equity Team or subcommittees, etc.
 
Prospect Development Oversight, Evaluation, and Management
  • Develop, implement, and manage day-to-day operations of the ACLU-WA prospect development efforts, including identification and prioritization of new prospects most likely to make major, leadership, or planned gifts, recommending portfolio assignments and removals, and evolving portfolio management practices to support equity goals and commitments, in collaboration with ACLU-WA and National ACLU staff.
  • Develop protocols for data entry, ensuring that research information is completely and correctly entered into the database.
  • May recruit, train, and supervise research volunteer(s) or interns.
 
Donor and Prospect Research and Evaluation
  • Identify, evaluate, and recommend prospects for assignment to portfolios ($10,000+ annual or capacity) by: conceptualizing proactive prospecting methodologies; identifying new prospects; evaluating identified prospects, applying a sophisticated understanding of wealth indicators, philanthropic inclination, and equity-informed analysis; and recommending prospects for assignment to portfolios.
  • Provide research-based strategies, recommendations, and training related to prospect research and development to ACLU-WA development staff, including refreshers on ratings and research.
 
Pipeline Health and Advancement
  • Oversee the individual giving pipeline, ensuring individual donors and prospects are assigned to and move between the appropriate program and portfolio within our individual giving programs and between the affiliate and national programs.
  • Accelerate the performance of major, leadership, and planned gift pipelines through work with gift officers, including portfolio reviews, moves management, and strategy recommendations.
  • Assess portfolio composition to understand needs for future assignment and ensure a pipeline of pre-qualified prospects for the portfolio.
 
Business Intelligence
  • Analyze data and develop metrics to inform, measure, and evaluate effectiveness of development activities and to determine the health of our program.
  • Develop business intelligence reporting in Salesforce.
  • Develop and maintain internal strategies, policies, and procedures to ensure the quality and integrity of the database.
 

QUALIFICATIONS

At the ACLU-WA, we work with staff to develop skills and support each other’s work. If the position sounds like a good fit, please don’t let fear of not having every qualification deter you from applying.
 
  • Ideal candidates will have an awareness of, and willingness to engage in, the difficult and transformative work of challenging systems of oppression, institutional and structural racism, and implicit bias.
  • A commitment to understanding and advancing equity and racial justice through philanthropic development.
  • At least three years of experience with progressive responsibilities in nonprofit fundraising, ideally including prospect research experience, equivalent information research profession, or research-based donor strategy development required.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, constituent relationship management (CRM) databases, and business intelligence programs.
  • Experience with donor research tools such as Lexis Nexis, ResearchPoint (GivingSearch), and online search tools.
  • Good judgment, attention to detail, dependability, and follow through.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work collaboratively and respectfully.
  • Commitment to basic prospect research ethics and the ACLU’s strong privacy principles; sound judgment in maintaining confidentiality of information.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of prospect research, database management, and/or donor strategy work.
  • Strong analytical ability required to interpret data needs, perform analysis, and create reports and data solutions.
  • Experience in program and/or pipeline management, Salesforce, and community-centric fundraising principles is preferred.
 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The ACLU-WA office is generally open between the hours of 9a.m. and 5p.m. and is located in downtown Seattle. The physical demands and work environment described below represent those required and encountered by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
  • Able to input information into a computer for long periods of time.
  • Able to remain stationary for extended periods.
  • Able to assess information communicated through a computer.
 
This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to change the description and/or posting at any time without advance notice. This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The ACLU of WA is dedicated to centering equity in all aspects of the organization and, as such, has adopted a salary scale for measuring how to best compensate its employees. The salary for this position is $85,000 to $92,000. A range indicates the intention to accommodate those with varying years of relevant experience, as determined by the salary scale.
 
Benefits include three weeks of vacation, thirteen sick days with an additional ten days given in 2023, fifteen holidays, fully paid employee medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance, an employer contributed retirement plan, student loan reimbursement, family care and adoption assistance, life insurance, paid office closures, and an ORCA card, the regional transportation pass.
 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

To apply, please submit a cover letter and résumé on our online job portal. In your cover letter, please explain the ways in which you satisfy the skills and qualifications specified above. We also invite applicants to include in their letter information about how their background and/or experience could contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and advocacy work.
 
Applications will be accepted until noon, February 15, 2023, at which time the job announcement will be displayed as closed on our website at www.aclu-wa.org/careers.
 

HIRING TIMELINE

We will schedule interviews with qualified candidates after the application deadline and hope to have the selected candidate start in early April 2023.
 
The ACLU of Washington comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, Inc. and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington Foundation. The two corporations share the same overall mission, office space, and employees. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU of Washington”.