Philanthropy Gift Officer

About NYLAG:

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combating economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. During COVID-19, most of our services are virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG’s staff of 350 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job description

NYLAG is accepting applications for the role of Philanthropy Gift Officer, a new position, to lead individual donor cultivation and stewardship efforts. This role will manage a portfolio of mid-level and major donors while developing and implementing new strategies to grow individual giving, particularly among NYLAG's network of volunteers. The ideal candidate will be a skilled relationship-builder who can craft compelling donor communications, execute personalized engagement plans, and work collaboratively with organizational leadership to advance NYLAG's mission of providing free civil legal services to New Yorkers in need. Reporting to the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, this position plays a crucial role in expanding NYLAG's individual giving program and ensuring sustainable funding for our vital services.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Philanthropy Gift Officer is an essential member of the philanthropy team tasked with securing funds for the organization by fulfilling the interests and passions of individual donors (current and prospective) by providing them with giving opportunities, encouraging them to give, and assuring that as many as possible are retained as continuing donors to the organization and are upgraded in their giving and involvement. Key responsibilities include:

Individual Donor Portfolio (75%)

• Qualify a caseload of donors from a larger pool of donors to the organization.
• Conduct prospect research on all qualified donors through direct conversations, online research, and other means to further tier/prioritize the qualified caseload based on economic potential.
• Create a personalized plan for each qualified donor, based on their stated passions and interests, that will serve as a foundational communication and engagement plan for each person on the caseload. Will faithfully and on a timely basis execute that plan so that individuals on the caseload are retained and upgraded.
• Create individual goals for each qualified donor on his or her caseload based on the donor’s history of giving and the organization’s knowledge of that donor’s potential.
• Create a touchpoint calendar for all other non-qualified donors in the caseload, leveraging NYLAG’s marketing and direct response assets to create more personalized and meaningful communications with individual donors who have opted out of a two-way relationship with the organization. Will faithfully and on a timely basis execute that plan so that individuals on the caseload are retained and upgraded.
• Incorporate new donors into the caseload pool for qualification on an ongoing basis.
• Spearhead the end-of-year giving campaign, including developing and operationalizing a plan to leverage the President and CEO in outreach to targeted donors and prospective donors.
• In partnership with the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, create, finalize, and implement standardized business protocols to document and guide the department’s operating procedures for all donor relations activities and processes.
• Perform other mid-level and major donor activities as may be required by management, including creating monthly reports that accurately reflect caseload activity and performance.
• Maintain accurate and complete records of donor communications in the donor database.

Volunteer Campaign Development and Implementation (25%)

• Conduct and document peer research of other legal services organizations who engage volunteers in fundraising campaigns and initiatives.
• Create buy-in for and champions of growing individual giving from NYLAG’s network of volunteers by engaging NYLAG’s Pro Bono Associate Advisory Board (PBAAB), key members of NYLAG’s Board of Directors, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
• Develop and implement a plan to adopt creative engagement/fundraising opportunities among NYLAG’s network of volunteers.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years’ experience with nonprofit fundraising from individual donors or comparable work experience.
• Proven record of fundraising portfolio management and gift officer fundraising success.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of midlevel and major gift fundraising.
• Familiarity with donor prospecting and research.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to work with staff at all levels, interact with donors, and represent the organization tactfully and diplomatically.
• Above average verbal/written communication skills and relationship skills.
• Ability to self-manage and self-direct workload while still being a team player.
• Strategic, disciplined, focused, and organized.
• Experience working with a donor database; Salesforce NPSP experience strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Sense of professionalism, confidentiality, independent judgment, and an exceptional work ethic.
• Passion for equal and social justice and the non-profit sector preferred.

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

Employment type:

• Full-time

Professional Level:

• Managerial

Salary Range: The current salary range for this position is between $80,000 and $90,000.

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter in one pdf.

Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. NYLAG’s current policy is that most staff are required to work in NYLAG’s offices or do other in-person work at least two days each week. This policy is subject to change.