Development Data and Systems Manager

Who we are:

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. The Animal Legal Defense Fund accomplishes this mission by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are held accountable for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law.

Role Description:

Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Development Data and Systems Manager will lead the Data and Systems function of the Development department supervising the Senior Membership Services Associate. This position will play a critical role in optimizing donor engagement and revenue growth by driving the strategy for the Development Team’s use of donor and donation data and systems. With deep expertise in data management and strategic insights, this leader will collaborate closely with the Development Director and other department functions, providing high-level recommendations on systems infrastructure, process improvements, and data-driven solutions to maximize fundraising potential and elevate team performance. A proactive and visionary team member, they will spearhead initiatives to refine and automate data pipelines, improve operational efficiency, and create advanced reporting and actionable insights.

Additionally, the Development Data and Systems Manager will take ownership of the organization’s development tools and vendor partnerships, ensuring optimal performance and the delivery of high-quality outcomes. This seasoned leader will also play a pivotal role in the strategic selection of and migration to a new, organization-wide CRM system, overseeing the protection, accuracy, and seamless integration of all donation-related data.

You Will Report to: Director of Development

How You Will Make a Difference:

Strategy and Management

• Manage the Senior Membership Services Associate who is responsible for the handling of donor and donation data, ensuring accurate entering of information, prompt processing and reporting, and donor relations.
• Lead the Data and Systems function by establishing and tracking SMART goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and robust performance benchmarks that drive accountability, foster success, and promote growth.
• Develop a data quality roadmap that optimizes people, processes, and technology to raise our data quality maturity level, making development data more accurate, reliable, and useful for decision-making and operational effectiveness.
• Develop and lead the strategies for large-scale data projects such as the creation of revenue reports, production of year-end tax receipts for all donors, wealth screening of donor prospects, etc. under the direction of the Development Director.
• Partner with the Development Director and other internal stakeholders to design data use strategies to increase fundraising revenue, such as produce qualified lists and advanced donor segmentation for highly customized donor acquisition, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Design and deliver training to support Development Team members in leveraging data to drive decision-making and revenue growth within their respective areas.
• Identify and create database automations and AI integration opportunities to enhance efficiency and streamline processes and share new industry trends to continually improve data knowledge and practices.
• Develop and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the data and systems function.

Data Management

• Interpret the data produced by direct marketing vendors, sharing insights with the Development Director and Direct Marketing Manager to help drive opportunities for strategic advancement.
• Conduct regular, complex database clean-up projects with the assistance of the Senior Membership Services Associate, guiding on best practices in donor database health.
• Develop and maintain tracking and reporting mechanisms; provide complex CRM database reports to Development and Finance team members as needed.
• Develop, test, and validate deliverables such as reports, data projects, email lists, and more, ensuring timely and accurate results.
• Support the Development Director by identifying philanthropic opportunities through routine analysis and reporting of data trends, while proactively reporting on and resolving advanced donation and/or data-related issues.
• Establish policies and procedures for data management, ensuring data quality, security, and team compliance with regulations such as CAN-SPAM, PCI, and other laws in the use, secure storage, and handling of confidential donor and financial information.

Systems Management

• Manage the Development Team’s vendor partnerships, including the strategic oversight of these relationships to ensure alignment with organizational goals, drive performance, resolve issues, and optimize systems for long-term efficiency and impact.
• Manage the Development Team’s internal tools, including the eCRM, CRM, third-party fundraising tools, and organization-wide tools such as project management software, ensuring accurate and timely tracking and reporting of deliverables.
• Ensure the strict adherence by the caging vendor to the prompt and accurate processing of donations, updating of donor records, and handling of all mail correspondence organization wide according to the contract and SOPs.
• Fully manage the current and future transition of all development tools and vendor partnerships, including, but not limited to an upcoming large-scale CRM migration. This may include:
• Auditing current database structure and records and conducting rigorous cleanup in preparation for migration, making structural changes, where required
• Implementing secure backup strategies and recovery processes.
• Mapping data fields to align with current and new CRM and provide seamless integration between new CRM and accounting system, Sage Intaact.
• Planning for system integration of all development-related systems and tools.
• Developing robust training plan for Development Team members of all levels of CRM experience.
• Conducting thorough testing of the migrated data to guarantee accuracy and completeness.
• Design and oversee the architecture of data systems and databases to support analytics and reporting needs.
• Create and maintain Statement of Work guidelines with vendors, in cooperation with the Development Director.
• Routinely assess the effectiveness of all development-related tools, raising issues and sharing opportunities with the Development Director, where needed.

Additional Information about the Role

• Full-time, Exempt Position
• Remote within the United States
• Occasional Travel may be required for organizational retreats or other functions

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; alternatively, at least 10 years of experience in database management required
• A minimum of five years’ experience working with multiple donor management systems and processing donations at a nonprofit organization — experience with Salesforce a bonus
• Experience in leading a full CRM platform migration and system implementation required
• Advanced computer and data skills, including:
• Expert-level knowledge of Microsoft Excel for data analysis required
• Proficiency in Structured Query Language (SQL) required
• Working knowledge of HTML strongly preferred
• A minimum of 2 years of direct team management experience required
• Some experience with Revolution Online (ROI) preferred
• Robust knowledge of online giving platforms, processes, and forms
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of working with large data sets
• Ability to produce data-related needs very quickly and with a high degree of accuracy
• Robust knowledge of IRS rules around donations and donor data
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, problem solve and independently manage multiple projects and tasks concurrently
• High attention to detail and strict adherence to deadlines
• Positive, solution-oriented attitude
• Demonstrated ability to develop strong, collaborative, and respectful relationships with team members across the organization
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends when necessary, during high volume periods
• Excellent references relevant to similar positions held
• Demonstrated interest and experience with animal welfare issues and commitment to the mission of the Animal Legal Defense Fund

ALDF is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and an inclusive, multicultural environment. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, parenting status (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, uniformed service member status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are asking all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as defined by the CDC and present acceptable proof of vaccination by the date of hire as a condition of employment. We will consider requests for accommodations or exemptions on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with applicable laws.

Consistent with the organization’s mission, our offices and events are free of animal products and byproducts.

The application deadline for this position is November 21, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage applicants to apply early as we may make a decision before the deadline closes.

We Offer Competitive Compensation with Excellent Benefits, Including:

• Starting annual salary of $92,106 for most geographic locations.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of Washington D.C, Cotati, CA, and Los Angeles, starting pay is $96,954.
• For candidates located within 25 miles of New York City and San Francisco, starting pay is $101,802.

To ensure salary equity, we do not negotiate salary outside of the published starting rate. Rate is determined by role using set geographical factors.

• Comprehensive health care, dental, life and vision benefits (100% employer paid); Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA) are also available.
• 192 hours of PTO.
• 19 paid holidays.
• 1-month paid sabbatical after 5 years of continuous employment.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave.
• 401k plan with a maximum 5% employer contribution match after one year of employment.
• Alternative work schedules (at manager’s discretion).

Maintaining a healthy work/life balance is a core value for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.