About the Role

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Assistant Director will play a critical role in fundraising to support NYLPI’s program operation, deepen board relationships, and further the organization’s growth goals. The Assistant Director will work as a front-line fundraiser responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding a portfolio of individual donors.   

Working in close collaboration with a small, results-oriented team, the Assistant Director will have the opportunity to leverage proven programs to attract the support of the board, individuals and family foundations, as well as working to secure broad-based and attorney volunteer giving. The Assistant Director will play a key role at NYLPI as we further develop and implement best practice policies and operations that support the growth and sustainability of NYLPI’s multi-year fundraising goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Serving as a key member of the NYLPI team, the Assistant Director will provide support in all areas of fundraising, including the following: 

Development Department Strategy and Operations  

Serve as a thought and leadership partner to the Director of Development in raising $7 million annually to support a growing organization. 

• Spearhead NYLPI’s upcoming 50th Anniversary fundraising campaign. 
• Partner with the Director of Development to develop and implement best practice procedures/system improvements for operations to support the growth and sustainability of NYLPI’s fundraising goals. 
• Manage Development Department internship program and maintain a list of professional development opportunities for Development Team members. 
• Interact on a regular basis with external partners including donors, prospects, board members, Pro Bono Advisory Committee Members, and others. 

Fundraising 

Coordinate fundraising strategies leading to an annual increase in revenue and key metrics for individual giving for NYLPI. 

• Manage a portfolio and pipeline of individual donors to increase NYLPI’s major gift program revenue and engagement opportunities and recognition levels for donors. 
• Plan and execute at least two annual small-scale fundraising/cultivation/donor appreciation events, including NYLPI’s annual Felix A. Fishman Awards event held each year in the fall. 
• Develop cultivation and stewardship plans that create a high-quality donor experience including: regular correspondence, thoughtful donor engagement and invitations, professional proposals, mailings, and acknowledgements.
• Project-manage at least two annual individual giving campaigns, including direct mail and online campaigns. 
• Collaborate with the Director of Development on new joint and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns in partnership with NYLPI Board of Directors and Pro Bono Advisory Council. 

Database Management and Research

• Perform strategic prospect research and develop meeting briefs for new/existing donors. 
• Maintain accurate and timely records on donor contact. 
• Using NYLPI’s donor database, Raiser’s Edge NXT, create reports to analyze trends related to individual giving. 
• Stay up to date on direct response marketing and email marketing best practices. Use research on giving patterns to improve solicitation techniques and improve future solicitation campaigns.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required 

• Experience with cultivation and direct solicitation of individual donors with a successful track record of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of four-and-five figure gifts. 
• Proficiency with Raiser’s Edge NXT or similar donor database software.
• Organized self-starter, able to prioritize tasks and projects, and to meet deadlines. 
• Excellent writing and communication skills and the ability to build relationships with and craft messages for diverse stakeholders.
• Commitment to social justice and civil rights.
• Ability to work well with team members across axes of diversity and difference.    
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Preferred

• 5 – 7 years of fundraising experience. 
• Exhibits strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills. 
• Knowledge of the New York City philanthropic community. 
• Goal-oriented fundraising strategist who can create and execute a vision.  
• Collaborative work ethic and ability to track and report progress and results. 
• Creative and strategic thinker able to develop and implement new ways to engage potential and existing donors and partners. 
• Proactive engagement on all NYLPI program activities and planning as well as current trends in philanthropy. 

This is a full-time position with a salary range of $75,000-95,000, depending on experience.  NYLPI offers comprehensive employer-paid benefits, including health insurance, short- and long-term disability and life insurance, an outstanding retirement savings plan (after 12 months, NYLPI contributes 5% of an employee’s annual salary and will match up to an additional 2½%), paid family and sick leave, fifteen (15) days of vacation during the first year of employment (increasing to 24 in the third year) and five personal days, eleven (11) official office holidays, and a holiday swapping policy to allow for the observation of holidays of your choice, as well as extensive voluntary benefits.   

This position is expected to be available for work from our New York City office, and for in-person work as duties require. NYLPI currently expects a minimum of two days in the office. Please note that NYLPI requires that all employees demonstrate proof of vaccination against COVID-19 and a current booster dose.

Please send applications to [email protected] with the subject line: “Attention:  Assistant Director of Development.” Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and must include the following:

• Detailed cover letter explaining your interest, and experience, and answering the following required question: How has your background or experience, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural competency and diversity, equity, and inclusion? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences. Please mention where you saw this posting in your cover letter.

• Resume
• Writing sample

We strongly encourage candidates from historically oppressed groups to apply. We are committed to advancing social justice and civil rights in our advocacy, and we value the dynamism and perspective that staff diversity brings to the work and culture of the office. We strive to promote behaviors, attitudes, and policies that enable us to work inclusively and effectively in cross-cultural situations with clients, co-workers, and community partners. We actively recruit and seek to grow and maintain a staff that is diverse along many axes, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, and national origin; disability; socioeconomic background; and sexual orientation and gender identity. 

About NYLPI

For more than 45 years, NYLPI has been a leading civil rights advocate for New Yorkers opposing marginalization based on race, immigration status, poverty, disability, and a range of intersectional identities.  NYLPI pioneered the practice of community lawyering in the five boroughs of New York City.  These communities shape our priorities, and their struggles for justice demand innovative solutions.  Our interdisciplinary teams of advocates use every tool available – community organizing, impact litigation and individual representation, policy advocacy, media, pro bono partnerships, and public education – to solve seemingly intractable problems, develop leaders, and build collective power to achieve justice.  We strive to create equal access to health care, achieve equality of opportunity and self-determination for people with disabilities, ensure immigrant opportunity, strengthen local nonprofits, and secure environmental justice for frontline communities. 

To learn more about NYLPI, visit www.nylpi.org.