Under the guidance of the Director of Development, the Deputy Director of Development ensures that the ACLU of Texas is establishing and strengthening long-term partnerships with philanthropic entities that contribute to the organization’s revenues: individual and leadership gifts, grants, and membership. The Deputy Director of Development executes strategies to engage donors while externally advancing organizational values and internally aligning with strategic goals.

To fulfill these objectives, the Deputy Director of Development supports the Director of Development in managing the Development Department. Specifically, this position supervises staff and ensures that each staff member has clearly defined roles and goals, as well as an accurate sense of their progress and career path. This position also manages a select portfolio of major donors and prospects with individual capacity to give $25,000+ and institutional capacity to give $50,000+. This position works with the team and organizational leadership to diversify donors supporting the ACLU of Texas and to ensure that the Development Department’s efforts contribute to the racial justice goals of the organization. This position ensures the entire team operates efficiently and effectively to implement the development plan.

Organization Overview

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Lone Star State. We work in courts, legislatures, and communities to protect and advance the rights of Texans throughout the state. The ACLU of Texas is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization. The ACLU of Texas operates offices in Houston, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, and Brownsville, Texas

RESPONSIBILITIES

Management

• Directly manages all gift officers and grant strategist positions.
• Hires, sets goals and expectations, and provides evaluation and feedback to help each staff member fulfill their responsibilities and meet their goals.
• Acts as a key partner to the Director of Development on matters impacting the department and as delegated by the Director of Development.
• Holds responsibilities related to department integration and engagement, culture building, organizational culture of philanthropy, and intra- or inter-departmental issues when they arise.
• Partners with the Director of Development to build and strengthen the ACLU of Texas’s practices to further advance our values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and our racial justice goals within the department, the staff, as well as through our work with donors and the community.
• Works with the Director of Development and the ACLU national office to ensure effective infrastructure, operations, and related work; develops and implements protocols, accountability measures, performance metrics, and evaluation practices.
• Collaborates with the Director of Development on strategic planning, budgeting, expense tracking, and project planning.

Donor Engagement Oversight & Implementation

• In consultation with the Director of Development and in collaboration with other members of the Development Department, grows and manages engagement opportunities to advance fundraising-related strategic goals.
• Closely collaborates with the Communications Department on external communication platforms (i.e., ACLU News, website, social media, emails, etc.) as they relate to development goals, priorities, and target audiences.
• Plays a leadership role in conceptualizing, planning, drafting, and editing donor-focused communications, including impact reports, appeal letters, etc.
• Manage fundraising events, including supervising and coordinating staff and consultants involved in the events.

Portfolio & Relationship Management

• Manage relationships with some foundations, corporate donors, and event sponsors.
• Manage relationships with a portfolio of individual leadership gift donors (~75 people).

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience:

• Minimum of eight to ten years of work experience in philanthropic or non-profit fundraising with at least five years of experience in a management position.
• Experience growing and sustaining programs focused on major gift-level donor relationships in the non-profit or philanthropic sectors.
• Experience with program design and assessment, including developing program and performance metrics and protocols.
• Proven donor-facing experience developing and executing strategic plans for fundraising success, including soliciting and closing six-figure gifts and complex/blended gifts.
• Experience developing strong relationships with a variety of organizational partners.
• Experience managing staff with varying levels of experience and in varying stages of career development, including performance management, professional development planning, and fostering team culture that aligns with departmental and organizational culture.
• Experience with large- and small-scale production.
• Familiarity with the concepts of “moves management” and “community centric fundraising” preferred.

Required Skills:

• Interpersonal skills and tact, with the ability to bring out the best in others’ work.
• Effectiveness in teams, especially to facilitate joint planning and problem solving while working collaboratively and respectfully.
• Ability to understand donor motivations to craft appropriate opportunities and communications that engage donors at different giving levels and with different relationships to the organization.
• Good judgment, attention to detail, dependability, initiative and follow through, and punctuality.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and to respect privacy.
• Creativity, entrepreneurialism, and flexibility in creating and evolving programs.
• Must be available for regular travel within Texas and limited travel outside Texas.
• Must be available for some weekend and evening responsibilities, including in-person events.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office technology and information systems, including Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook.

• Familiarity with project management software, such as Asana, with an ability and willingness to learn new software tools.
• Experience with donor database applications.

COMPENSATION

The salary for this position is $125,000. Excellent benefits include a generous Paid Time Off policy, medical, dental and vision insurance; 401(k) plan with an employer match; life and long-term disability insurance, and generous paid holidays.

Apply for this job

The ACLU of Texas is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU of Texas encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction.