As of the date of this posting (January 28, 2024), we are seeking to fill one Development Director position.

What is the Development Director position at the ACLU of Oregon?

Summary of this position:

The ACLU of Oregon believes — and works to ground all fundraising efforts — in racial equity and social justice, including the guiding principles of community-centric fundraising.

The ACLU of Oregon’s Development Director is a strategic and thoughtful leader; effective project developer, implementer, and manager; collaborative and supportive teammate and supervisor; open learner and able teacher; seasoned fundraiser; and skillful communicator and relationship-builder. 

With our development and fundraising efforts, the ACLU of Oregon works in collaboration with ACLU National’s Development Department. The effectiveness of the Development Director will rely on their willingness and ability to learn and leverage ACLU National’s fundraising infrastructure and resources while identifying and amplifying the strengths and opportunities specific to the ACLU of Oregon and the donor community in the state of Oregon.

What this position does:

This position supports and enhances the ACLU of Oregon’s mission, vision, and values by --

  • Under the guidance and direction of our executive team (Executive Director and Deputy Director) and in collaboration with the development team (Donor Engagement Officer and Development Associate), the Development Director develops, implements, and manages fundraising-related strategies and projects to build, strengthen, and deepen existing supporter and donor relationships; identifies prospective supporters and donors; and encourages increased giving through the implementation of engagement, cultivation, and stewardship activities. 
  • With a supportive, collaborative, and effective approach, the Development Director supervises and manages the staff members on the development team.
  • In addition to leadership and management responsibilities, the Development Director will spend a significant amount of time interacting with donors – inside and outside the office as well as virtually – and will build and manage an active portfolio of approximately 60 donors. 

Who this position works with:

This position works closely, collaboratively, and supportively with all areas of the ACLU of Oregon, including administration, integrated advocacy, legal, policy, communications & storytelling, and community engagement. This position also works with external partners, allies, and coalitions as relevant to the position’s job responsibilities.

What values are important and required:

This position requires a strong and continued commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, anti-racism, anti-misogyny, anti-transphobia, anti-homophobia, anti-ableism, and all other types of anti-oppression, as well as the proven ability to incorporate these values into work both internal and external to our organization.

Where to get more information:

Please review this job description for more information about this position.

Organizational note:

The ACLU of Oregon reserves the right to make changes to job duties and responsibilities for positions, consistent with the values and operational needs of the ACLU of Oregon, which may change from time to time.

What are the qualifications required for this position?

We are looking for individuals with the following experience, abilities, and values --

  • Required skills & abilities: five-plus (5+) years of formal or informal experience, education, and/or training commensurate with fundraising experience in the nonprofit sector and growing confidence in leading and managing a development program and team. 
  • Strongly preferred: three to four (3-4) years of direct experience in soliciting, closing, and stewarding gifts; experience with a diverse donor pool is ideal.
  • Required racial justice values and anti-oppression values: proven significant and continuous prior commitment to and experience with work and efforts — both internal and external to an organization — that align with and further the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, anti-racism, anti-misogyny, anti-transphobia, anti-homophobia, anti-ableism, and other forms of anti-oppression.
  • Additional organizational required values: a demonstrated ability to support the goals, priorities, and values of the ACLU of Oregon, including the following values related to building work-related relationships and trust --

    Sincerity: the assessment that you are honest; that you say what you mean and mean what you say. The idea that you can be believed and taken seriously and that your actions align with your words.

    Reliability: the assessment that you meet the commitments you make, and that you keep your promises.

    Competence: the assessment you have the ability to do what you’re doing or propose to do. Note that being competent does not mean being perfect. Part of doing something well is knowing what you don’t know how to do, being willing to learn, and asking for help when you need it.

    Care: the assessment you have the other person’s interests in mind in addition to your own when you make decisions and take actions.
  • Equivalent education and/or experience: We will consider applicants who can demonstrate non-traditional work-related experiences comparable to more direct, traditional forms of work experience or education. 

 What are the pay & benefits for this position?

This is an exempt, full-time, benefitted position. Currently, the annual salary is $105,102.

Because we have established an internal salary system that centers equity, clarity and transparency, competitiveness, and sustainability, salaries for positions are not negotiable.

Our current excellent benefits package includes:

  • paid vacation time
  • paid sick time
  • paid personal time
  • 14.5 paid holidays per year
  • office shutdown periods during summer and winter, as consistent with the organization’s values and work needs
  • flexible Friday hours, consistent with operational needs
  • remote work stipend and commute-related benefits
  • health insurance (medical/vision and dental)
  • life insurance
  • long-term disability insurance
  • employer contributions to a wellness FSA account
  • 401(k) retirement plan with matching and other contributions of up to 5.5% of salary, subject to the organization’s 401(k) plan requirements, which include a vesting schedule
  • support for work-related coaching
  • parental leave
  • funds to support professional development related to work
  • funds to support relationship and connection building related to work

Please note that all employment-related pay and benefits provided to ACLU of Oregon’s employees are subject to all applicable policies, practices, processes, and legal requirements, including changes to them that may occur from time to time.

How do I apply for this position?

An application package requires the following four parts --

1.   Cover letter. Please include why you are interested in the Development Director position and the ACLU of Oregon, including the organizational values and issue areas that most call to you.

2.   Resume.

3.   Work samples. Please provide at least two work samples that showcase skills and abilities that you believe are relevant and important to the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position.

4. Supplemental questions. Please provide a response to the following questions; if these are addressed in your cover letter or resume, you can refer to those materials:

  • Question 1: Please describe the strengths that you believe you will bring to this position, as well as the areas of growth you will need related to this position.
  • Question 2: How would you approach and structure your first six months, first year, and second year as Development Director?
     
  • Question 3: What are the questions you'll be asking to develop a fundraising strategy that reflects the strengths of and opportunities available to the ACLU of Oregon?
     
  • Question 4: What resources would support you in being effective with your responsibilities as the Development Director for the ACLU of Oregon?

Please submit your materials via this application submission form.

Our application process consists of the following parts:

  • We review application materials submitted by candidates.
  • We conduct initial interviews with applicants whose application materials demonstrate they best meet the job qualifications amongst the pool of applicants (generally, we prefer to interview three to five applicants at this stage).
  • We conduct final interviews with current ACLU of Oregon leadership and non-leadership staff team members (generally, we prefer to interview one to two applicants at this stage).
  • If the hiring manager and leadership have agreed on an applicant to whom we’d like to make an offer of employment, we will make an offer of employment conditional on successful completion of reference calls that do not raise any concerns about the potential effectiveness of the applicant in the job position we’ve posted. We generally ask for three references, including at least one reference who is a prior supervisor.

 Who to contact for assistance?

 Please contact hr@aclu-or.org if you need any assistance accessing the job posting or job application, or need disability-related accommodations.