About Acacia Center for Justice:
The Acacia Center for Justice (“Acacia”) provides legal support and representation to immigrants facing deportation through the development, coordination, and management of national networks of legal services providers serving immigrants across the country. Acacia’s goals are twofold: to support immigrant legal services and defense networks to provide exceptional legal services to immigrants; and to advocate for the expansion of these programs and the infrastructure critical to guaranteeing immigrants access to justice, fairness, and freedom. Acacia ensures accountable, independent, zealous, and person-centered legal services and representation to protect the rights of all immigrants.
Job Summary:
The Acacia Center for Justice (Acacia) seeks an enthusiastic, seasoned, and collaborative Director of Development to lead the strategic development and operational execution of Acacia’s comprehensive development, fundraising, and resource diversification efforts. The Director reports to the Chief Strategy and Program Innovation Officer and works closely with other Acacia leadership, including Acacia’s Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Director of Communications, and Government Contracts Procurement Manager. The Director position is remote, but on-site and in-person work, at times substantial, and including travel for fundraising functions, donor meetings, and like matters, is required for this position.
The Director has a demonstrated commitment to immigrants’ rights and has sufficient fluency and understanding of Acacia’s work to communicate effectively and persuasively to potential donors, institutional and individual, and to the broader public.
Primary Duties/Responsibilities:
Primary position duties include, but are not limited to, the following. Since the Director will be the first hire of Acacia’s development team, the Director will be responsible for all aspects of the below and related duties. As the Director builds a team, it is anticipated that the Director will delegate some portion of these duties to team members as appropriate.
Operational Duties
A. Lead Acacia’s Development Operations
As the priority duty, the Director leads and manages all aspects of Acacia’s development work. Example duties include, but are not limited to:
- With appropriate internal stakeholders, and in support of Acacia’s operational and strategic goals, create, supervise, and execute an annual development plan, with particular emphasis on diversifying Acacia’s resources and raising unrestricted funds.
- Manage the entire lifecycle of foundation, corporate, and individual grants, including prospecting, application preparation and submission, grant management, reporting, closeout, and donor relationship management.
- Collaborate with program, research, or other relevant Acacia teams to identify programmatic areas appropriate for unrestricted / private funding support.
- Cultivate and steward potential and current donors (foundations, corporations, and individuals) through in-person visits, personalized correspondence, access to special events, timely public acknowledgments, and like methods.
- Prepare, maintain, and communicate, including to the Executive Director, to the Board of Trustees or appropriate subcommittees, and to other stakeholders, development metrics, including, e.g., progress toward fundraising goals, donor acquisition and retention, and average gift value.
- With appropriate internal stakeholders, and in support of Acacia’s operational and strategic goals, create, supervise, and execute fundraising events or campaigns.
- Establish and maintain systems to track and report on fundraising progress, including donor databases, gift processing, acknowledgement letters, and fundraising reports. These systems should be accurate, up-to-date, and provide the information needed to make informed decisions and adjust strategies.
- Represent Acacia at relevant conferences, events, and other public-facing opportunities to raise Acacia’s profile and build relationships with potential supporters.
B. Collaborate with and Support Related Acacia Business Units
The Director collaborates with and supports related Acacia business units as may be needed or directed by Acacia executive management. Example duties include, but are not limited to:
- Support Acacia’s Chief Financial Officer in developing an Annual Budget, particularly for those budgetary components which may turn on annual development goals.
- Support Acacia’s General Counsel in fulfilling legal, compliance, and other reporting requirements related to development work.
- Collaborate with Acacia’s Director of Communications, Acacia’s Managing Director of Information Technology and Security, and other key personnel to develop, refine, and disseminate public-facing talking points, pitches, annual reports, or like materials for development work.
- Work with relevant Acacia personnel to create development impact reports that demonstrate Acacia’s effectiveness and the positive outcomes achieved through its programs.
- Engage, train, and provide support to relevant Acacia personnel as spokespeople for Acacia.
- Attend, as needed, Acacia Board of Trustees meetings, and support Acacia executive management in development-related reporting and decision-making with the Board.
C. Build and Manage Acacia’s Development Team
Though led by a seasoned executive management team and program staff, Acacia is a new organization, having incorporated in December 2021, and does not yet have an in-house development team. The Director builds this team consistent with Acacia’s operational needs and strategic goals. Example duties include, but are not limited to:
- With Acacia’s executive management team, assess Acacia’s immediate and longer-term development needs and create a hiring plan to build a development team with the necessary skills and capacities.
- Hire, support, and mentor Acacia’s development team, with 1-2 additional development FTEs planned, hired, and onboarded by the end of 2023.
- Set clear goals and objectives for the development team.
- Provide “dotted line” supervision to Acacia staff who share a development function, including Acacia’s Government Contracts Procurement Manager.
- Develop and manage the development team’s budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively and efficiently.
D. Manage Development Vendor Relationships
The Director manages third-party development vendors. Example duties include, but are not limited to:
- As needed to meet Acacia’s operational and strategic development goals, assess, select (if needed, through a competitive process), and manage third-party vendors, including through close supervision to ensure timely and cost-effective execution of contract deliverables. Vendor relationships may be ongoing (e.g., a software platform) or limited in time and scope (e.g., fundraising events).
Strategic Duties
A. Support Acacia Strategic Planning
The Director plays a key role in conducting Acacia’s inaugural strategic planning process. Example duties include, but are not limited to:
- As directed by Acacia executive management, play a key role in creating and executing Acacia’s strategic plan, particularly on those elements that pertain to resource development and expenditure.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic fundraising plan that aligns with Acacia’s strategic goals. The plan should articulate tailored strategies for specific development constituencies, including, for example, foundations, high net-worth individuals, and grassroots fundraising.
- Advise Acacia executive leadership on the strategic advantages and / or disadvantages of pursuing any given development opportunity, particularly if any such opportunity comes with conditions or requirements that may be difficult or resource- intensive to meet.
B. Coach Key Acacia Spokespeople
The Director coaches, prepares, and accompanies Acacia’s Executive Director and other Acacia executives, Acacia Board of Trustees members, and other Acacia spokespeople for development-related donor, media, partner, or like meetings. The Director provides coaching on an ongoing basis, as a capacity-building matter, and on an as-needed basis in preparation for specific purposes.
C. Support Acacia Board of Trustees Development Efforts
The Director works closely with Acacia’s Board of Trustees in executing Acacia’s development goals. Example duties include, but are not limited to:
- Collaborate closely with the Board or relevant Board committees to, among other tasks, create and conduct a plan for Board-driven development and fundraising work.
- Provide coaching to Board members for specific development events and goals.
- Work closely with the Board to identify potential donors and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders.
- Support Acacia’s Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer in preparing and delivering development reports regularly to Acacia’s Board of Trustees.
- Advise Acacia’s Board of Trustees on the strategic advantages and / or disadvantages of pursuing any given development opportunity, particularly if any such opportunity comes with conditions or requirements that may be difficult or resource- intensive to meet.
Required Skills, Knowledge, Abilities:
- Self-starter, can-do approach. Acacia is emerging from a successful start-up period and this position will be the first hire of Acacia’s development team. Until that team is built, the Director will be responsible for the job duties outlined in this position description, including duties that might otherwise be assigned to more junior staff.
- Mission alignment – demonstrated commitment to immigrants’ rights and sufficient fluency in and understanding of Acacia’s work to communicate effectively and persuasively to potential donors, institutional and individual, and to the broader public.
- Demonstrated record of successful fundraising from foundations and high-net worth donors; proven record of achieving development / revenue targets.
- Demonstrated ability to prospect, cultivate, and manage new funding sources.
- Knowledge and technical fluency with industry-standard donor and development databases and software platforms.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills. This position will require public writing and speaking on behalf of Acacia.
- Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to collaborate with Acacia business units in development-related operational tasks, including, for example, finance, communications, and program innovation.
- Demonstrated ability to serve as a substantive thought-partner to Acacia executive management in the conduct of Acacia’s strategic plan, and ability to take responsibility for creating development-related aspects of that plan.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully coach executive staff, Board members, and other key leadership positions for development-related meetings, encounters, and pitches.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with and support Acacia’s Board of Trustees.
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit administration, public administration, communications, business, or related degree. Relevant master’s degree (e.g., M.B.A.) preferred. Relevant life and employment experience may fulfill this requirement.
- At least 10 years of demonstrated development experience with the full scope of the development job duties, operational and strategic, outlined in this position description.
Compensation and Benefits:
Acacia has established an internal compensation philosophy that centers equity and pay transparency. The salary for this position is set at $146,000 The salary listed is just one component of Acacia’s total compensation package for employees. Supporting Acacia staff—both personally and professionally—is our priority.
- Medical/Dental/Vision- Some plans at $0 cost to the employee
- Employee Assistance Program
- 20 days per year of vacation time
- 12 days per year of sick time
- 5 personal days
- 4 organization-wide Wellness Days
- 11 observed holidays, including the last week of December.
- $2000 Professional Development Stipend
- Home office set-up stipend
- Internet Stipend
- 401k with 5% employer contribution, no employee participation required.
- Student loan repayment assistance.
- Gym Reimbursement
People of color and those who have been impacted by the criminal system and immigration system are strongly urged to apply.
To Apply:
Please upload a resume and cover letter at the link provided or email hiring@acaciajustice.org with Subject: ATTN: Human Resources / [Job Title], Acacia Center for Justice
Equal Opportunity Employment:
Acacia is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to recruit persons of diverse backgrounds and support their retention and advancement within the organization. We are committed to fostering a workplace culture inclusive of people with respect to their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, marital status, age, disabilities, political affiliation, religious beliefs, or any other characteristic. Our commitment to justice and diversity also means providing a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and engaging.
As a federal contractor, and in order to ensure a healthy and safe work environment, Acacia Center for Justice is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccine before their start date. Employees who cannot receive the vaccine because of a disability/medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief may request an accommodation (e.g., an exemption) to this requirement.
This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties, responsibilities and requirements but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function within our organization.
Acacia Center for Justice is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.