Director of Development and Communications: Philadelphia Bar Foundation

Founded soon after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation works to ensure that more Philadelphians can access civil legal advice, assistance, and representation, regardless of background, income, or zip code. In addition to giving unrestricted annual grants to dozens of nonprofit civil legal aid and policy organizations, the Bar Foundation oversees 10 fellowships, funds, and programs that build new generations of public interest and pro bono lawyers, advance diversity in the legal profession, and engage young lawyers in nonprofit work, and fosters innovation in how people can more easily access needed civil legal services through the development of the Philadelphia Equal Justice Center.

The Director of Development and Communications works in partnership with the Executive Director to advance the mission and strategic goals of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and Equal Justice Center. The Director is responsible for all aspects of fundraising and communications for the Foundation and Equal Justice Center which includes bolstering relationships with community stakeholders; identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding prospective and existing donors; fostering sponsorship opportunities for programs and events; seeking, applying for and managing grant funding; building and maintaining a communications and public relations program to engage donors, partners, and the media that includes data stewardship, solicitations, promotions, event materials, web content, social media, digital assets, print collateral, and brand reputation. The Director supervises two direct reports: the Communications and Advocacy Lead, and the Development and Programs Lead.

Essential Functions:

• Development

• Establish and oversee the implementation of annual fundraising plans to address the needs of the Foundation and the Equal Justice Center. Collaborate with the Executive Director and the Foundation’s Board of Trustees to set one-year, five-year, and longer-term fundraising objectives.
• Identify and secure new revenue streams through law firm annual giving, annual donor development, corporate and sponsorship acquisition, planned-giving, events, and programs.
• Evaluate the success of each fundraising initiative and its effectiveness in reaching the goals established in the annual fundraising plan.
• Establish and oversee accurate, timely, and thorough implementation of gift processing procedures, gift acknowledgments, and reports.
• Work collaboratively with the Executive Director and Board members in undertaking prospect research, outreach, and cultivation across all revenue source fields (private, public, foundations, corporate, individual, etc.).
• Oversee planning of fundraising and educational events.
• Design, produce, and track annual giving campaigns and solicitations for support.
• Produce content for grant proposals and reports and communicate progress internally and externally (to grantor).
• Support the Communications and Fundraising and Board Development Committees of the Board, and coordinate with staff on support for the Partnerships and Programs and Equal Justice Center Committees.
• Attend Board of Trustees’ meetings and other meetings and events as necessary.
• Oversee the maintenance and quality assurance of organizational data for fundraising and communications efforts in the Salesforce Contact Relationship Management (CRM) system, and ensure maintenance of up-to-date email, mailing, and distribution lists.

• Oversee the preparation and updating of content for the Foundation’s and Equal Justice Center’s websites.
• Oversee the preparation, scheduling, and posting of content on the Foundation’s and Equal Justice Center social media accounts.
• Oversee and manage the preparation and distribution of media releases, direct mail and other external communications.
• Connect with the Foundation’s partners to share and promote communication and marketing materials.
• Oversee the production and distribution of e-newsletters.
• Oversee the annual publication production including annual reports, fundraising campaign materials, etc.

• Assign, plan, and oversee the work of the development and communications staff.
• Conduct performance evaluations with the purpose of positioning employees for success and growth within the organization.
• Provide expense and revenue budget projections for fundraising and communications.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent management and supervisory skills.
• Experience with Salesforce, or other similar fundraising/CRM software, and a willingness and demonstrated ability to quickly learn new technology is essential.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to develop and implement strategic goals.
• Working mastery of computer programs including Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel or similar suite of products is required. Advanced experience with the Adobe Creative Suite is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with user interface (UI) solutions and user experience (UE) design is a plus.
• Documented experience with nonprofit marketing and social media, including familiarity with Twitter, Facebook, etc.
• Resourceful and proven track-record using interns and other volunteers.
• Ability to multi-task and meet strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility in both work schedule and project implementation.
• Able to positively represent the Foundation in the community.
• Understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral parts of effectively executing our work, this position will require ease and familiarity with connecting and relating to people of color and different backgrounds.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Marketing, Communications or similar discipline preferred.
• Required: a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in development and communications.
• Required: proven success with individual and corporate fundraising.
• Development experience with planned giving and growth/capital campaigns is a plus.
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) accreditation is a plus.
• Familiarity with the civil legal system and/or Philadelphia legal community is a plus.

Diversity Statement:

At the Philadelphia Bar Foundation / Philadelphia Equal Justice Center, we believe that individually we make a statement, but collectively we make an impact. Diversity and inclusion powers that impact. We strive to create a sense of belonging by embracing our differences. We are an organization where everyone is valued, heard, and appreciated. The Philadelphia Bar Foundation encourages applicants from historically marginalized populations to consider our team as your next opportunity for change. We are committed to equal opportunity in all aspects of employment regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender identity or gender expression, veteran or military status or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law.