Director of Development

The Tahirih Justice Center (Tahirih) is a growing organization working to protect immigrant women and girls seeking justice in the United States from gender-based violence through legal services and public policy advocacy. Tahirih is a Bahá’í-inspired nonprofit organization that offers pro bono representation to women and girls seeking protection from gender-based human rights abuses such as domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, honor crimes, and forced marriage. Winner of the 2007 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, Tahirih has a staff of 27, and a budget of over $2 million. Tahirih is based in Falls Church, VA, and is in the process of expanding nationally, with an initial office opening in Houston in 2009. Position Summary: Tahirih seeks to hire a full-time Director of Development to help Tahirih significantly increase its capacity to raise private funds, while continuing our focus on grant awards, major events and fundraising appeals. The Director of Development provides overall direction, coordination, and implementation of the organization’s national fundraising and communications operations, reports to the Executive Director, serves as a member of the management team, works directly with individual Board members and volunteers, and supervises three staff. Primary responsibilities: • Strategically manage and oversee all activities of a diversified fundraising and communications operation, including the day-to-day functioning of the department, implementing overall development plans and budgets, and overseeing effective maintenance of all Development Team systems and procedures. • Create fundraising and communications strategies and develop annual and long-term income goals for the organization in consultation with the Executive Director, the Board of Directors, and Board Committees. • Serve as a member of the Management Team. • Manage the Development Team (which includes a Grants Manager, Special Events Manager, and Development and Communications Associate). • Oversee Special Events Manager’s efforts to execute events (including Annual Benefit, Pearl Sales Event, and attorney fundraising campaign) to achieve maximum results. Work with Executive Director to secure co-chair and major sponsors and follow-up with donors and prospects. Evaluate new event opportunities. • Expand and oversee the major donor program, including directly cultivating and soliciting individual and corporate donors; advising and coaching the Executive Director, staff, Board members, and other volunteers on solicitations; and with the Special Events Manager, oversee and advise the prospect cultivation and donor stewardship program. • Provide overall guidance on institutional funding strategy, develop grant proposal opportunities, and work with the Grants Manager to oversee existing grant revenue stream (government and foundation grants). • Oversee fundraising appeals, workplace giving (including United Way, CFC, and Tahirih’s attorney giving campaign), and online individual fundraising programs. • Manage fundraising efforts in field offices (with an initial focus on Houston), which will involve travel. • Develop a plan to organize and produce a National Expansion Capital campaign. • Oversee the content, production and overall quality of Tahirih’s fundraising communications and promotional materials, including the annual report, website, newsletters, and brochures. • Manage activities of Development and Communication Associate to strategically leverage our databases, relationship management tools, and website to reach out and manage relationships with prospective and new donors. • Recruit, motivate, and cultivate volunteers to help support and lead fundraising efforts. • Establish forecasts, monitor results, and conduct evaluations of fundraising activities to guide future courses of action. • Motivate, involve, and train the staff, Board, and volunteers in successfully raising funds. Annual salary and benefits: Salary depends on experience. Benefits includes: 15 days of paid accrued vacation during the first year (20 days of vacation after the first year), additional week of vacation between Christmas and New Years, fully-paid health and dental insurance coverage, 403(b) plan, flex-spending account, in-house training programs, professional development stipend, and staff enrichment retreats.