Director of Development

Mission: Junior League of Los Angeles is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration and training.

Overview:

The Director of Development, a newly created position, will report to the President-Elect and Vice President of Operations and maintain responsibility for coordinating JLLA’s integrated fundraising plan (Major Gifts/Centennial Campaign and Planned Giving) as well as a portfolio of prospective donors. This individual will serve as a staff member of the Junior League of Los Angeles and will help implement fundraising plans and policies in a manner that supports all aspects of the fundraising program. This is a part-time position which requires in-office, remote, and off-site work.

Allocation of Work:

80% Major Gifts – Facilitate and Partner with the Development Council to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective donors and funders with the capacity to make gifts of $10,000 or more among potential corporate, foundation, and individual funders. The Director of Development will work closely with Junior League leaders, members, and staff to provide viable funder prospects. They will personally manage a portfolio of prospective donors and will work to maintain continuity of the donor experience by developing and implementing strategies that promote long-term sustainable growth and deepen relationships with existing and new donors.

• Included in this allocation is serving as the Centennial Campaign Manager – In the role of campaign manager, this individual will manage the overall campaign plan and timetable; identify and monitor campaign strategies and performance against benchmarks; assist in the recruitment of all campaign volunteers, oversee their engagement, and support their efforts; organize and coordinate the activities of the key campaign committees (Campaign Steering Committee, Campaign Cabinet, Campaign sub-committees, and others) to ensure their successful fundraising efforts; produce key campaign operative materials; and oversee the development of a campaign communications strategy including the creation of all campaign collateral materials.

 

20% Planned Giving – Oversee the JLLA’s planned giving program, ensure members of the giving society are recognized and serve as a preliminary point of contact for any member who wishes to include the Junior League in their estate or make a gift through a variety of planned giving vehicles. Work closely with the Board of Directors and Development Council to enhance JLLA’s Endowment by identifying and cultivating prospective planned giving donors.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities for Major Gifts including Centennial Campaign Manager

• Responsible for helping to cultivate and solicit prospective donors who have the capacity to make gifts of $10,000+
• Work collaboratively with and in support of leadership (primarily JLLA’s President, Board of Directors, Management Council, Development Council) to cultivate and solicit prospective donors and funders
• Manage relationships with a portfolio of prospective donors and funders by implementing and coordinating cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activity through an integrated Moves Management process that is built on individualized donor engagement strategies
• Monitor all prospect contacts to ensure positive and purposeful prospect and donor relations
• Ensure all cultivation, giving, pledge fulfillment and stewardship information is accurately tracked in Digital Cheetah or a similar CRM
• Ensure proper stewardship practices for the timely and accurate acknowledgment of all gifts
• Support the Board, Management Council and Development Council in their work to develop and implement a multi-year integrated fundraising plan
• Serve as the lead trainer for the annual Fund Development Institute and provide other training opportunities for the members as needed
• Maintain ongoing and active networking with internal and external constituencies
• Represent the organization in the community and at JLLA events as appropriate

 

Centennial Campaign Manager (Centennial will be celebrated in 2026)

• Manage the overall campaign plan and timetable, addressing the following key issues:
  • Appropriate phase activities and goals
  • Committee structure
  • Activity and fundraising benchmarks
  • Publicity/marketing plan
  • Campaign budget
  • Donor recognition plan (including preparation of gift naming opportunities)
  • Gift acceptance and crediting policies
  • Gift tables
  • Volunteer and leader roles and responsibilities
• Identify and monitor campaign plan strategies to keep campaign activity on track
• Assist in the identification, recruitment, and solicitation of campaign leadership, including:
  • Developing all background information, briefing memos, tailored prospect proposals, and talking points for gift solicitations
  • Briefing all solicitors prior to solicitation meetings when necessary
  • Assisting at solicitation meetings whenever necessary
  • Conducting debriefing meetings following solicitation calls when necessary
  • Discussing and formulating next steps
• Drive the organization and implementation of specific plans to engage in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of prospective donors
• Organize and coordinate the activities of the key campaign committees (Campaign Steering Committee, Campaign Cabinet and Campaign Sub-Committees, and others) to ensure their successful fundraising efforts
  • Assisting in the identification and development of recruitment strategies for key campaign leadership positions
  • Preparation of all meeting materials (agendas, talking points, next steps, assignments, prospect rating charts, etc.)
  • Facilitating orientation and training sessions for campaign leaders and other appropriate audiences
  • Designing campaign leadership handbooks describing roles and providing guidelines for the campaign committees
  • Helping to develop cultivation and solicitation strategies for key prospective donors (including planned giving strategies) – individual, corporate, and foundation
• Develop and maintain prospect lists and tracking systems, matrices, and pipeline reports (both for overall donors and for specific committee activity), which would include:
  • Identifying new prospective donors
  • Assigning target request amounts
  • Conducting prospect research on all key prospects
  • Designing cultivation and solicitation strategies
  • Identifying potential solicitors
  • Serving as a clearing house for all prospect information
  • Keeping all information and reports current and updated
• Coordinate the development of key campaign operative materials, including:
  • Campaign case statement
  • Campaign policy statement, addressing gift counting, gift crediting, and methods of giving
  • Major gift prospectuses, including request letters, individual proposals, giving opportunities, and gift documentation
  • Leadership/major gift solicitation guidelines
• Coordinate implementation of a campaign communications strategy and plan
• Oversee development of campaign collateral and supporting materials
  • Case for Support
  • Brochures
  • Prospectuses
  • Presentations
  • Stationery
  • Newsletters
  • Videos
  • Press releases
  • FAQ guides
• Interact on a regular basis with campaign leaders regarding prospect assignments, background information and research, pre-solicitation briefings and debriefings, call reports, formulation of next steps, follow-up documentation, and thank-you letters
• Participate in cultivation and request meetings (as appropriate)
• Provide regular updates and reports to committee leaders tracking campaign statistics, evaluating progress based on established benchmarks, recommending next steps, and adjusting when necessary
• Prepare all general campaign correspondence

 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities for Planned Giving

• Responsible for helping to identify, cultivate and solicit prospective donors who have the capacity to make planned gifts
• Serve as primary point of contact for anyone interested in making a planned gift to JLLA
• Ensure members of the giving society continued to be recognized appropriately
• Monitor planned giving paperwork for proper documentation of intentions and gifts and accurately log in Digital Cheetah or a similar CRM

 

Required Qualifications

• 5-7 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience and a proven record of successful cultivation and solicitation of gifts
• Prior fundraising experience working as a development officer, preferably for an advocacy or social service institution
• Demonstrated working knowledge of all areas of fundraising, with a particular emphasis on major gifts
• Proven track record in planning and achieving short- and long-term goals and creating a plan outlining activity
• Exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills, tact, and diplomacy with the ability to develop and maintain cooperative and successful working relationships with volunteers, staff, and all donors; ability to serve as a team player and leader
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and creatively about engaging donors, and to develop plans of action and follow through
• Fundraising Software experience
• Ability and experience working with, inspiring and motivating volunteers and volunteer leaders
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Sound judgment and superior problem-solving ability
• Integrity and fiscal accountability
• Must be willing and available to work evenings and weekends per event-related scheduling

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or graduate degree preferred
• Experience working with donor management and data management systems

 

A successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following competencies, drawing on examples from past experience:

• Project management
• Critical thinking skills
• Clear and logical communication
• Hands-on approach / desire to personally dive into details
• Proactive / takes initiative without being asked
• Resourceful / creative problem solver / solutions-oriented
• Demonstrated leadership experience / inspires others to take action

 

This is a part-time hybrid position. Salary will be $40,000-50,000 commensurate with experience.

To apply: Please send your resume and cover letter to jllacentennial@gmail.com.