About the Legal Aid Justice Center:

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.

Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. As examples of LAJCs recent work, our lawsuit and organizing against the state forced reform of Virginias unemployment insurance system, including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians. During the pandemic, we demanded and secured a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction. We reduced incarceration across the state, including reducing the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through a coordinated effort of organizing paired with impact and individual litigation. Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today.

With a staff of over 90, the past few years have been a time of exciting growth and opportunity for the organization. In addition to the growth of programmatic efforts including increased organizing capacity, LAJC has expanded its operations and administrative capacity, created new opportunities for professional growth and leadership among staff, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its efforts to create long-term, sustainable, community-driven change.

LAJCs latest strategic plan is available athttps://www.justice4all.org/lajc-strategic-plan-2022-2026/#area%20d.

For more information about LAJCs work and programs, visitwww.justice4all.org.

About the Position:

Legal Aid Justice Center is seeking an experienced Major Gifts Officer to join our frontline fundraising team and help set the stage for our next ambitious chapter. The Major Gifts Officer will be a creative relationship-builder who will make an immediate impact on the LAJCs fundraising priorities while simultaneously helping to build a pipeline of future major donors. The ideal candidate will be results-oriented and skilled at developing strategies to build long-term relationships with donors. Knowledge and expertise in areas of major gifts and gift planning strategies is essential, preferably in a non-profit community organization setting.

The Major Gifts Officer will be an experienced major gifts fundraiser with a track record of soliciting and closing 4-to-6-figure gifts and experience in identifying and converting annual campaign donors with capacity into major gift donors. The Major Gift Officer will cultivate relationships with individuals with a portfolio of 100-125 current and prospective donors that will lead to major gifts to support all aspects of LAJCs work.

The Major Gifts Officer will collaborate closely with organizational leadership, program staff, and external partners to align funding opportunities with the organizations mission and priorities.

This position requires frequent travel, as the Major Gifts Officer has prospects and donors in all areas in Virginia served by LAJC. Preferred location is Charlottesville. Richmond applicants will be considered and will be required to spend time weekly in the Charlottesville office.

Key qualities necessary for success in this position include:

• Action orientation, even in the face of minimal information; must be proactive and take initiative;
• Approachability and ability to build rapport with donors, clients served by LAJC, program staff, and volunteers;
• Business acumen: Ability to keep up to date on progress in reaching goals and creating strategy to meet goals, as well as the latest trends in philanthropy;
• Listening skills: Ability to ask probing questions and then sit back and listen actively to the answers; and
• Diplomacy and tact: Demonstrated ability to engage donors and other constituents with diplomacy and composure, even in challenging situations.

Job Duties:

• Develop and manage a portfolio of 100-125 major gift prospects, focusing initially on growing annual campaign donors giving less than $5,000, with a goal of moving them into major gift giving.
• Conduct at least 200 strategic moves with prospects and donors per …