Employment Opportunities

Positions Available

Development Director

__________________________________________________________________________________

Staff Attorney/Legal Director

The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union (NHCLU) invites applications for the position of Staff Attorney/Legal Director. NHCLU is a statewide affiliate of the national ACLU, the country’s largest civil liberties and civil rights organization. The NHCLU is a private, non-profit organization that works to promote and defend civil liberties principles in New Hampshire through advocacy, litigation, education and lobbying. We are a small but growing affiliate and expect that the Staff Attorney/Legal Director will play an important role in the development of the organization. Our offices are located in Concord, New Hampshire.

The Staff Attorney/Legal Director can anticipate litigating a wide range of civil liberties issues, including privacy, student rights, religious liberty, freedom of speech, LGBT rights, criminal justice, racial justice, and reproductive freedoms. Job duties will also include non-litigation advocacy involving community outreach, coalition building, writing and publishing reports, planning and participating in public meetings, legislative research and lobbying, and media work. The Staff Attorney/Legal Director will report directly to the Executive Director and the position title will depend on the experience of the accepted candidate.

Specific Responsibilities Will Include:

Supervise and direct all NHCLU litigation maintaining an active and high-impact docket. Investigate, develop, and litigate civil liberties and civil rights cases in state and federal court;
Recruit, retain, and collaborate with NHCLU cooperating attorneys. Monitor litigation being handled by cooperating attorneys and provide back-up assistance as needed;
Manage the legal intake process ensuring that appropriate cases for legal challenge are identified;
Establish and staff a volunteer litigation advisory council to assist and advise in NHCLU litigation;
Develop and maintain relationships with the legal staff at the national ACLU, other ACLU affiliates, and New Hampshire attorneys;
Analyze legislation, prepare legal memoranda and advocacy letters, and provide testimony at legislative hearings;
Report to the Executive Committee and the Board on legal program activities;
Engage in public speaking and respond to the press, at the direction of the Executive Director;
Assist in writing news releases, newsletter articles and updating the ACLU website related to litigation issues;
Meet with individual donors to discuss the Litigation Program; and
Attend national and regional ACLU training and staff conferences.

Qualifications:

J.D. and admission to the New Hampshire bar, or admission within one year of hire;
3-5 years minimum of litigation experience (although more recent law school graduates with exceptional abilities and experience will be considered);
Substantive knowledge of constitutional law and civil liberties;
Strong self-motivation and ability to manage multiple deadlines;
Ability to think creatively and to use non-litigation strategies to promote objectives;
A deep and demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights, and strong support for the goals of the ACLU;
Excellent organizational skills;
Strong self-motivation and capable of complex analytic work; and
Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively.

Compensation:

The NHCLU offers a comprehensive salary and benefits package that includes paid vacation and sick leave, ten paid holidays, health insurance and pension plan. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Application Procedure:
Submit, preferably by email, a letter of interest, resume, writing sample and a list of three professional references, including contact information to info@nhclu.org, or mail a hard copy to:

New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union
18 Low Avenue
Concord, NH, 03301.

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The deadline will remain open until the position is filled.

The NHCLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals including women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

Development Director

The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union Foundation (NHCLUF) seeks a Development Director to manage and significantly expand its development program, with an emphasis on major gifts fundraising.

With an annual combined budget of $395,000, the NHCLU and the NHCLU Foundation operate jointly as private, non-profit organizations. The NHCLU is the state affiliate of the ACLU, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties. The development program supports the NHCLU’s legislative, public education, and legal programs on constitutional issues, including voting rights, abolition of capital punishment, immigrants’ rights, freedom of speech, religious freedom, reproductive rights and the rights of gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender individuals. The NHCLU is located in Concord but works statewide, with more than 3,000 members and donors. Our current staff consists of four employees.

The Development Director, part of senior management who reports directly to the Executive Director, is expected to develop and oversee programs to raise funds for the NHCLU Foundation and to strengthen the organization’s relationship with its supporters. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Development Director is responsible to create, supervise and execute the NHCLU Foundation’s major gifts program, and to develop successful donor cultivation strategies. The Development Director provides leadership to senior staff and the Board of Directors to reach annual and long-term fundraising goals.

Primary Responsibilities:

Major Gifts Program:

Develop and lead a comprehensive work plan with a focus on major gifts that includes specific fundraising goals and targets for proposals, appeals and campaigns.

Expand the donor pool of $10,000+ gifts. The duties include identification of major donor prospects, direct solicitations, and facilitation of meetings and face-to-face solicitations for the Executive Director and selected Board members. Conduct cultivation and outreach events with prospective donors throughout the year.

Planned Giving: Coordinate with the ACLU Planned Giving Department to devise and implement strategies to expand membership in planned giving programs for members and supporters.

Membership Recruitment: Most membership recruitment and all renewals are handled by the national office of the ACLU. The Development Director will ensure that new member lists are regularly reviewed and develop strategies to cultivate ACLU members who have the potential to become major donors.

Gift Recording and Acknowledgement: Maintain a confidential fundraising database. Exercise primary responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the information, including giving histories, profiles, interactions and updates. Assure proper recording, tracking, acknowledgement and reporting of major donor gifts. Create and oversee reports for accounting and reconciliation of funds. Inform the Executive Director of trends and other key donor information.

Materials: Has primary responsibility, with the Executive Director, to develop materials and messages explaining the work of the NHCLU and NHCLU Foundation for development campaigns.

General staff leadership responsibilities: Attend ACLU functions, such as the annual membership meeting and the Bill of Rights Dinner, and occasional Board meetings. Assist the Executive Director in maintaining a strong team spirit within the office.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent combination of education and experience, including at least three years of development experience in non-profit fundraising with emphasis on individual major gifts.
Successful track record in identifying, cultivating and soliciting individual major donors.
Experience in non-profit advocacy or other community-based organizations is highly desirable.
Exceptional initiative, vision and ambition to create a vibrant philanthropy program.
Demonstrated leadership skills and experience in successfully directing others in carrying out development-related activities.
Strong interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to interact confidently and successfully with prospects and donors, including the wealth community and business leaders. Existing relationships in the community and in philanthropy is valuable.
Presents a confident, business-like and professional presence.
Able to travel throughout the state and to manage and accommodate a work schedule that will occasionally include evening and weekend meetings.
Demonstrated ability to write clearly, precisely and correctly.
Excellent organization and administrative skills: attention to detail, an organized work style, and the ability to follow through on work assignments with limited direct supervision.
Ability to work on several projects at various stages.
Experience with donor database management and systems that track results, an ability to ensure the creation of complete and secure private donor records and a demonstrated commitment to confidentiality of donor information.
Management style that emphasizes collaboration, openness and a commitment to developing staff participation.
Demonstrated commitment to, and enthusiastic support for, the principles and the mission of the ACLU.

Compensation:

The NHCLU offers a comprehensive salary and benefits package that includes paid vacation and sick leave, ten paid holidays, health insurance and pension plan. Salary is commensurate with experience.

To Apply:

Send a letter of interest, a resume and a one to two page writing sample to: info.nhclu@gmail.com.

Please put “Development Director” in the subject line.

Or mail to:

Send a letter of interest, a resume and a one to two page writing sample to:

NHCLU Foundation, Development Director

18 Low Avenue, Concord, NH 03301

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. We would appreciate it if you indicate where you learned of this job posting.

The NHCLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, and persons with disabilities.

______________________________________

Mission Statement

The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union was founded to defend those freedoms which are guaranteed to every individual by the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. Throughout history, frequent attempts have been made to curtail the civil liberties of groups with radical or unpopular positions or associations. The NHCLU is often the only organization able to act to protect those who would otherwise stand alone in defense of their Constitutional rights in New Hampshire.

The NHCLU and its Foundation have three principal objectives in the fight to preserve civil liberties:

Representation of people whose rights have been violated;

Education of citizens concerning their civil liberties under the Constitution;

Challenges to laws which infringe on individual freedom.

Edited on January 30, 2013