The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU), founded in 1920 is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than 500,000 members dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality embodied in the U.S. Constitution. The Development Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York City is seeking a full-time Senior Writer.
OVERVIEW
Reporting to the Director of Foundation Relations and Donor Communications, the Senior Writer provides writing and editorial support for diverse written material, including proposals, reports, cultivation materials, and articles on an array of civil liberties issues for foundation and individual donor audiences.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Work in collaboration with the Director of Foundation Relations & Donor Communications and ACLU program staff to assess funding needs in order to create and implement foundation fundraising strategies on an array of issues, such as LGBT rights, prisoners’ rights, and criminal justice reform.
• Serve as liaison with solicitors of individual donors within Development Department’s Leadership Gifts unit to create and review content for their proposal, stewardship, and marketing needs across all of the ACLU’s substantive program areas.
• Synthesize complex information into clear and concise grant proposals and reports, letters of inquiry, and stewardship materials for both foundations and individuals; draft newsletter articles and other development publications as needed.
• Adapt writing style to meet the interests of ACLU supporters and to reflect the relationship of funders to organization.
• Manage multiple written projects and meet all writing deadlines for assigned portfolio.
• Manage the stewardship of current donors in portfolio and the cultivation of prospects.
• Conduct foundation and corporate research to identify new potential funders and develop and implement appropriate communications to cultivate the funders’ interest.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director of Foundation Relations to develop grant budgets and budget reports.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of five years of professional writing or related experience, some of which is preferably in a development setting.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to easily adapt the tone and tenor of documents to reflect the various authors and audiences.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, including ability to work with staff members at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to quickly produce clear, persuasive, well-organized and fact-checked materials, as needed.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize.
• Ability to quickly edit or rewrite the work of others.
• Ability to synthesize complex information from a variety of sources, including attorneys, affiliate personnel, policy makers, lobbyists and public-relations professionals, and other ACLU colleagues and turn it into clear, dynamic copy that is understandable and appealing to a specific donor audience.
• Familiarity and experience working with donor databases preferred.
• Must strongly support priority issues of the ACLU and be familiar with social justice, civil rights or civil liberties issues.
COMPENSATION
The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of the ACLU compensation scale.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send a cover letter (with salary requirements), resume and writing sample (preferably a short proposal or letter of inquiry) by email to hrjobs@aclu.org - Reference [DEVF-17/NJP] in subject line – or by mail to:
Human Resources
RE: [DEVF-17/NJP]
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Please indicate in your cover letter where you learned of this career opportunity.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU reserves the right to change the job description and or posting at any time without advance notice.
The ACLU 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.
The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “ACLU.”
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries/ submissions: hrjobs@aclu.org
Website: http://www.aclu.org/
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