Development Director

The Maine Bar Foundation seeks its first-ever Development Director. This full-time, senior level professional will work closely with the Foundation’s Executive Director and Board of Directors to design and conduct a multi-faceted development program to help shrink the chasm between the need for civil legal aid for poor and vulnerable Mainers and the insufficient resources available to address this urgent need.

The Development Director must be a self-starter intrigued by this opportunity to create a development program practically from scratch. He or she is a strong, confident leader who enjoys inspiring board members and volunteers to be partners in development. The Development Director has proven development-related knowledge, skills and abilities. Fair and equal access to civil justice is a core value she or he holds.

Position

Type of Position: Full-time professional with benefits

Position Reports to: Executive Director, Maine Bar Foundation

Location of Position: Hallowell, Maine with some travel as needed; possibility of work from home

As a senior level professional, the Foundation’s first-ever Development Director will work closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to design and conduct a multifaceted development program to help shrink the chasm between the need for civil legal aid for poor and vulnerable Mainers and the insufficient resources available to address this urgent need.

Responsibilities

#1 Strategy and Planning

• Work with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to create, evaluate and update a 3- to 5-year strategic plan for building endowment and unrestricted funds.
• Prepare and execute a work plan for implementing each strategic plan goal, including a schedule of actions and benchmarks to measure progress toward each goal.
• Monitor trends and circumstances that affect implementation of the goals.

#2 Major Donor Cultivation and Stewardship

• In consultation with and supported by the Executive Director and the Board of Directors as active participants, identify and cultivate key potential major donors and nurture existing and budding donor relationships.
• In consultation with and supported by the Executive Director and the Board of Directors, solicit and close gifts well matched to donors’ interests.

#3 Planned Giving

• Work with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to expand the “Cornerstone Society”, the Foundation’s planned giving program—a permanent endowment to provide support for civil legal aid for poor and vulnerable Mainers.

#4 Annual Contributions

• Work with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to develop and carry out a long-range plan to build a base of annual individual donors.

#5 Administration

• Work with the Foundation’s support staff to: track all pledges, gifts, and renewals, provide acknowledgements to all donors, and follow up on pledges with reminders, as needed.
• Oversee support staff’s administration of a donor mailing list and database.
• Assure that ethical fundraising practices are understood and practiced by staff, Board members, and volunteers.
• Provide regular progress reports to the Executive Director and Board of Directors.

Founded in 1983 and located in Hallowell along the Kennebec River, the Maine Bar Foundation exists to promote and support access to civil justice for poor and vulnerable Mainers who need but cannot pay for legal services to address life-changing civil legal matters. Among Maine’s top 20 most active foundations in terms of assets and giving, the Maine Bar Foundation currently manages approximately $4 million from a variety of sources and provides funding to several core providers of civil legal aid. For more information about the Foundation go to www.mbf.org.