Development Director

Uptown People's Law Center; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible scheduling

Remote work options

Health insurance

Retirement contributions

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Uptown People's Law Center (UPLC) in Chicago seeks a Development Director to lead fundraising and communications, securing support from individuals, foundations, and law firms, and managing donor data systems. This senior role combines strategic planning with hands-on execution, supervising the Development Assistant/Comms Assistant and shaping grants, communications, and events to advance UPLC's advocacy.

This role will drive donor engagement, annual planning, and collaboration with program and

Qualifications

• 5+ years in nonprofit fundraising, preferably legal aid or advocacy.
• Proven ability to create and lead a successful fundraising strategy.
• Supervisory experience with coaching junior staff.
• Exceptional writing, storytelling, and editing for diverse audiences.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Commitment to racial, social, and economic justice.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement annual fundraising plan with the Executive Director.
• Lead donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship across individuals, foundations, and law firms.
• Oversee grants program, including calendar, data gathering, and proposals.
• Prepare fundraising reports and collaborate on external communications.
• Supervise Development Assistant and provide mentorship.
• Coordinate with legal, outreach, and admin teams to align funder messaging.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Grant writing

Donor communications

Staff supervision

Storytelling

Project management

CRM experience

Advocacy/justice

Tools

Network for Good

Job description

About UPLC:

UPLC is a small nonprofit legal aid and advocacy organization located in Uptown that protects the rights of tenants, people with disabilities and people who are currently and formerly incarcerated.

UPLC represents disabled adults seeking Social Security disability benefits, tenants experiencing problems with their landlords (including illegal eviction), individuals who were discriminated against in the apartment application process, and people being held in Illinois prisons whose rights have been violated while in prison.

Position Purpose:

The Development Director will lead and implement a comprehensive fundraising and communications strategy to support and sustain Uptown People’s Law Center’s (UPLC) mission. This role is responsible for securing and growing funding from individuals, foundations, and law firms; crafting compelling donor communications; managing public messaging; and maintaining data systems that support donor cultivation and stewardship.

This is a leadership role requiring both strategic thinking and hands-on execution.

Position Responsibilities:

This position will report to the Executive Director. The Development Director will supervise the Development Assistant/Comms Assistant and take ownership of the grants program overall, providing strategic direction and quality control while overseeing the day-to-day execution of grant applications, reports, and funder communications.

Specific Responsibilities include:

• Develop and implement an annual fundraising plan in coordination with the Executive Director.
• Lead all donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies, including individual, institutional, and law firm supporters.
• Monitor progress toward fundraising goals and adjust strategies as needed to ensure sustainability and growth.
• Prepare internal and external fundraising reports in collaboration with the Executive Director and Director of Operations.
• Supervise the Development Assistant, ensuring alignment with departmental goals and providing mentorship and feedback.

Individual Giving

• Manage all aspects of individual giving, including donor engagement campaigns, acknowledgments, and stewardship.
• Develop and maintain donor journeys for recurring, mid-level, and major donors, using data-driven insights.
• Oversee appeals (email and print) and coordinate with staff and board on donor communications and outreach.
• Develop and expand ways to communicate with the public.

Institutional Giving & Grants Management

• Take ownership of the grants program, ensuring timely submission of compelling proposals and reports.
• Oversee the Development Assistant’s work on grants, including maintaining the grants calendar, gathering program data, and drafting application materials.
• Build and steward relationships with new and existing institutional funders.
• Collaborate with legal, outreach, and administrative teams to ensure grants reflect programmatic priorities and outcomes.

Communications & Public Messaging

• Develop and implement fundraising-related communications strategies that complement and align with UPLC’s broader organizational messaging goals.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director and communications consultant to shape and contribute fundraising-focused content for newsletters, donor updates, the annual report, social media, and the website.
• Ensure that fundraising messaging clearly conveys UPLC’s mission, values, and impact in a compelling and consistent manner.

Website Maintenance

• Maintain and regularly update the organization’s website to ensure timely and accurate presentation of programmatic and fundraising-related content.
• Coordinate with the Executive Director and communications consultant to align website updates with ongoing fundraising and communications efforts.
• Note: This responsibility focuses on content updates and basic maintenance and does not involve website design or redevelopment.

Event Planning

• Lead the planning and execution of annual fundraising and cultivation events.
• Ensure events center UPLC’s mission and create meaningful connections between constituents and UPLC’s work.
• Coordinate event logistics, vendor relationships, staff participation, and follow-up.

Data, Systems & Reporting

• Manage donor and funder data in the CRM (currently Network for Good), ensuring data accuracy and integrity.
• Track donor engagement and analyze giving trends to inform strategy.
• Partner with staff to maintain reporting systems that support funding proposals and outcomes tracking.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience in nonprofit fundraising, preferably in a legal aid, social justice, or advocacy context.
• Proven ability to create and lead a successful fundraising strategy, including grants, major donors, and campaigns.
• Supervisory experience, including providing coaching and accountability for junior staff.
• Exceptional writing, storytelling, and editing skills for a range of audiences.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with a sharp attention to detail.
• Ability to build cross-functional relationships with diverse internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with donor databases or CRMs; experience managing data and generating reports.
• Commitment to racial, social, and economic justice.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working in small or mid-sized nonprofits with limited development infrastructure.
• Familiarity with donor engagement trends, fundraising best practices, and legal aid funding landscapes.
• Experience communicating complex systems or policy issues to a general audience.

Travel Requirements:

There is very little travel required of this position (less than 5% of the time). The Development Director will be based out of our Uptown headquarters.

Salary & Benefits:

Salary for this position will be $80,000-$95,000/year depending on experience. UPLC provides individual health insurance, retirement contributions and generous paid time off.

Flex time and remote work options are available. This is a full-time, exempt position. Non-traditional hours—weekends and evenings—may be required on occasion. UPLC is proud to be a unionized workplace but this position is excluded from the staff union.