Regional Development Officer- Macon and Jackson Counties

Pisgah Legal Services; Cashiers (NC); On-site; USD 49,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k plan

Paid time off and holidays

Life and disability insurance

Job summary

Pisgah Legal Services seeks a Regional Development Officer to grow contributed revenue in Macon and Jackson counties. The role focuses on annual campaigns and major gifts, cultivating relationships with donors, volunteers, and community partners.

The officer will collaborate with the development team to plan events, track donor activity, and communicate Pisgah’s mission across diverse audiences. Qualifications include 5+ years of fundraising experience, strong writing and public speaking skills,

Qualifications

• Passion for Pisgah Legal Services’ mission and a commitment to the community.
• At least 5 years of development, fundraising, or related experience.
• Ability to work with low-income communities in Western North Carolina.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage donor portfolio focused on Macon and Jackson counties with annual and major gift strategies.
• Collaborate with staff to plan campaigns, events, and donor stewardship programs.
• Build county grantor relationships and identify funding opportunities.
• Represent Pisgah Legal Services at community events and public speaking engagements.

Skills

Public speaking

Presentation skills

Interpersonal skills

Customer service

Detail oriented

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

CRM system

Job description

Regional Development Officer - Macon and Jackson Counties

Salary: $49,471.00 - $86,890.00 Annually

Application Deadline: Oct 15, 2026

Nonprofit

Onsite
Base office in Highlands, NC or Cashiers, NC
Position Status: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Exempt
Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) is a community-based non‑profit legal aid agency governed by a local Board of Directors. PLS has an annual budget of $14.4 million from a multitude of funding sources. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina (WNC), Pisgah Legal Services provides free civil legal assistance to low‑income people in WNC. The organization currently has offices in Asheville, Brevard, Burnsville, Cashiers, Hendersonville, Highlands, Marshall, Newland, Rutherfordton and Waynesville. With over 120 dedicated staff, including over 30 attorneys plus program staff, and an active group of 250 volunteer attorneys, the organization provides free services to over 25,000 people per year to meet their basic needs, primarily in the poverty law areas of housing, public benefits, domestic violence prevention, health care, immigration, and consumer law.

The Regional Development Officer works as part of a dynamic and experienced development team. The Regional Development Officer will work with an entire legal aid staff to expand free legal assistance and anti‑poverty advocacy to help a growing number of very low–income people each year to solve problems related to housing, domestic violence, health care and insufficient income. This position will work on growing Pisgah Legal Services’ contributed revenue streams across its service area to sustain our essential work. While touching on all aspects of Development work, this position is primarily responsible for Annual Campaign and Major gifts in Macon and Jackson counties.

Responsibilities

• Commitment to PLS’ mission, values, and vision.
• With a focus on Macon, and Jackson counties, manages a portfolio of individuals by creating a strong annual donor strategy, transitioning that into a multi‑year strategy, and by integrating planned giving, endowment, and other major asks into the strategy where appropriate.
• Communicate with portfolio through face‑to‑face cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship meetings, and written strategies; ensure that each major donor and prospect has a clear strategy and timeline for cultivation, solicitation and stewardship
• Track and record donor interactions and solicitation requests to meet annual assigned performance metrics and fundraising results.
• Assist the Chief Development Officer in establishing and managing annual and long‑range development goals for targeted donor segments within Macon and Jackson counties
• Creates, plans, implements, and staff’s special projects and events in support of fundraising priorities.
• Possess current awareness of PLS’ program operations and priorities.
• Represents PLS at a variety of community events, including some evening and weekend events.
• Engages in and coordinates public speaking presentations for various audiences, including businesses, civic and community groups, and faith communities.
• Recruit and support volunteers across PLS program areas in collaboration with the Volunteer and Pro Bono Teams.
• Support the Grants Team as needed with relevant funding sources in assigned counties
• Assist the Community Outreach Team with building relationships with local community partners and other outreach toto client‑eligible populations
• Identifies appropriate contacts in advance of grant submissions and continuously build and strengthen county grantor relationships through ongoing communication about PLS within the community.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Passion for and commitment to PLS’ mission, values, and vision.
• Must be able to meet all essential job functions.
• Ability to work with low‑income clients and communities within a multi‑ethnic/ multi‑cultural environment.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in Development, Fundraising, or related field Required.
• Has a lived connection and/or a deep understanding of Western North Carolina and the assigned counties
• Self‑motivated, able to work independently but has the ability to shift from working autonomously to working collaboratively.
• Detail‑oriented, accurate and organized.
• Flexible and capable. Ability to manage changing priorities with ease.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer‑service skills.
• Highly proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Experience working with a donor database or CRM system.
• Experience with data analysis and reporting.
• Good writing skills.
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills.
• Possess a valid driver’s license.

Salary/ Benefits

Salary ranges from $49,471– $86,890 depending on experience. Additional language skills that are applicable to this role may qualify for up to an additional $3k upon completing a language assessment test. Our salary scale is predetermined based on the years of relative professional work experience that qualify for this position to ensure equity in pay. Pisgah Legal Services is a Living Wage Certified Employer.

• Employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage the 1st of the month following the start date.
• Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) pays 100% of the Employee and 50% of the Dependent Cost for Aetna Medical and Dental coverage.
• PLS pays 50% of the Employee Coverage Cost for Aetna Vision coverage.
• PLS pays 100% of Long-Term & Short-Term Disability Coverage, Life Insurance Coverage of 5x base salary + an additional $15,000 Life & AD&D Coverage.
• 401k Retirement Plan after 6 months of employment.
• Additional Fringe Benefits includes Pet Insurance, Paid Parental Leave, Paid Bereavement Leave, 13.5 Company Holidays, 22 Paid Leave Days, Paid Sabbatical Leave for eligible staff, Employee Assistance Program for entire household and a great working environment with work life balance!

Pisgah Legal Services is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with our Human Resources department.