Portfolio & Development Assistant (Remote), Justice Defenders

ABOUT THE ROLE

At Justice Defenders, we believe in putting people with lived experience of incarceration at the center of criminal justice reform. That’s why we are on a mission to help 1 million defenceless people in conflict with the law get a fair hearing by 2030 and to deliver world-class legal practice with, from, and for defenceless communities inside and outside of prison. 

As a highly organized project coordinator, you will serve as an essential member of the fundraising team by organizing the Major Gifts and Grants portfolio for greater frontline efficiency.  You will coordinate and provide support for the portfolio activities of our frontline fundraising team, including the CEO, Chief Development & Communications Officer, and Director of Growth. As a development assistant, you will provide broad operational support for our donor- facing efforts including managing the gifts acknowledgments process and supporting team members with donor events. You will do so by being internally-motivated, service-oriented, highly organized and committed to helping create and support a comprehensive fundraising program. This role reports directly to the Chief Development & Communications Officer.  

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Portfolio Support (45%): 

• Support the frontline fundraising team by providing prompts and assistance when actions are assigned to them 
• Assist with portfolio activities including prospect development, proposal writing, and thanking donors
• Utilize Salesforce to track, manage, and produce reports on portfolio activity and results
• Assist the fundraising team with establishing donor process and digital filing management

Development-wide Support (45%):

• Act as the first line of communication for donors, volunteers, and the community, responding to general enquiries in a personal and timely manner
• Manage and execute the gift acknowledgement process 
• Perform administrative, logistic, and communications functions for fundraising and communications events and activities including creating calendar invitations, setting up Zoom and donation links, assist with donor mailings, and supporting the planning of donor events
• Perform data entry, updating, and monitoring donor files; create reports as needed; report on monthly and annual donor statistics
• Support the management of the corporate and state charitable solicitation registrations for Justice Defenders in the US. Inform the Communications team of compliance requirements and manage relationship, messaging and compliance with charity rating institutions such as Candid and Charity Navigator
• Assist in creating and updating collateral and fundraising materials including assisting with management of the agency website and social media                            

Logistics and personnel support (10%):

• Support the activities of the Chief Development & Communications Officer
• Provide limited adhoc support to other fundraising team members with requests including booking travel, organising visas and vaccinations, amending freelancer contracts, and other non-recurring administrative tasks

WHO YOU ARE

• Minimum of three (3) years experience in similar role
• Resourceful and solution-oriented with ninja-level organizational skills and pay fierce attention to detail
• Excellent written and oral communication skills 
• Proficient with donor databases and have mastery over word processing, spreadsheet, and database programmes
• Demonstrated experience working in deadline-driven environments; ability to organise workload, exercise independent judgment, and maintain self-motivated and self-directed schedule
• Capable of addressing multiple projects in time-sensitive manner, taking initiative and remaining flexible to ensure objectives are met accurately and timely
• Committed to maintaining the integrity of confidential communications and/or activities
• Professional, courteous, cooperative, positive and effective with a diversity of individuals and groups
• Strong contributor in team environments. Must be able to work and communicate with individuals at all levels of the organisation, across countries, cultures, and timezones 
• Strong interpersonal skills and alignment with the values of Justice Defenders.

We especially encourage applications from those who have been in prison, were the recipient of free school meals, or are from the first generation of their family to attend university and from those who consider themselves to be part of minority groups.

LOCATION + COMPENSATION

This role is open to remote candidates based in the United States or Europe, with a preference for candidates on the East Coast of the US. Compensation will be commensurate with experience and location. 

Reports to: Chief Development and Communications Officer

Hours: 37.5 hours per week. Generous holiday entitlement. Hours are flexible to suit the individual. There may be the occasional need for early/late hours to account for time zone differences within our community.

Application deadline: March 31st, 2023

ABOUT JUSTICE DEFENDERS

Justice Defenders works to ensure equal access to justice for incarcerated people across Africa. We train paralegals and lawyers within defenceless communities and equip them with the legal skills to assert their rights and to provide legal services for themselves and others.  Our 32 prison-based legal offices in Uganda, Kenya and The Gambia are run by more than 300 paralegals. By equipping justice defenders to facilitate a just legal process, we help ensure a fair hearing at the point of greatest need. As everyone deserves the right to tell their story.

We are a 350+ person global team working from Africa, Europe, and the US. We are bound by our shared values of humility, bravery, and solidarity.