Development Director - Uptown People's Law Center

About the role

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.

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. UPLC is proud to be a unionized workplace but this position is excluded from the staff union.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Manage donor and funder data in the CRM (currently Network for Good), ensuring data accuracy and integrity.