Join the CLA team.

Annual Giving Manager

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Annual Giving Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing an annual giving strategy for the Chicago Literacy Alliance. The primary focus of this position will be on developing fundraising appeals, managing our Associate Board, and planning our fundraising events.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Work with the Marketing and Communications Manager to design and execute our Annual Fund appeals through direct mail, social media, email, and peer to peer campaigns, including writing and working with graphic designer and vendors.
Evaluate and report results from appeals and campaigns and develop benchmarks for future strategies.
Develop and implement plans to increase the size of the individual donor base, average gift size and total funding support secured from individual donors in order to achieve Annual Fund financial goals.
Segment donor base to create personalized appeals that optimize response rates, average gift sizes and donor retention.
Serve as the lead steward for individual donors below $1,000.
With content developed with the Marketing and Communication Manager, support board members and staff in ongoing cultivation and stewardship.
Serve as the staff liaison for the Literassociates, the CLA associate board. Help develop their strategic direction and expansion, staff their meetings, and assists with their events
Oversee logistics for special event activities, including committee work, benefit programming, fundraising and engagement events.
Track activity in the database, export mailing lists and reports and work with database manager to ensure gifts are properly allocated.

The ideal candidate:

Works well in a team environment.
Has a minimum of two years work experience in a nonprofit organization in a fundraising capacity.
Has strong communication skills.
Has experience working in a CRM database such as Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, Tessitura or Neon.
Is curious and has a high aptitude for learning new software and systems.
Has an entrepreneurial spirit and an interest to grow an annual giving program into something great.
Is passionate about all things literacy

Diversity & Inclusion Statement:

The CLA is an equal opportunity employer, and embraces and celebrates diversity in the community it seeks to foster. Diversity of ethnicity, skin color, background, experience, lifestyle, skillset, physical limitation, education, religion, sexual orientation and gender within the CLA team is essential to the organization’s culture and mission.

Benefits & Perks

Health/Dental/Vision/Life insurance plan
401k retirement plan
Unbelievable PTO plan
Chance to work at the Literacenter, the country’s first nonprofit shared workspace dedicated to literacy, and use of its facilities (including the LitLounge, five Literascooters, free coffee, frequent snacks, and more!)
Discounts at local businesses and partners, from acupuncture and climbing gyms through delicious lunches and used books

To apply, please click this link and submit your information.

Institutional Giving Manager

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Institutional Giving Manager is responsible for running the grants program at the Chicago Literacy Alliance (CLA). This position is the CLA’s primary grant writer and will oversee the implementation of all institutional development strategies, fundraising campaigns, and stewardship plans. This position will also manage the donor database for the CLA.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Corporate/Foundation Prospecting, Solicitation and Stewardship (75%)

Conduct full range of activities required to prepare, submit and manage grant proposals to foundation and corporate sources.
Prepare and submit requested grant reports to grantors.
Research foundations, corporations, and other potential funders on an on-going basis in order to evaluate prospects for grants.
Develop and maintain a grants calendar to manage multiple projects and prioritize as needed to ensure deadlines are met.
Maintain all records pertinent to grant writing, both paper and electronic

Provide written and verbal reports on the performance of the grant writing activities.

Work with colleagues throughout the organization to gather information and data for proposals and reports, and develop content for proposals and program budgets.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with funders through phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and networking events.
Manage and oversee grant revenue status; work closely with the finance team to assure accuracy and proper and timely utilization of programmatic funding.

Database Management and Donor Tracking (25%)

Support overall development efforts by managing the donor database and generating reports.
Ensure all contracts and other materials are scanned and saved as appropriate.
Conduct tracking of all requests and contributions, providing timely donor acknowledgement letters and communication.
Ensure accurate record-keeping of all contributions and pledges.
Manage and ensure the accuracy of all mailing and contact lists.

The ideal candidate:

Works well in a team environment.
Has a minimum of two years work experience in a nonprofit organization.
Has strong writing and communication skills.
Has experience working in a CRM database such as Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, Tessitura or Neon.
Is curious and has a high aptitude for learning new software and systems.
Has an entrepreneurial spirit and an interest to grow a grants program into something great.
Is passionate about all things literacy.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement:

Benefits & Perks

Health/Dental/Vision/Life insurance plan
401k retirement plan
Unbelievable PTO plan
Chance to work at the Literacenter, the country’s first nonprofit shared workspace dedicated to literacy, and use of its facilities (including the LitLounge, five Literascooters, free coffee, frequent snacks, and more!)
Discounts at local businesses and partners, from acupuncture and climbing gyms through delicious lunches and used books