Associate Director of Legacy Giving

Lambda Legal•New York, NY

20d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director of Legacy Giving manages key aspects of Lambda Legal’s legacy giving program by stewarding and cultivating donors while overseeing the administrative and operational aspects of the program to strengthen long-term philanthropic support. This position manages a portfolio of legacy donors and prospects while maintaining the systems and processes that ensure accurate, timely review and management of estates, trusts, and charitable gift annuities. This role blends frontline fundraising with essential operational responsibilities, serving as key driver in strengthening our data systems and supporting strategic growth for our legacy giving program.

Requirements

4+ years of experience in direct fundraising and donor relations, preferably in legacy giving.
Knowledge and prior application of estate planning tools and charitable giving vehicles like wills, trusts, CGAs, retirement plans, and life insurance with experience completing the associated estate documents.
Experience managing a portfolio of donors and prospects, including cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding at various levels of giving.
High emotional intelligence with demonstrated ability in exercising sound judgment and communicating effectively around sensitive or complex issues.
Proven ability to build, improve, and manage systems and processes to increase operational efficiency and program effectiveness.
Strong organizational skills with excellent attention to detail and the ability to juggle multiple workstreams, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce donor-facing materials to various audiences.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently.
Proficiency in Excel with tracking, analyzing, and reporting data to support informed decision-making.
Ability to work well as part of a team in a high-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience using Raiser’s Edge
Previous experience creating and facilitating seminars, webinars, or presentations, preferably for donors and prospects.
Prior experience working with volunteer leadership programs, councils, or advisory boards.
Successful candidates will welcome the opportunity to work in a racially- and gender-diverse environment and to contribute to a positive and inclusive atmosphere. Working at Lambda Legal requires a demonstrated awareness of and commitment to the concerns of the breadth of the communities that Lambda Legal serves. Prior work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community and/or people living with HIV is highly desirable. Experience working with other historically marginalized communities (in a professional or volunteer capacity) is also desirable.
All employees at Lambda Legal are expected to adhere to ethical conduct in all interactions and tasks, ensuring a positive and respectful workplace environment.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain a portfolio of regional legacy giving donors and prospects at all levels of giving and may have other donor assignments as appropriate.
Identify prospective legacy giving donors, developing tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies to grow members of the Guardian Society.
Work with a discrete portfolio of Liberty Circle members, Major Donors and/or prospects, perform stewardship activities and meetings as appropriate, and solicit annual gifts of $1,500 and above as well as legacy gifts.
Identify and cultivate prospective volunteer solicitors, including potential Board and National Leadership Council (NLC) members, which is Lambda Legal’s body of national volunteer leaders committed to advancing Lambda Legal’s mission through fundraising and peer engagement, in assigned markets. Additionally, you’ll support and manage legacy giving and/or annual solicitation of donors in assigned portfolio by the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Development Officer, Board, NLC members, and other key volunteers. This includes identifying and securing major donor prospect meetings for senior staff and organizational leadership.
Assist in building a broad-based stewardship program alongside the Senior Director of Legacy Giving to ensure comprehensive stewardship for assigned donors, including solicitation, benefit fulfillment, personalized donor cultivation, thoughtful recognition, and ongoing engagement.
Enter, update, and maintain accurate donor and gift information in Raiser’s Edge to ensure data integrity and support informed fundraising strategy.
Participate in legacy giving and volunteer leadership committees to plan, support, and increase legacy giving, event and major gifts revenue.
Work with regional and national development teams to significantly increase giving from assigned donors each year. Educate certain targeted constituencies about the critical importance of legal and financial life planning.
Possess knowledge of estate planning tools, prepare tailored legacy gift proposals in response to inquiries and works with donors and donor representatives to facilitate legacy gifts to Lambda Legal.
Create and implement systems for timely completion and execution of estate paperwork, acknowledgement of new Guardian Society members, as well as manage Lambda Legal's Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) program.
Process, manage and acknowledge gifts from estates and trusts, oversee the status of all open estates, trusts, and CGAs, and communicate regularly with donors, trustees, executors and, if needed, pro bono counsel to ensure timely resolution of concerns and receipt of gifts.
Maintain accurate and timely records in Raiser’s Edge, including updating donor statuses and documenting key information to ensure appropriate outreach, like issuing condolences and other intentional engagements.
Assess legacy giving program operations to identify process gaps, recommend improvements, and implement effective solutions that strengthen efficiency, accuracy, and overall effectiveness.
In collaboration with the Marketing team, develop and refine marketing materials for legacy giving, including producing legacy giving information for outreach initiatives, campaigns, and/or other publications as needed.
Collaborate with the Marketing and Communications teams to create donor profiles for publications and lead targeted legacy giving mailing campaigns throughout the year.
Organize occasional educational seminars for donors and prospects regarding life and financial planning, tax issues, aging information, and other topics of interest.
Produce legacy giving and life-planning educational materials for digital, video, and print
Support the Senior Director of Legacy Giving in coordinating and executing key activities of the Legacy Giving Council (LGC), ensuring strong engagement and smooth operations.
Responsible for communicating with the LGC and ensures that members are well-informed regarding Lambda Legal's work.
Assist in recruitment of new LGC members locally; and ensure that LGC members are engaged and well-supported in Lambda Legal's work.

Benefits

Medical benefits that begin on your start date
Dental, Vision, and Life insurance (effective 30 days from your start date)
Short & Long-Term Disability plans (effective 30 days from your start date)
403(b) Retirement Plan (employer contribution and matching program begins after 90 days of employment)
Paid Vacation (15 Days)
Sick Leave (12 Days)
Personal Leave (3 Days)
Religious Observance Leave (3 Days)
Bereavement and Bereavement Anniversary Leave
Floating Holiday (1 Day)
12 paid holidays and 5 early office closures
Flexible Spending Account (FSA/DC FSA) and Commuter Benefits
Health Reimbursement Account
Annual professional development funds
$50 monthly mobile phone reimbursement
Summer Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day
Premium subscription to the Calm App
Paid sabbatical after 7 years of service at Lambda Legal (4 weeks for non-exempt positions and 8 weeks for exempt positions)