Director of Strategic Partnerships

OVERVIEW

Founded in 1923, the ACLU of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) is dedicated to defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU SoCal works in the courts, legislatures, and communities to defend the principle that every individual's rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or national origin. The ACLU SoCal has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire, and Kern County.

The ACLU of Southern California seeks a director of strategic partnerships. The director of strategic partnerships is responsible for fostering and growing relationships with a broad range of entertainment, cultural, legal and corporate entities based in Southern California to expand the organization’s brand and deepen engagement with key audiences through joint initiatives.

This position will prioritize building and managing dynamic partnerships focused on cause marketing, corporate and in-kind giving, artist and influencer-related engagement, brand awareness campaigns, immersive programming and events including the annual Bill of Rights Awards. They will lead our corporate giving efforts, raising funds from individuals and corporations through partnerships and events.

The director of strategic partnerships is part of the Communications & Media Advocacy Department and will manage the Strategic Partnerships Team, comprised of a manager of annual events and a manager of artist relations. The director will also coordinate with members of the Philanthropy Department and with their counterpart at the ACLU National office as well as the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees.

The director will report directly to the chief communications and marketing officer and will play a part in the Communications & Media Advocacy leadership team, working closely with the creative director and the director of media and public relations and their respective teams to ensure consistent audience engagement and messaging.

CLASSSIFICATION

Full-time; exempt

RESPONSIBILITIES

Research and Relationship Building

• Cultivate and sustain new relationships with industry leads, agencies, law firms, cultural and civic institutions, artists and influencers and companies in Southern California to advance the ACLU mission.
• Develop relationships with service-oriented businesses to obtain in-kind services.
• Develop and oversee processes to triage, select, support, and manage strategic partnerships opportunities across the organization.
• Stay abreast of current CSR and cause marketing trends and ACLU issues and determine appropriate applications.
• Work collaboratively with philanthropy and National staff to develop portfolios, designating a strategy for each relationship and reflecting key interactions in database.

Strategic Initiatives, Fundraising and Engagement

• Implement and fulfill initiatives with partners to advance ACLU marketing and advocacy priorities, especially the ACLU SoCal’s upcoming centennial celebration.
• Oversee our partnerships, events and experiences to raise funds from corporations.
• Manage the Board of Trustees, its membership and its goals.
• Create and manage expense and revenue forecasts for strategic partnerships initiatives.
• Produce and present timely reporting on KPIs and financial tracking of strategic partnerships activities.

Collaboration

• Work collaboratively with philanthropy and National staff to develop portfolios, designating a PRM and strategy for each relationship.
• Create and advise on partnership-related communications and marketing content and strategies, including subscriber outreach, joint statements, press releases, stories for CSR reports, public-facing content, social media outreach, related website content and other promotional materials.
• Commit to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.

Leadership and Management

• Provide guidance relating to appropriate language and content for business-related ACLU promotions.
• Set project timelines, oversee work products and manage changes to schedules and plans as required.
• Oversee the work of artist relations manager to maximize media and brand exposure through partners and artist amplification and engagement.
• Oversee the work of annual events manager including the implementation of annual events like the Bill of Rights Awards and ad hoc events (e.g. screenings) and speaker requests.
• Supervise and guide strategic partnerships staff and evaluate their performances.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

RACIAL EQUITY COMPETENCIES

Understanding and Applying Racial Equity

• Demonstrate commitment to building or deepening understand of racial equity:
  • Core terms and concepts such as structural racism, white privilege, and anti-Blackness. 
  • The role that racial inequity has played and continues to play in our society.
  • How race impacts supervisory relationships, team dynamics, and organizational culture.
  • Personal/implicit/unconscious bias.

Working for Racial Equity

• Consistently assess structural implications and racially disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions within the context of their job responsibilities; race/ethnicity, intersection of race/ethnicity, gender, identity, and/or sexual orientation. 
• Consistently adhere to organization’s racial equity policies and procedures, including those that relate to hiring, retention, and promotion. 
• Consistently identify and disrupt ways in which bias plays out in work and/or team.

Leading on Racial Equity

• Effectively encourage people to have honest conversations about racial equity, and accept feedback openly, non-defensively, and from a posture of learning.
• Consistently address structural implications and racially disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions by identifying and implementing changes that can produce more equitable outcomes. This applies not only in terms of race/ethnicity, but also at the intersection of race/ethnicity, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.
• Consistently set racial equity outcomes, goals, and performance measures for team, department or organization and develop and successfully implement plans to achieve them.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Minimum of 8 years of experience managing strategic partnerships, ideally in a nonprofit setting, with an emphasis on strategic relations. Demonstrated expertise in corporate sustainability, communications, marketing and/or fundraising.
• Sophisticated and demonstrated understanding of entertainment industry, celebrity and influencer relations, the private sector and business practices.
• Demonstrated leadership ability working with cross-departmental teams.
• Outstanding project management experience including ability to prioritize and focus marketing efforts on specific objective with measurable outcomes and develop a budget for these initiatives.
• Ability to develop and implement integrated marketing plans both short- and long-term for public programming, ensuring that plans are realistic, financially viable and provide a good return on investment.
• Experience working with CRM software such as Salesforce
• Knowledge of best practices in CSR and sustainability and the field of non-profit marketing.
• Keen interest or experience in leading SoCal industries and a solid grasp of current trends and popular culture.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to understand and speak compellingly about the ACLU and its mission.
• Experience working with a constituent management database.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and work as a productive team member.
• Commitment to the mission and values of the ACLU.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $110,000- $125,000. Benefits include medical, dental, vision insurance for staff members and their eligible dependents; life, long-term disability and short-term disability insurance; 401(k) plan with employer match; ample vacation and sick leave with 15 paid holidays. 

TO APPLY

Please submit resume, cover letter, writing sample, and three references online through our application portal.

APPLY HERE

COVID Vaccination and proof of being fully Vaccinated (includes booster) is a condition of employment.

The ACLU of Southern California is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion and striving to maintain a workforce that reflects the communities that we serve. The ACLU SoCal is an equal opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable law. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply and value people of all races, genders (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientations, disabilities, citizenships, ages, religions, and national origins and who have different marital statuses, family caregiving responsibilities, lived experiences with the criminal justice systems, and genetic information. The ACLU SoCal does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these characteristics. 

The ACLU SoCal is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail bmosley@aclusocal.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.