Advancement Manager

Advancement Strategy & Department Leadership 

• Build and manage a unified advancement function that aligns fundraising and communications across both national priorities and local office needs. 

• Collaborate with the DED to shape advancement strategy, with the expectation of assuming primary ownership of strategy and execution as the department and work matures. 

• Develop systems, workflows, and internal processes that support coordination, accountability, and clarity across advancement activities. 

• Balance hands-on contribution with building team capacity and sustainable advancement operations. 

• Strategically manage competing priorities, support teams in understanding timelines, expectations, and tradeoffs. 

Fundraising & Funder Engagement 

• Oversee institutional fundraising, including the development, management, and refinement of cases for support across programs and initiatives.  

• Provide strategic information, research, and insight to the Deputy Executive Director and CEO to support proposal development, funder strategy, and cultivation. 

• Partner closely with Finance and program leadership to develop accurate, compelling, and funder-ready proposals that align programmatic priorities with financial realities. 

• Design and begin building an individual giving program, including donor engagement strategies, early major gift cultivation, and targeted campaigns, in alignment with organizational capacity and priorities. 

• Establish processes to track fundraising pipeline, projects, and performance using data to assess progress and inform iterative improvements. 

• Develop funder communications and materials, ensuring they are accurate, timely, and aligned with organizational strategy and values. 

Communications, Storytelling & Brand 

• Lead the organization’s storytelling function, translating complex, interdisciplinary legal work into clear, compelling narratives that convey impact and urgency. 

• Supervise communications and digital engagement efforts, ensuring NDS’s voice remains bold, authentic, and grounded in its values across platforms. 

• Collaborate with local and national leaders to articulate and elevate the value of NDS’s integrated model and ensure messaging reflects on-the-ground realities. 

• Monitor communications reach and engagement, using data to assess effectiveness and refine strategy and content. 

Team Building, Resourcing & Department Planning 

• Build, manage, and mentor a small team of fellows, interns, and external vendors, emphasizing clarity of roles and outcomes, a collaborative culture, and a mission-centered approach. 

• Develop short-term and longer-term staffing and resourcing plans in addition to goals for the advancement function. 

• Assess and refine team structure and resource allocation over time to ensure the advancement function remains responsive, effective, and appropriately scaled. 

Qualifications

Required 

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in nonprofit advancement, fundraising, or a related field, including direct responsibility for managing a portfolio and meeting defined revenue goals. 

• At least 2 years of experience supervising staff, fellows, or contractors, with responsibility for setting priorities, providing feedback, and supporting performance. 

• Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex programmatic work into clear, compelling funder- and public-facing materials. 

• Experience managing advancement projects and timelines across multiple stakeholders, including close collaboration with program and finance partners. 

• Working knowledge of nonprofit budgets and financial concepts, sufficient to support proposal development, budget alignment, and funder reporting in partnership with finance staff. 

• Strong organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple workstreams, competing deadlines, and evolving priorities. 

• Experience working in or alongside interdisciplinary teams within a mission-driven organization. 

• High emotional intelligence and a demonstrated ability to build trust and credibility with stakeholders across roles, offices, and backgrounds. 

Preferred 

• 7 or more years of experience building or leading advancement, fundraising, or communications functions in a mission-driven organization. 

• Experience working within a national organization with locally based offices, programs, or affiliates, including coordinating advancement priorities across sites. 

• Experience building or managing advancement systems, such as funder pipelines, grant calendars, CRM tools, reporting trackers, or internal proposal workflows. 

• Familiarity with common nonprofit advancement and project-management tools (e.g., Salesforce, Airtable, Asana, Monday, Submittable, Fluxx, or similar systems). 

• Demonstrated experience using data and analysis to inform fundraising strategy, pipeline management, and performance assessment. 

• Demonstrated success managing institutional fundraising, including proposal development, reporting, and funder relationship coordination. 

• Familiarity with public defense, legal services, or similarly complex justice-oriented nonprofits, including public or contract-based funding environments. 

• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice, equity, and systemic change, and experience thoughtfully integrating equity considerations into advancement strategy and storytelling. 

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume with their application as one document, preferably PDF. For more information about NDS, please visit our website at http://www.ndsdetroit.org.