Job Title: Executive Director--South Carolina
Organization: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Location: Charleston, SC
Salary:
FT Regular
 
Job Description:
The American Civil Liberties Union welcomes applications for the position of
Executive Director of the South Carolina National Office. This position is
available immediately.
 
OVERVIEW
 
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded in 1920 to preserve
the fundamental liberties written in the Constitution and its Bill of
Rights.
 
The ACLU is composed of two separately incorporated nonprofit organizations.
The ACLU, a 501(c)(4) membership organization, is the primary lobbying arm.
The ACLU Foundation, a 501(c)(3), conducts litigation and public education
programs in support of civil liberties. The majority of support for the
ACLU and ACLU Foundation comes from individuals, who believe in the
guarantees of freedom, justice, equality, and fair treatment under the law.
The ACLU receives no government funding and never charges clients for legal
representation.
 
Every ACLU office builds a menu of programs and services to meet the unique
characteristics of the communities that are served. Through communications,
lobbying and litigation, the ACLU endeavors to preserve and enhance
liberties grounded in the United States and state constitutions and civil
rights laws. Among these liberties are separation of church and state,
freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, the right to
privacy, reproductive rights, due process of law, and the right to equal
treatment under the law. To learn more about the work of the national ACLU,
please visit www.aclu.org.
 
The South Carolina National Office
 
The ACLU South Carolina is a national office of the ACLU and is the states
guardian of freedom. Working to promote and defend civil liberties
throughout the state, its mission includes a variety of legal, legislative
and public education programs encompassing a broad range of constitutional
issues.
 
Until recently, the ACLU of South Carolina was a separately governed and
operated statewide affiliate organization located in Columbia, South
Carolina. In June, 2008, the national ACLU reorganized to create an office
of the national ACLU to strengthen its statewide operations and program
capacity. The new office, to be opened in July, 2008, will be located in
Charleston, South Carolina, with easy proximity to South Carolinas state
capitol, Columbia.
The newly formed ACLU South Carolina National Office will be focused on
expanding the ACLUs capacity to meet the increasing civil liberties
challenges in the state. The incoming Executive Director will be reporting
to the national organization and working collaboratively with a leadership
team of dedicated professionals to (1) Establish and maintain positive,
proactive statewide communications with existing members, supporters, and
donors; (2) Implement a statewide community engagement strategy designed to
attract new supporters, members and donors statewide; (3) Partner with the
national leadership team to launch targeted programs and services; and (4)
Foster the creation and collaborative efforts of a core team of staff and
volunteers to provide high quality service with measurable outcomes.
POSITION OVERVIEW
 
The Executive Director is the leader of the South Carolina National Office
and provides the strategic and tactical direction necessary to enable the
ACLU to fulfill its mission to protect and defend the rights and liberties
of the people of South Carolina. The Executive Director reports to the
Director of Affiliate Support at the ACLUs headquarters in New York City.
 
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES:
 
In partnership with the national leadership team, the Executive Director is
responsible and accountable for all aspects of the ACLU South Carolina
National Offices management and operations, including:
 Directing the legal, legislative, public education, and field organizing
activities of the organization.
 Overseeing and taking lead responsibility for fundraising planning and
implementation, identifying and soliciting significant donors, planning
special fundraising events, and working to secure grants and other
additional resources.
 Developing the annual budget and prudent management of the financial
resources within budget guidelines and in accordance with accepted nonprofit
accounting standards and practices.
 Developing and implementing the statewide membership recruitment strategy.
 Serving as an articulate and effective spokesperson for the ACLU South
Carolina National Office with the members, the public and the media.
 Lobbying the Legislature and other bodies on civil liberties issues;
coordinating the overall lobbying efforts of the ACLU South Carolina
National Office.
 Directing public education efforts designed to increase public awareness
of civil liberties issues.
 Building and supporting effective advisory board operations and
identifying and recruiting new members with diverse strengths and
backgrounds.
 Creating alliances with like-minded organizations and activists to work on
shared issues to advance the cause of civil liberties in South Carolina.
 Developing and maintaining strategic plans for Office growth and
advancement.
 Serving as the primary liaison between the Office and the national ACLU.
REQUIREMENTS:
The Ideal Candidate will:
 Be a passionate advocate with a reputation for innovating, leading through
challenging situations and fueling change at a grassroots level. The
candidate will be at home in a start-up grassroots environment, yet
comfortable navigating within a larger national structure and hierarchy as
well. The Executive Director will have a thorough knowledge of all of the
key elements of growing and leading a successful start-up organization with
a focus on bottom-line financial management. Key personal attributes
include: tenacity, diplomacy, results-orientation, the ability to move
self-confidently through uncharted waters, and a total commitment to the
non-profit mission of the ACLU.
 
 Also be an experienced senior nonprofit leader and manager with proven
ability and a record of success in the development of statewide programs and
membership, grant-writing, organizational and team development, and the
ability to manage the organization. The successful candidate will be a
strategic thinker with excellent planning, analytic, financial management,
and budgeting skills. The Executive Director will also have a track record
in resource development, and possess the ability to speak and write
persuasively about the ACLUs key initiatives. The Executive Director will
have the marketing skills needed to build community awareness and to
catalyze new and existing ACLU members throughout the state. The candidate
will also have a demonstrated ability to work effectively with and quickly
gain the respect and support of various constituencies, including board
members, national staff members, consultants, potential donors, and other
community leaders. A critical success factor for this candidate will be a
background and a strong commitment to directly connecting with people from
diverse communities and cultures.
 
 Have superb interpersonal and communication skills and as spokesperson, be
equally comfortable with diplomacy and strong issues-based advocacy. The
Executive Director will possess a willingness to publicly take unpopular
positions and stand behind them. The candidate will also have a commitment
to diversity and a personal approach that values the individual and respects
differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion,
ability and socio-economic circumstance. The candidate will be an inspiring
public leader, while also possessing the ability to coach and lead a staff
in an environment that fosters creativity, teamwork, a commitment to
excellence, and mutual respect. The successful candidate must have a
reputation for honesty, fairness, and high ethical standards in all aspects
of professional work.
 
 Have a thorough understanding of contemporary civil and human rights
issues, and the vision and intellect to address them effectively. While
welcoming the opportunity to be an active and visible participant in the
Charleston community, the successful candidate will also join in a
leadership role with the national ACLU team, staff, and volunteers to expand
and grow the reach of the ACLU throughout South Carolina. A willingness and
ability to travel frequently throughout the week and on weekends, both
locally and regionally, is a must. In addition, the ideal candidate must be
willing to devote as many hours as necessary to get the job done.
 
COMPENSATION
 
The ACLU offers a generous and comprehensive compensation and benefits
package, commensurate with experience and within parameters of the ACLU
compensation scale.
 
The ACLU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages
applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
 
The ACLU comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil
Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. Both the American Civil Liberties
Union and the ACLU Foundation are national organizations with the same
overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two
separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect
civil liberties. This job posting refers collectively to the two
organizations under the name ACLU.
 
 
 
 
How to Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume that describes your interest in this
position, your relevant qualifications and experience, and your
availability. Applications should be sent by email to
jobs@aclusouthcarolina.org  reference [SC-01/YNPN] in the subject line  or
by mail to:
 
American Civil Liberties Union
RE: Executive Director [SC-01/YNPN]
PO Box 20998
Charleston, SC 29403-6322
 
Applications will be accepted until position is filled, which will not be
before July 31, 2008.
Please indicate where you learned of this job posting.
 
Organization Web Site: www.aclu.org
 
Email replies to: jobs@aclusouthcarolina.org