September 3rd, 2025
MacArthur Justice Center
About the Organization
The MacArthur Justice Center is a private operating foundation committed to vindicating individual rights, holding people with power accountable, and advocating for meaningful legal reform. With an $11 million annual budget and a litigation docket of well over 200 cases, MJC is a formidable force for justice.
History: MJC was founded in 1985 by the children of J. Roderick MacArthur to honor his lifelong passion for social justice and human rights. A bequest from Solange MacArthur created a $90 million endowment that has largely underwritten the organization's work and expansion over the years. (MJC has no formal relation to, or funding from, the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.)
Structure and impact: MJC operates through expert litigating teams in five offices: Chicago, IL; St. Louis, MO; New Orleans, LA; Oxford, MS; and Washington, DC.
Individual office autonomy enables MJC to act nimbly and decisively, taking on both individual cases of injustice and systemic problems. The reputation of its trial attorneys and its Supreme Court & Appellate Program has enabled MJC to lead initiatives and serve as lead or collaborating counsel in many cases of national importance. MJC has had notable successes in landmark legal and reform efforts that include:
Combating racial discrimination in the criminal justice system
Overturning wrongful convictions and death sentences
Exposing police and prosecutorial misconduct
Winning substantial judgments for victims of prosecutorial, police, and prison abuse
Supporting the rights of protesters
Winning important cases before the U.S. Supreme Court
Securing consent decrees and systemic settlements involving criminal defense resources, prosecutorial and police misconduct, and prison conditions
The Justice Center has litigated consequential and precedent-setting cases on solitary confinement, the death penalty, and denial of parole. It has held multiple prison officials, police, and prosecutors accountable for wrongful conduct. The organization has recovered over $100 million in civil cases arising from wrongful convictions, recently serving as co-counsel for a $50 million jury verdict—the largest financial award for a wrongful conviction in U.S. history.
MJC's impact extends to thought leadership and coalition building. For example, MJC leads the National Parole Transformation Project, a coordinated campaign of strategic impact litigation and community-based advocacy directly challenging the parole systems that feed mass incarceration.
Vision for creating a development function: The search for a Director of Development, and the buildout of a new development function, are driven by the mandate to augment endowment income as MJC continues to expand its team, caseload, accomplishments, and aspirations. The vision is to build development capacity to $5 million annually by early 2029.
Job Description
Position salary range: $150,000 to $165,000
Position reports to: Executive Director, David Shapiro
The Director of Development will build and lead a new development function. Together with the Manager of Development and in partnership with the Executive Director and Leadership Team, the Director will increase contributed resources from $1.3 million to $5 million or more over the next three years.
In preparation for this historic expansion, MJC partnered with Focus Fundraising to develop strategies and create a comprehensive framework. The resulting MJC Fundraising Assessment and 2024-25 Development Plan provides extensive insight for the Development Director to consider in devising MJC’s fundraising strategy going forward.
Ideal candidate profile: The new Director of Development will be passionate about MJC's work and
knowledgeable about the criminal legal system and current issues. The Director will have relevant legal, civil rights, and/or criminal justice fundraising experience, with proven operational and growth experience, ideally including start-ups or contexts similar to MJC. The Director will be an energizing, relationship-focused team player who will inspire the board, donors, and funders.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Conduct a strategic listening tour
- Visit all five offices to learn about MJC's work, priorities, community footprint, and aspirations
- Build relationships, trust, understanding, and collaboration across the organization
- Partner initially with MJC colleagues who are ready for and interested in development support
2. Develop a comprehensive three-year fundraising plan
- Plan objectives will include:
- Building a solid development infrastructure and systems
- Establishing collaboration frameworks with
- Communications, Finance, the Leadership Team, and all offices
- Setting goals and metrics for years one, two, and three
- Identifying national and community-level funding opportunities in each geography
- Creating cultivation activities, including opportunities for donors to witness MJC's work
- Assessing current and potential institutional, individual, foundation, and law firm support
3. Build development infrastructure
- Activate and enhance the new fundraising database, developing best practices and standard operating procedures related to fundraising, stewardship, moves management, and related activities
- Establish data and grant tracking, prospect research, and analytical capabilities
- Ensure registration, fundraising policies, and best practices
- Develop donor pipeline development, moves management, acknowledgment, stewardship, and reporting systems
- Build effective development interfaces with Finance,
- Communications, Operations, and all offices
4. Enhance existing donor relationships
- Create proactive donor communications, reporting, and tracking systems that are timely and responsive
- Partner with the Executive Director, board members, and Leadership Team to deepen existing relationships and identify new opportunities
- Cultivate new opportunities with current supporters through regular contact and relevant event
invitations
5. Develop new donor relationships
- Work with office directors, the ED, and senior leaders to identify and communicate with targeted
prospective donors
- Activate effective moves management approaches
- Develop donor communications plans, cadence, and vehicles consistent with MJC values
- Create cultivation opportunities, speaking events, and host gatherings
- Develop national and regionally-relevant storytelling and case for support
6. Inspire a culture of philanthropy
- Engage board members in giving and outreach to their networks
- Provide compelling narratives that demystify fundraising and communicate the value of increasing MJC resources
- Deliver user-friendly learning and engagement activities
- Facilitate successful donor interactions for board and staff members
- Provide regular reporting on progress and fundraising successes
- Introduce experiences that build appreciation for philanthropic engagement
The ideal Director of Development will possess:
Professional Experience
- Proven development operations and fundraising skills
- Knowledge of and interest in litigation and criminal justice issues
- Leadership experience in complex organizational environments
- Business and budgeting acumen
- Public speaking and organizational representation abilities
Personal Assets
- Inspiring relationship and trust-building skills
- Positive, collaborative, and inclusive nature
- Passion for results and making progress with tenacity and excellence
- Self-awareness, confidence, humility, and low ego
- High emotional intelligence, active listening, and analytical skills
- Intellectual depth, agility, nimbleness, and openness to learning
- Ability to engage diverse stakeholders and build consensus
Additional Information
For potential consideration or to suggest a prospect, please email MJCDev@BoardWalkConsulting.com or call Kathy Bremer or Terri Kohan, 404-262-7392.
Contact email for applicants MJCDev@BoardWalkConsulting.com