Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Specialist, Major Gifts
at National Immigration Law Center
🏢 About National Immigration Law Center
The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the few national organizations exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants, combining legal expertise, policy advocacy, and strategic communications. Its affiliated 501(c)(4), the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, allows for direct federal policy reform work, giving staff a rare opportunity to influence both law and policy. Working here means joining a mission-driven team that explicitly centers racial, economic, and gender justice in everything from litigation to fundraising.
About This Role
As a Senior Specialist, Major Gifts, you will personally manage a portfolio of donors and prospects giving $5,000+ across both NILC's 501(c)(3) and its 501(c)(4) affiliate, the Immigrant Justice Fund. You'll report to the Director of Fundraising Campaigns and collaborate closely with senior leadership and program staff to craft compelling donor narratives. This two-year term-limited role is a chance to build lasting major-gift relationships that directly fuel immigrant justice advocacy and legal defense at a critical time.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve preparing a briefing memo for a senior leader's donor meeting, conducting a virtual cultivation call with a major prospect, and updating the moves management system with next steps. You might also collaborate with the policy team to translate a recent legal win into a compelling donor update, or strategize with the Director of Fundraising Campaigns on a solicitation approach for a six-figure prospect. The work is highly relational, data-informed, and deeply tied to NILC's mission.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who National Immigration Law Center Is Looking For
- At least 3–5 years of frontline major gifts experience, with a proven track record of soliciting and closing gifts of $5,000+ from individual donors.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a dual 501(c)(3)/501(c)(4) fundraising environment, or strong willingness to learn the compliance and messaging nuances between the two entities.
- Deep alignment with NILC's mission and a working understanding of immigration justice, racial equity, and the intersection of class and gender in immigrant communities.
- Excellent relationship-building and communication skills, with experience engaging senior leadership, board members, and program staff in donor cultivation.
- Comfort working remotely and independently while staying connected to a distributed development team and using data to track moves management.
📝 Tips for Applying to National Immigration Law Center
Highlight any experience soliciting gifts for both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations—or explain how you'd navigate the different donor motivations and legal parameters for each entity.
Use your cover letter to name specific NILC campaigns, legal victories, or policy fights (e.g., defending DACA, fighting family separation, or state-level immigrant rights work) that you would be excited to fundraise for.
Quantify your major gifts results: include average gift size, portfolio size, number of solicitations per year, and retention rates to show you understand metrics-driven fundraising.
Mention your familiarity with moves management systems (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser's Edge) and how you've used data to prioritize donor outreach in a remote setting.
Address the term-limited nature of the role head-on—express enthusiasm for a two-year commitment and explain how you'd build a sustainable pipeline that could extend beyond the initial term.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
1) Your direct experience closing $5,000+ gifts and managing a donor portfolio, with concrete results. 2) Your understanding of the difference between 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) fundraising and how you'd navigate dual solicitation. 3) A personal connection to NILC's mission and why immigrant justice matters to you, showing you've done more than skim the website. 4) Your ability to work collaboratively with senior leadership and program staff to translate complex legal and policy work into compelling donor cases for support.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Review NILC's recent legal victories and policy campaigns, such as their work on DACA, TPS, and state-level immigrant rights legislation, to speak fluently about their impact.
- → Understand the distinction between NILC (501(c)(3)) and the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (501(c)(4)), including what each can and cannot do politically, and how that affects donor conversations.
- → Explore NILC's racial, economic, and gender justice framework and be ready to discuss how it shapes their fundraising messaging and donor base.
- → Look up the Director of Fundraising Campaigns and other development team members on LinkedIn to understand their backgrounds and priorities, and reference any public interviews or statements they've made.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating this like any generic major gifts role—failing to mention NILC's specific mission, campaigns, or the dual 501(c)(3)/(c)(4) structure will make you look unprepared.
- Overlooking the term-limited nature of the position or seeming reluctant to commit to a two-year role; instead, show enthusiasm for the opportunity to make an impact in that timeframe.
- Using boilerplate language about 'passion for fundraising' without connecting it to immigrant justice or demonstrating cultural competency in working with diverse donors and communities.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to National Immigration Law Center!