The American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina (ACLU-SC), envisions a just South Carolina where We the People means all of us. To bring this vision to life, we advocate, litigate, educate, and mobilize to defend and advance the civil rights and civil liberties of all South Carolinians.
The ACLU of South Carolina is requesting proposals to contract with a lobbyist to represent us for the final year of the 2025-2026 legislative session in the South Carolina General Assembly. We seek a strong lobbyist with existing relationships in the state legislature, knowledge of legislative processes, and a deep understanding of the state budget. We also seek an individual or a team that has experience working on policies rooted in advancing civil liberties and civil rights.
Our Organizational Values
ACLU-SC works daily in communities, courts, and the legislature to defend and advance the civil rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. and South Carolina Constitutions.
We expect all team members, contract or salaried, to uphold our values. Our team is:
- Focused on Justice. We know that people have been harmed by many forms of injustice — racial, gender, economic, and more — and we fight for the justice everyone deserves.
- Driven by Equity. We recognize that unequal starting points, systemic barriers, and historic inequities often keep justice out of reach — and we use this awareness to strengthen our work.
- Strategic. We invest our time, energy, and resources in thoughtful, deliberate, and informed ways to maximize long term impact.
- Steadfast. We pursue our goals with integrity and aim to earn the trust of our partners, clients, volunteers, donors, and members.
- Collaborative. We work in partnership with communities and coalitions, building shared power.
- Compassionate. We care about the people of South Carolina, and we seek to be brave together.
Scope of Services
As a multi-issue organization, we seek a contract lobbyist who is able to adjust to and advocate for a wide array of civil rights issues. These issues include (but are not limited to): juvenile justice, public education, eviction prevention, and LGBTQ+ rights. The contract’s focus will adjust to the applicant’s expressed area of expertise in their letter of interest.
Services will include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Assisting the staff lobbying team in establishing relationships with policymakers.
- Communicating the goals and interests of ACLU-SC with decision makers.
- Identifying, tracking, and reporting on policies that may impact the civil liberties and rights of South Carolinians at the state level.
- Advising on how grassroots organizing and public communications may support lobbying efforts.
- Reporting on outcomes via a weekly call or written status report to the Advocacy Director.
- Developing a final report at the end of the contract term for the internal lobbying team.
- Maintaining compliance with state lobby registration, disclosure, and reporting in collaboration with the Executive Director.
Compensation:
The ACLU of South Carolina will compensate a lobbyist or firm on a fixed fee schedule to be agreed upon by the parties. The compensation for 6 months of engagement will not exceed $25,000.
All proposals should include the following:
- A letter of interest.
- Names of the individual(s) who will be working on the contract.
- The experience of the individual or individuals named above, their previous work, areas of expertise, and capacity given existing contracts.
- A comprehensive list of all current clients.
- A short narrative (1 page or less) of your theory of change and approach to government relations. Consider how that approach can contribute to advancing and protecting civil liberties and civil rights.
The contract lobbyist(s) will report directly to Courtney Thomas, Advocacy Director and Jace Woodrum, Executive Director and Lobbyist Principal.
Please submit an electronic version of your proposal to Courtney Thomas, Advocacy Director, at [email protected]
Interviews will be conducted in September 2025 with decisions by October 2025. Please direct any questions regarding this RFP to Courtney Thomas at [email protected]
