Sr. Director of Development

Mishkan Chicago leads people toward more purposeful, connected, and inspired lives through life-affirming Jewish tradition and community. Since 2011, Mishkan Chicago has grown from a small startup to a national presence with 20+ staff serving 660+ households in Chicago and beyond. Mishkan’s workplace values emphasize innovation, mutual care, teamwork, respect, and creating an enjoyable, empowering environment for staff and community alike.

The Senior Director of Development will build and lead Mishkan's comprehensive development strategy, deeply integrating fundraising into the fabric of their community and organizational culture. This role partners closely with the Executive Director and Senior Rabbi to cultivate meaningful relationships with major donors, develop holistic fundraising approaches, and align donor interests with Mishkan's mission and financial needs.

This position is critical as Mishkan seeks to deepen its development sophistication while maintaining the authentic, relational approach that defines their community. The ideal candidate will bring fundraising expertise and best practices, particularly around endowment and legacy/planned giving, while embracing Mishkan’s collaborative culture and commitment to making every community member feel seen and valued.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement comprehensive development strategy to meet $2.5M annual fundraising goal
• Lead annual campaign, High Holy Day pledge drive, and major donor cultivation ($5,000+)
• Steward major gift commitments and multi-year pledges to ensure sustained donor engagement and program support
• Create data-driven strategies to identify, cultivate, and steward donors
• Build fundraising targets and predictions; mine membership data for increased giving opportunities
• Partner with Director of Communications to create compelling cases for support
• Attend flagship programs 2-4 times monthly to build authentic relationships with community members
• Create meaningful donor touchpoints and recognition events that deepen connections 
• Work closely with board of trustees and development committee on fundraising engagement and strategy
• Integrate development throughout the organization, bringing staff and lay leaders into the fundraising process
• Utilize ShulCloud and Google Sheets to track donor engagement and maintain strong follow-through on cultivation activities
• Provide administrative oversight for development operations with support from Finance & Admin Associate

Qualifications & Skills

• 7+ years of direct fundraising experience with a proven track record of successful solicitations and meeting and exceeding fundraising goals 
• Demonstrated success soliciting gifts of $10,000+        
• Experience developing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies        
• Strong relationship-building skills with ability to collaborate across teams        
• Ability to work independently while knowing when to loop in leadership        
• Excellent executive functioning skills with strong attention to detail and follow-through         
• Willingness to attend evening and weekend programs to engage with the community        
• Sincere, authentic approach to donor relationships        
• Experience with ShulCloud or similar donor management systems         
• Background in synagogue, Jewish organizational, or mission-driven nonprofit fundraising preferred 
• Basic Jewish literacy and knowledge of Jewish traditions preferred 

Schedule & Location

• Hybrid position: flexibility to work from home Monday, Wednesday, Friday
• Office located at 4001 N. Ravenswood, Suite 101, Chicago, IL 60613
• Core hours: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM with availability for Slack communications
• Regular evening and weekend hours required for Shabbat services and programs (2-4 flagship events per month) 
• Some travel for conferences may be required

Why it’s great to work here

• A competitive benefits package including 12 weeks paid parental leave, subsidized health insurance with a 100% employer-covered option and a defined benefit contribution to spouse/dependents, dental and vision covered 100% by employer; a 401k retirement plan with a 4% match after one year of employment, employer paid short/long term disability and group term life insurance
• Flexible PTO policy with office closures for major Jewish holidays and US holidays. We close the weeks of Thanksgiving, Passover and Winter Break.
• A commitment to a positive and collaborative staff culture.