Director of Development
Los Angeles, CA
About The Karsh Family Social Service Center
The Karsh Family Social Service Center (Karsh Center) is located in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles and provides essential social services to individuals and families across Los Angeles, with a special focus on the vulnerable and underserved populations of Koreatown. Embodying Jewish values to uplift and empower our community, we provide critical resources that enhance the well-being of individuals and families, regardless of background or circumstance.
By offering comprehensive support, including healthcare, legal aid, food assistance, and mental health services, Karsh Center strive to meet the diverse needs of our neighbors. Last year, the Center provided over 10,000 meals and assisted 500 families with legal aid, demonstrating its commitment to tangible community impact.
By collaborating with trusted partners like the Los Angeles Food Bank and leveraging data-driven insights, Karsh Center continually adapts its programs to provide meaningful support that addresses the evolving challenges faced by its community.
MISSION
Guided by Jewish values, the Karsh Family Social Service Center improves the lives of the underserved by providing critical and accessible social services through direct service or collaboration with other providers, while also integrating significant volunteer opportunities to create a uniquely powerful way to help repair the world.
VISION
The Karsh Center believes that, by assessing community need, collaborating with other mission-aligned service providers, providing direct services, promoting volunteerism, and analyzing results against our goals, they will systematically create and support a safety net for individuals and families who are often marginalized in society, so that they may stand with dignity and build a future in which they grow and thrive.
CORE VALUES
Community
The Karsh Center fosters a vibrant community by connecting clients, volunteers, and collaborators. Its goal is to create meaningful fellowship among everyone involved. Through accessible support programs, they empower clients, engage volunteers, and work closely with community partners, all with a commitment to shared growth and mutual understanding. Together, they’re building a supportive network that enhances each person’s experience and contributes to a resilient, unified community.
Innovation
The Karsh Center is committed to creating transformative solutions for complex community challenges. By embracing innovative methods and creative ideas, it strives to develop impactful approaches that not only address immediate needs but also foster long-term positive change. Karsh’s focus on innovation allows the organization to evolve as an organization, continually improving its services to better serve the community.
Service
The Karsh Center is devoted to making a positive impact by fostering opportunities for meaningful volunteer engagement. Through committed action and community support, Karsh works together to create a future where individuals can grow and thrive. Its mission is to help repair the world by empowering people to contribute in ways that make a lasting difference in its shared community.
Respect for the Individual
The Karsh Center honors and respects the individuality of every person by recognizing and appreciating their feelings, wishes, rights, and cultural diversity. Karsh Center’s commitment to respect fosters an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and understood, strengthening community connections.
PROGRAMS
Child and Parent Well-Being. Karsh Center recognizes that the well-being of children is deeply connected to the support and resources available to their parents and caretakers. Child and Parent Well-Being programs are designed to empower parents and caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to nurture their children’s physical, emotional, and educational growth. By offering a holistic approach that starts with prenatal care and extends through various stages of childhood, Karsh aims to build strong, resilient families equipped to thrive in their communities.
Food and Nutritional Security. The Karsh Center is committed to promoting food security and ensuring that everyone in its community has access to nutritious, sufficient food to lead healthy and active lives. They understand that food is a foundational need, and its programs are designed to alleviate food insecurity for individuals and families facing economic hardship. By offering direct food assistance and educational resources, Karsh aims to empower community members with both immediate support and long-lasting impact. Services include:
Food Pantry. Individuals are able to visit the food pantry to receive a grocery bag prepared with items including protein, beans, grains, vegetables, fruit, and miscellaneous items.
Karsh Mobile. The Karsh Center delivers grocery bags and other essentials to individuals who have limited mobility or are homebound. This may include individuals with disabilities, caregivers with children younger than one year old, and seniors.
Nutrition Education. The Karsh Center collaborates with FEAST to provide nutrition education to the community. FEAST offers a 16-week wellness program and an 8-week family wellness program that focuses on education, access, and connection. These programs incorporate food education (including nutrition information, recipes, and cooking demonstrations), access to fresh whole foods through a weekly grocery scholarship, and support through peer-to-peer sharing circles designed to uncover the underlying causes of current eating habits and create steps forward on the path towards a healthier life.
The Big Give. The Karsh Center’s annual Thanksgiving meal distribution was started by Wilshire Boulevard Temple in 2008. They work with a network of nonprofit organizations to make sure that all of those families and individuals they serve together in Koreatown have access to a Thanksgiving meal kit designed to feed a family of four. This event has become a vibrant and proud coming together of hundreds of volunteers, dozens of Karsh Center Collaborator organizations, and over one thousand clients and client families, whom they strive to honor and support with this special day.
Health and Wellness. The Karsh Center promotes the health and well-being of the community by offering services, connections, and support focusing on mental, social, and physical health. All flyers are in English and Spanish. Services include:
Care Coordination Program. Supports community members in achieving stability and security by helping them identify and accomplish their goals. Through the care coordination program, case managers and MSW interns can help, build a resume and find a job; apply for the Energy and Gas Assistance Fund; enroll in CalFresh; apply for urgent financial assistance; connect to other services, such as mental health; and answer general questions about resources and other support.
Vision and Dental Care. An onsite dental and vision clinic facilitated by KHEIR Clinic, a federally qualified clinic located in Koreatown. KHEIR offers comprehensive dental care for children and adults in the Center’s state-of-the-art facility. This includes cleanings, oral exams, X-rays, referrals for more extensive care, and other preventive and diagnostic services for free or at low cost. KHEIR offers comprehensive eye care, including vision testing and an eyeglass dispensing service for children and adults. Optometry services include comprehensive eye exams, retinal scans, glaucoma testing, treatments for common eye problems, vision prescriptions for corrective lenses, and referrals for more extensive eye care.
Wellness Checks. In coordination with QueensCare, Karsh provide wellness checks and preventive services for individuals who are uninsured and underinsured. QueensCare’s nurse and community health workers provide blood pressure screenings, blood sugar screenings, health education, case management, health enrollment, and referrals to services needed.
Community Services. The Karsh Center is committed to addressing the pressing needs of the Koreatown community by offering a comprehensive range of community services designed to uplift and support individuals and families. Through both on-site services and partnerships with trusted collaborator organizations, they provide resources that directly improve the quality of life for its neighbors. Community-focused programs target key areas, including access to technology, language learning, legal assistance, and essential skills development, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Community Workshops. Karsh works with many organizations in Los Angeles to host workshops that focus on current issues like housing rights, workers' rights, mental health, and much more. These workshops are held virtually and are open to the general public.
Tech Center. Karsh collaborates with Partners at Los Angeles City College (LACC) to offer free computer classes to the community. This course provides students with hands-on experience using a computer for educational, career, or personal use. Students learn basic computer components and functions, as well as common software, including office applications and web browsers.
English as a Second Language. Partnering with Los Angeles City College, Karsh Center hosts free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
Legal Consultations. The Center collaborates with Bet Tzedek to provide legal consultations to the community. All consultations are conducted by a staff attorney from Bet Tzedek. Consultations are 30 minutes and free for the community.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The Karsh Family Services Center and Karsh West are proud to offer a variety of volunteer opportunities, which grow and change in response to the needs of our clients and the communities we serve. They are grateful to the more than 500 volunteers who help serve its neighbors. The Karsh Center recognizes that it could not accomplish its mission without their generous gift of time and resources.
General On-Site Volunteer Activities. These activities are foundational to its programs and operations and help ensure that it meets their commitment to the community on a daily basis.
Preparing Diaper Bags. Bags of diapers and childcare essentials are assembled for distribution to families. Access to diapers at the Karsh Center is critical for client families.
Grocery Bag Preparation. The Karsh Center distributes between 750-900 bags of nutritious, high-quality groceries to individuals and families throughout the community experiencing hunger or food insecurity.
Karsh Mobile Food Delivery. Karsh Mobile provides food and diaper delivery to homebound individuals. Using their private vehicles, pairs of volunteers deliver these essential items directly to client’s homes.
Produce Sorting. High-quality, fresh produce is a staple of The Center’s weekly food distributions. Each client gets a bag of nonperishables as well as fresh produce for a household of four. Each week, volunteers sort hundreds of pounds of produce and assemble bags for distribution.
Food Pantry Distribution. This is the program that inspired the founding of the Karsh Center. Each week, this team of volunteers creates and distributes hundreds of bags filled with fresh produce, dry goods, and refrigerated items.
Health and Wellness Support. Monthly, in coordination with QueensCare, a walk-in clinic is provided for clients to receive basic healthcare screenings and support.
Data Entry. This is critical to continuing to understand the needs of the community, the Center’s impact, and its plans for future programs.
Driving/Pick Up Donations. Volunteers use their personal vehicles to pick up essential items, from Food Forward at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, and bring it to the Karsh Center for distribution to individuals experiencing food insecurity.
At-home Kit-Making. Perfect for families with children who are too young to volunteer on-site, and still want to help. Volunteers purchase the supplies and assemble kits at home. Projects vary but have included Super Snack Bags, Hygiene Kits, New Baby Bags, Winter Kits, Children’s Activity Kits, etc.
Volunteer Attorney. The Center hosts legal clinics in collaboration with legal services nonprofit organizations to assist the most vulnerable in the community. Attorneys, paralegals, law student, and other legal professionals generously lend their services. Karsh clients benefit from expertise in wills and advanced directives, housing and tenant rights, guardianship, elder abuse prevention, domestic violence and family law, immigration and asylum support, bankruptcy counseling, and more.
Karsh Tikkun Olan Social Service Center (Karsh West)
Located on the campus of the Resnick Family Campus of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Brentwood, Karsh West serves as an extension of the Karsh Family Social Service Center in Koreatown. It shares the mission to repair the world by integrating meaningful volunteer opportunities and Jewish values.
PROGRAMS
Karsh West offers a robust selection of programs designed to foster community involvement and provide meaningful support to those in need. From hands-on volunteering to educational gatherings, our programs align with the Karsh Center’s pillars of Child and Parent Well-Being, Community Services, Food and Nutrition Security, and Health and Wellness.
KiWi. These are Karsh West’s dedicated group of regular volunteers who support our growing volunteer program. KiWi’s are integral to helping the Karsh Tikkun Olam Social Service Center by providing much-needed program and volunteer support.
ECC Snack Bags. Karsh’s littlest volunteers make super snack bags for local collaborators, such as the UCLA Homeless Health Collective, Safe Parking LA, the V.A., the People Concern, and more.
Drop-In Volunteering. Providing a flexible volunteer experience for creating hygiene kits, snack bags, children’s kits, winter kits, or other needed items for the Westside community.
Sandwich-Making for The People Concern. Weekly, volunteers assemble 175 lunches for the local organization, The People Concern, serving those experiencing homelessness.
Lunch + Learns. This is an opportunity to break bread with other Temple members while learning about some of the good work being done on the west side with Karsh Collaborators and community educators.
Volunteer Roundtables. Held monthly, volunteers share experiences and expertise to form an even stronger, more motivated volunteer corps.
T.O. GO! (Tikkun Olam on the Go). Conducted weekly, this program allows Tikkun Olam-minded Wilshire adults to explore local organizations involved in social justice work in and around Los Angeles. These dedicated individuals volunteer at local organizations to support their mission.
Position Summary
The Director of Development position is a key part of the leadership team at the Karsh Center. The successful candidate will be a motivated, personable, organized, and driven individual who oversees the Development department.
This role, with the support of the Executive Director, is responsible for fundraising for the Karsh Center’s annual budget ($3.6M) through various development strategies and executing the development component of the Karsh Center’s strategic plan. The FY26 fundraising goal is $ 1.4 million.
Essential Job Functions
Individual Giving
- Identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospects.
- Design and manage three annual appeals.
- Coordinate ongoing stewardship for individual donors at all levels.
Institutional Giving
- Oversee the grant process and application strategy.
- Conduct site visits for potential and current institutional funders.
- Conduct corporate sponsorship prospecting, outreach, and stewardship.
- With the Director of Volunteer Engagement, conduct corporate outreach and stewardship.
Event Management
- Recruit and manage fundraising event committee(s).
- Coordinate and execute the organization’s fundraising and stewardship events.
Communications
- Oversee development communications.
- Coordinate with leadership in sharing impactful results with donors and funders.
Administration + Management
- Create and execute the annual development strategy.
- Supervise a full-time Development Associate, a part-time Grant Manager, and Development Interns as appropriate.
- Manage the Development Committee.
- Co-lead the Karsh Center Associate Board (young professionals).
- Monitor fundraising progress and prepare financial and narrative reports.
- Oversee the tracking and documentation of all gifts in Raiser’s Edge.
- With the accounting team ensure appropriate gift allocations and financial reporting.
- Coordinate with the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Advancement Committee regarding fundraising initiatives targeting Temple members.
- Execute other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Required Skills + Abilities
- Bachelor’s Degree required.
- Minimum 5 -7 years of experience in major gifts fundraising and annual campaigns.
- Knowledge of communications and fundraising best practices.
- Excellent computer skills, including knowledge of Raiser's Edge, Excel, and electronic communications (email, listserv, e-newsletters, MailChimp etc.).
- Excellent emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and written and verbal communication skills.
- Management and supervisory experience.
- Experience working with volunteer leadership, especially Boards of Trustees.
- Experience working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with an ability to handle multiple concurrent assignments and meet deadlines.
Preferred Skills + Abilities
- Event coordinating experience.
- Exposure to the Jewish non-profit community would be beneficial.
- Knowledge of the workings of other social service providers is valuable.
- Familiarity with the grant process: research, drafting, submission, and reporting.
- Experience with WordPress, Double the Donation, GiveSmart, and Hatch AI.
Reporting Relationships
The Development Director serves as a member of the leadership team and reports to the Executive Director. This role supervises a full-time Development Associate and a part-time Grants Manager, as well as occasional development interns.
Compensation + Benefits
The salary range for this position is $120,000-$126,000. The Karsh Center offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- 403 (b) Retirement Savings Plan
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
For complete details on the benefits package, please ask your Cooper Coleman representative to email the 2025 Karsh Center WBT Benefits Guide.
The Karsh Center actively reflects diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in its organizational governance, volunteer structure, clientele, and staffing, valuing all backgrounds, roles, voices, and contributions. That includes a continuous internal dialogue and understanding among leadership and staff for what equity work means in the context of the Karsh Center and the community in which we work.
As a reflection of Cooper Coleman’s commitment to equity and equal pay for all, we require that salary ranges or salary starting points be published for every search we conduct. The practice of not posting salaries perpetuates the gender and racial wage gap and discriminates against women, people of color, and other historically excluded populations by causing individuals to negotiate from a disadvantaged starting point.
Location
This position is based in Los Angeles, CA, and offers a hybrid schedule. The successful candidate must live within a reasonable driving distance of the office.
Submission Instructions (read carefully)
https://www.coopercoleman.com/ is leading this search on behalf of the Karsh Center. To apply, please visit https://apptrkr.com/6404491 (www.coopercoleman.com/current-searches). ALL expressions of interest should be made through the online application. Nominations of qualified candidates can be sent to:
Jennifer Snyder, Director of Research + Engagement
[email protected]
Kindly include Karsh Center DOD as the subject line of your email. All inquiries will be held in confidence.
This position is open until filled, but priority will be given to materials received before Monday, August 4, 2025.
A cover letter is not required with your initial application but is welcomed to help us understand your fitness for and interest in this role during our initial evaluation. Candidates invited for interviews will be asked to provide a thoughtful letter of interest indicating their specific qualifications for the opportunity, desire to join the Karsh Center, and connection to its mission.
Cooper Coleman LLC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or identity, age, ability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.
Background Checks + Credentials Verification
Before sending your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. Cooper Coleman verifies its candidates' employment and academic credentials at the time of offer, and our clients frequently conduct background checks before finalizing an offer.