DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
(20 hours per week)
Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) is one of Westchester’s most prominent synagogues, and among the leading Reform Jewish congregations in the U.S. WRT is a vibrant and ever-evolving institution with a variety of religious service offerings, an innovative religious school (the Jewish Learning Lab) and a thriving Early Childhood Center.
WRT relies on membership income and tuition from its 1,000+ member households, and also seeks to increase philanthropy over-and-above membership and tuition to support the temple’s budget on an annual basis. In 2020, an emergency Inspired Giving Campaign raised over $1 million to cover extraordinary costs and reduced income during the pandemic. Ever since, our Inspired Giving Annual Fund has continued to serve as WRT’s annual appeal. WRT also solicits restricted gifts (for social impact activity, education initiatives, music and spirituality, engagement programs, community outreach, capital improvements, etc.).
In the coming year, WRT aims to increase participation in the Inspired Giving Annual Fund in the fall of 2023, hold a large [email protected] fundraising event in the spring of 2024 and introduce a formal Planned Giving program. Another important goal for WRT in the near term is to work on increasing the size of the temple’s endowment funds.
Position
The Development Director is a part-time position responsible for coordinating and facilitating the temple’s fundraising efforts. The Development Director will report to the Executive Director and will work in collaboration with the Board and the Executive Director to set annual fundraising goals. The Development Director will engage selected board members, other lay leaders, and the clergy in pursuing and achieving annual fundraising goals. This position will have a flexible schedule and the ability to work remotely, in part, but will require working some evening and weekend events. If successful, this position has the potential to expand into a more full-time role over time.
Responsibilities
- Execute and meet agreed-upon goals for the Inspired Giving Annual Fund program
- Develop and execute the [email protected] fundraising event in spring of 2024, and set the foundation for executing annual spring fundraising events for each year following
- Launch WRT’s formal Planned Giving Program
- Formalize an approach to an ongoing and sustained major gifts program
- Steward relationships with major donors, individually and through cultivation events
- Solicit gifts and participate in solicitations with clergy and lay leaders
- Train and guide lay leaders and clergy in stewardship and fundraising best practices
- Undertake prospect research, create background materials, prepare solicitors for asks
- Oversee the production of fundraising events including committee work
- Craft and produce fundraising communications, acknowledgements and recognition
- Develop proposals for restricted gifts and grants (individuals, foundations)
- In coordination with the Executive Director, prepare for and report regularly to the Board on fundraising activities
- Maintain and update the fundraising page on WRT’s website
- Utilize WRT’s new Salesforce database platform to directly track and organize fundraising recordkeeping, planning, tracking and solicitation activity
- Work with WRT administration to facilitate gift processing
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree minimum required
- 5+ years of substantive experience in fundraising, including prospective donor research, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship
- Familiarity and experience with fundraising for a Jewish organization, or with donors from the Jewish community, is important; synagogue fundraising experience is a plus
- Demonstrated excellence in organizational, managerial, and communication skills
- Team player, collaborative, self-starter and detail oriented
- Familiarity with common fundraising software; SalesForce is a plus
- Proven ability to strategize, set and meet goals
- Adept at crafting and articulating persuasive cases for support
- Marketing/external communications experience
- Successful experience in planning and executing annual fundraising events
- Successful experience in planning and executing a planned giving program
- Successful experience in planning and executing an endowment campaign
- Board engagement, cultivation, and development experience
Salary Range: $40,000-$60,000 depending on experience
WRT believes strongly that all applicants, including women and people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, should be considered fairly for employment opportunities at the temple. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and we recognize that our best candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background, or one who does not meet every single one of the qualifications listed in this job description. We would encourage you to apply, if you feel you are poised to excel at leading this important work with WRT.
To apply, send a cover letter and resume to: [email protected] Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and search will remain open until a candidate is hired. No phone inquiries, please.