DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL
Boston’s Jewish Community Day School (JCDS) provides a premier, inclusive, and pluralistic education to students in grades K-8. We cultivate knowledgeable, passionate Jewish learners with the capacity and confidence to question, listen, understand, and change the world. As we enter our 30th year serving the Boston Jewish community, JCDS is seeking an enthusiastic Director of Development and Communications to secure financial support and lead marketing efforts for our school. You will set and achieve fundraising and marketing goals, including elevating the visibility and impact of the school, and build and maintain lasting relationships with donors and foundations.
Your work to maximize philanthropic giving will enable us to provide more financial aid to families, fund capital improvements and expansion, support more robust teacher salaries, enable educational innovation, and ensure teachers stay on the cutting edge of teaching practices necessary for 21st century learning.
What you will do
You will provide leadership, set the strategy, and manage and implement the school’s development and marketing plans. Working in partnership with the Head of School, Board of Trustees, and Development Committee you will lead us to achieve our fundraising and visibility goals. Joined by our major gifts officer, your work will center on the following 3 areas:
Leadership
- Create a compelling strategy and lead the plans for sustaining and growing philanthropic revenue for the school.
- Build on and be responsible for comprehensive fundraising programs, including the annual campaign, major gifts, and special campaigns.
- Align the solicitor training program for the board and other solicitors based on the priorities of the campaign and our strategic plan.
- Manage a two-person team: the Director of Operations for Development and Communications and the Communications Associate.
Development
- Lead our grant funding, including maintaining relationships with existing foundation funders and cultivating relationships with potential funders, writing grant applications (new and renewal), searching for new foundation funding sources, and compliance reporting.
- Work with our Major Gifts Officer to further cultivate a robust pipeline of donors and manage the school’s donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship protocols, using our data system.
- Play a major role in planning and executing our signature annual fundraiser, Matters of Taste.
- Report progress to the community, keeping supporters informed on how their financial input is helping us meet the mission of JCDS. This includes including monthly reports to the Board and tailoring individual reports to donors and foundations as needed.
- Oversee a system of documentation to track donor pledges and commitments, in coordination with the finance office.
Communication
- Coordinate materials and messaging that supports the school’s value proposition and uniqueness so that it is compelling to attract and retain funders and families.
- Seek out prominent and distinctive opportunities for JCDS to garner visibility in the Jewish community and beyond.
Who you are
You are a seasoned development professional, passionate about pluralistic, values-driven, progressive Jewish education. The ideal candidate is driven, well-organized, strategic, and personable. In addition, you:
- Have a Bachelor’s degree and at least 7 years of experience in fundraising and marketing, preferably in a Jewish setting.
- Are an experienced solicitor with a proven track record in comprehensive campaigns and experience with major gifts.
- Are a strategic thinker with proven successes in using marketing strategies for successful fundraising.
- Are a proven leader and manager and can use your strong interpersonal skills for staff supervision, as well as for team collaboration and mentoring.
- Are a strong communicator, with excellent written and oral communication skills and a keen eye for detail.
- Are goal-oriented multi-tasker, able to manage both the big picture and the details while bringing multiple projects to fruition with grace, speed and flexibility.
- Have experience using and analyzing databases and development software. Experience using Raiser’s Edge and Veracross is strongly preferred.
- Have a demonstrated ability to take initiative and lead, while at the same time ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Preferred: have knowledge of the Boston Jewish philanthropic community
Details
This is a 12-month fully in-person position. You will report to the Head of School.
Annual Salary Range: $140,000-150,000 based on experience
Benefits: Health, life, and disability insurance, sick, personal, and vacation time, HSA, FSA, Dependent Care, retirement plans. Time off for all Jewish and national holidays. Early end time on Fridays.
To Apply
JCDS has hired KnightVision, LLC to coordinate this search. Go to www.knightvisioneducation.com/careers to apply for this positions. Email [email protected] with any questions.
About JCDS
JCDS cultivates knowledgeable, passionate Jewish learners with the capacity and confidence to question, listen, understand, and change the world. We partner with parents and our broader community to raise children who will move through the world with inquisitive minds borne of deep knowledge and understanding; an ethical core; a humble confidence; and a joyful Jewish spirit. JCDS graduates will build Jewish communities that embrace, engage with, and learn from their differences. They will apply their knowledge to creatively solve problems with empathy and curiosity, approaching each new challenge as an opportunity to reflect and grow. Learn more about us at www.jcdsboston.org.
Essential Functions
Ability to: walk .25 miles; sit at a desk for up to four hours at a time to perform necessary paperwork; speak over the telephone; do work using computer keyboard and monitor.