Temple Isaiah | Director of Philanthropy | Lexington, MA (Hybrid)
About Temple Isaiah
Temple Isaiah is a diverse and welcoming community, committed to building connection, lifelong learning, personal growth, and action inspired by Judaism.
For more than 60 years, Temple Isaiah has been a thriving and relevant presence in the Jewish community. Even before the pandemic, big societal shifts were being felt across the American Jewish landscape. From changing demographics and the location of Jewish households to evolving perspectives on religion, it was abundantly clear that both temple life and Jewish community needed to be reimagined in response. Beginning in early 2021, Temple Isaiah invested in the creation of a congregational Vision and Strategic Plan to ensure that our community continues to thrive for decades to come.
Unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees in January 2022, the Temple’s Vision, was crafted through an 11-month process built on listening and transparency. Every congregant and staff member had opportunities to contribute and learn about the process along the way.
Financial support from the Temple Isaiah community will play a significant role in the successful achievement of this vision.
About Philanthropy at Temple Isaiah
Temple Isaiah has a healthy endowment of $19M and a growing culture of philanthropy. This culture is one component of the temple’s overarching emphasis on getting to know everyone individually, hearing their stories, and learning about their passions and concerns. This is foundational to building all types of engagement, philanthropic and otherwise. The new Director of Philanthropy (the “Director”) will build on this foundation to further educate the congregation on the importance of donations to support the current and future work of the temple, ensuring that there is a thriving community for generations to come. The more targeted goal is to increase annual giving from the 750-member households.
Congregants have the opportunity to support Temple Isaiah with annual gifts to The Isaiah Fund which has a goal of $560K for the current fiscal year (August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025) and can also direct their gifts to special restricted funds. The congregation recently completed a successful endowment campaign that raised over $10M in honor of the temple’s former Senior Rabbi, and are planning a future campaign to fund synagogue improvement projects.
About the Position
Temple Isaiah seeks an experienced philanthropic professional with a passion for nonprofit excellence to lead and grow its fundraising program. As a member of Temple Isaiah’s senior leadership team, this is a unique opportunity to create and execute fundraising strategies with a donor-centered philosophy to ensure that annual fund revenue and gifts from major donors will increase to support the temple’s mission.
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Philanthropy will work in close partnership with the Senior Rabbi, Senior Staff and lay leaders including the Vice Presidents of Philanthropy and Finance and Board President, to build relationships and secure financial support through a combination of direct solicitation of congregant gifts, managing the annual fund, growing major gifts and continuing to build a culture of philanthropy across the congregation. Temple Isaiah is fortunate to have built a strong endowment over the years. Moving forward, the Director will find new and creative ways to continue to engage those congregants who have supported the temple so generously over the years, while attracting new donors to broaden the base of support.
The Director of Philanthropy position is a hybrid position, and the Director will meet with congregants across the temple’s catchment area in person and remotely. Occasional work will be required on evenings and weekends.
Key Responsibilities
This is a hands-on role for an ambitious, creative, and growth-oriented philanthropy professional who is ready and eager to plan, manage, and lead the execution of a dynamic and highly engaged synagogue’s fundraising and philanthropic activities. The successful candidate will:
- Partner with lay leadership, the Senior Rabbi and the Director of Finance to translate the temple’s financial needs into a short and a long-term strategic philanthropic plan
- Deliver annual philanthropic goals as outlined in the annual operating plan and budget
- Manage a portfolio of 150 donors and prospects with frequent visits, donor solicitation meetings and cultivation activities
- Create a multi-level Case for Support
- Increase congregants’ financial literacy, helping them understand our need for both long-term endowment giving and short-term current use support
- Partner with staff and lay leaders to build a vision and strategy for the temple’s upcoming capital campaign
- Prepare written proposals, gift agreements, and other documents to define, secure, steward, and document major gifts
- Manage and coordinate cultivation and stewardship that includes one-on-one conversations, events, regular communications and reports, and other initiatives to engage and inform prospective donors
- Work closely with and support clergy and lay leaders with their ongoing donor engagement and gift solicitations
- Manage the gift acknowledgment process, ensuring timely and appropriate follow-up
- Creatively direct and execute other philanthropic projects as opportunities arise
Key Qualifications
- 7+ years’ experience in fundraising with demonstrated success working directly with donors and prospective donors (from community campaigns to major gifts), ideally in a dynamic and high-potential capital campaign environment
- Passionate about building relationships and meeting with donors and potential donors
- Experience working as part of a senior leadership team
- Experience in the faith-based philanthropy sector welcomed
- Successful track record executing strategy, setting priorities, managing multiple projects and working effectively under pressure to achieve individual and organizational goals
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a highly matrixed and collaborative environment, with a “can-do” willingness to roll up sleeves and get work done, from the big picture to the details
- Proven interpersonal and relationship-building skills
- Comfort working with a diverse congregation and multiple levels of donors
- Strong technology proficiency, with skills in Microsoft Office and Google Drive platforms
- Adept in database management best practices, experience with ShulCloud a plus
- Passionate about mission-driven work, interested in the work of a house of worship, and in working with a deeply engaged membership, lay leaders, and clergy
- Knowledge and understanding of Judaism and Jewish communal life preferred
Compensation:
- This is a full-time position (37 hours/week)
- The salary range is $110,000-$125,000 and will be commensurate with experience
- The comprehensive benefit package includes medical and dental insurance, a 403(b)-retirement plan, as well as vacation and paid sick time
- Temple Isaiah is closed for up to 11 federal holidays and 8 Jewish holidays and closes at 2:00 pm on Fridays. The temple is also closed between Christmas and New Years.
- Temple Isaiah is an equal opportunity employer
All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Temple Isaiah is committed to a strict policy of non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants and strives to promote equity in all areas of employment. Temple Isaiah is committed ensuring that employment decisions are made without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture, hair type, hair length, and protective hairstyles), color, religion (except as a bona fide occupational qualification or otherwise permitted for a religious organization under applicable law), sex, pregnancy or a condition related to pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, military service, application for military service, or any other status protected by applicable law.
To express interest, please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence https://apptrkr.com/5473794
For more information, please visit www.developmentguild.com.
For more information about Temple Isaiah, please visit https://www.templeisaiah.net/