Development Associate
Location: Remote (preference for someone in the DMV or NYC area); occasional in-person meetings, as needed
Organization: Union for Reform Judaism
Employment Type: Full Time, Benefits Eligible, Exempt, MNGT
Department: Development
Reporting to: Director, Major Gifts
Start Date: As Soon As Possible
Salary Range: $55,000 - $60,000 plus competitive benefits package
Level/Salary Grade: Subject Matter Expert (Intermediate) / B
The Role
The Union for Reform Judaism's (URJ) Development team is looking for an organized and detail-oriented Development Associate to support the URJ’s fundraising efforts at large, with a unique focus on the Religious Action Center (RAC). In this role, the Development Associate will provide administrative and operational support to the Major Gifts team, with additional assistance for Institutional Giving and Grassroots initiatives as needed. This position involves close collaboration with internal partners, lay leaders, and donors to help ensure that URJ reaches its fundraising goals.
What You Will Do
Collaboration & Support: Support colleagues to streamline the process of cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting major gift donors. Craft and communicate key messaging about RAC and other initiatives to major donors, foundation representatives, URJ Board members, leadership, and alumni. Provide exceptional support to donors and prospects, ensuring a positive and engaging experience with the URJ.
Communications: Collaborate with internal program staff, lay leaders, and donors to develop tailored communication strategies for major donors. Draft personalized and mass communications (emails and letters) for donors and prospects, adjusting the message to fit the audience and context in cultivation and stewardship efforts.
Data Integrity & Analysis: Ensure accurate and effective data management to support prospecting and reporting efforts. Coordinate with the development operations team to process gifts, track acknowledgements, and facilitate reporting. Use Salesforce for project management, tracking donor interactions, opportunities, and progress. Analyze donor data to identify trends, strengths, and opportunities for growth, helping to inform fundraising strategies. Conduct research to identify and qualify potential major donor prospects.
Meetings & Events: Assist in planning and executing major donor cultivation and stewardship events designed to deepen donor commitment to the URJ. Provide necessary administrative support for these fundraising efforts, including organizing internal and external meetings and events. Manage logistics for meetings and events, such as creating invitations, agendas, reports, reminders, and follow-up emails. Provide Zoom support and other event-related assistance as needed.
Who You Are
You are highly organized, detail-oriented, and passionate about supporting fundraising efforts that support social justice initiatives. You are proactive, collaborative, and have strong communication skills with a keen eye for data management. You excel in managing donor relations, event coordination, and communications with a diverse group of stakeholders, including internal teams, donors, lay leaders, and other key partners.
Keys to Success (the must-haves)
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Collaborative Teamwork: You work effectively with colleagues, leadership, and external partners, fostering teamwork and achieving common goals. You build strong relationships with donors, board members, and other stakeholders. You are eager to learn about the broader organizational context and contribute to collaborative initiatives. You have the ability to connect people and ideas to identify and implement improvements across teams.
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Communication Skills: You are skilled at drafting clear, concise, and engaging emails, letters, and reports for various audiences (donors, lay leaders, staff). You are comfortable speaking with donors, staff, and other stakeholders both in person and virtually. You build and maintain strong relationships with a diverse group of people, including donors and colleagues.
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Data Management & Analysis: You have the ability to analyze donor data to identify trends, track progress, and adjust strategies. Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM platforms to manage donor data, track interactions, and generate reports is a plus. You have strong attention to detail in data management, communications, event planning, and reporting. You are able to conduct research to identify and qualify potential major donor prospects.
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Self-Management & Accountability: You know how to prioritize and manage your time effectively to meet goals while ensuring personal well-being. You set goals that align with organizational objectives and collaborate with management for clarity. You are able to articulate your needs and challenges, fostering a transparent and collaborative environment. You have strong organizational skills for managing invitations, agendas, reminders, and follow-up, including providing virtual event support.
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Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI): You have experience or a strong willingness to create equitable, diverse, and inclusive environments that foster a sense of belonging. You actively seek and incorporate diverse viewpoints into decision-making to promote innovation. You engage effectively with multi-racial and marginalized communities, ensuring their voices are heard and supported.
Preferred qualifications
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Experience in fundraising, donor relations, or similar development roles is preferred, particularly with major gift donors.
About Us
??Every team member at the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) plays an essential role in our mission to create a whole, just, and compassionate world. Our team is creative, thoughtful, and innovative. Each member of the team is empowered to make meaningful contributions to achieving our shared goals. Our diverse team is made up of individuals with different skills and backgrounds and every team member is willing to take risks as well as take action to develop and create big ideas for the future of the Reform Movement. While this position focuses on a particular area of work, every team member is a vital part of our overall success.
?The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) provides vision and voice to build strong communities that, together, transform the way people connect to Judaism and change the world. We acknowledge that due to racism, ableism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression, that our communities are not whole until everyone experiences a sense of belonging within the Jewish community. As the largest Jewish movement in North America, we stand for a Judaism that is inclusive and reflective of a wide range of identities and accept the responsibility of dismantling oppression both inside and outside of our communities. Through camping, youth experiences, programs, information sharing, and networking opportunities, our over 850 congregations and 14 residential camps create opportunities for our communities to enhance their capacity to build and expand community, engage in meaningful and authentic Jewish life, deepen Jewish learning, energize worship, pursue social justice and develop inspired leadership. Together, our employees and stakeholders, are creating Reform Judaism of today.?
Application Process
Apply online and include a one-page cover letter along with your resume, outlining your skills and experience and how you meet the essential functions and qualifications of the position. We look forward to hearing from you!
The URJ strives to be a welcoming and inclusive environment that acknowledges diversity as a critical strength. We promote strenuous policies and practices of equal opportunity and diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is our objective to recruit, hire, and retain the most qualified individuals including those of any race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Our equal employment philosophy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, compensation, benefits, training, promotions, transfers, job benefits, and terminations. The URJ encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+, and other often underrepresented groups.