Director of Institutional Advancement
Orthodox Union•New York, NY
•$180,000 - $220,000
About The Position
The Orthodox Union (OU) is seeking a Director of Institutional Advancement to provide strategic and operational leadership for the organization's fundraising efforts. This role is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies, supporting major fundraising initiatives, overseeing core advancement operations, and ensuring coordination across departments. The Director will act as a strategic partner to program leadership, aiming to build Institutional Advancement into an organization-wide Fundraising Center of Excellence by establishing best practices, shared resources, performance measures, and systems to enhance fundraising effectiveness. This position involves leading and developing staff, fostering cross-organizational collaboration, and translating the OU’s priorities into measurable fundraising results.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
- Significant experience in fundraising strategy, advancement operations, nonprofit management, or a related field.
- Demonstrated success developing and executing fundraising strategies and improving fundraising operations.
- Strong knowledge of campaign planning, donor engagement, prospect development, stewardship, fundraising data, and performance measurement.
- Experience supporting multiple departments or programs within a complex organization.
- Strong leadership, project management, analytical, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Experience with fundraising databases, CRM and peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, reporting tools, and related technology.
- Ability to translate strategic priorities into actionable plans and measurable results.
- Collaborative, service-oriented leadership style with a commitment to accountability and excellence.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies aligned with organizational and departmental priorities.
- Lead the development of fundraising plans that include goals, audiences, donor pipelines, cultivation and stewardship strategies, timelines, and performance measures.
- Guide and support major fundraising initiatives, including major gifts, direct response, planned giving, corporate sponsorships, capital campaigns, and special events.
- Monitor fundraising performance, identify opportunities and challenges, and adjust strategies based on data and results.
- Ensure fundraising initiatives are coordinated across IA and program departments.
- Serve as a strategic fundraising partner to program departments, helping them assess needs, identify opportunities, and develop effective fundraising strategies.
- Ensure departments have access to the tools, data, expertise, and shared services needed to achieve their fundraising goals.
- Establish clear guidelines for determining when initiatives should be led by IA, a program department, or jointly.
- Strengthen collaboration, reduce duplication, and promote a coordinated approach to donor engagement across the organization.
- Oversee core fundraising operations, including prospect research, data services, gift processing, reporting, donor services, direct response, and campaign support.
- Establish clear workflows, service standards, responsibilities, and turnaround times.
- Partner with Finance, Data Services, IT, Marketing and Communications, and other stakeholders to improve systems, reporting, and operational processes.
- Ensure fundraising records, transactions, acknowledgments, and reports are accurate, timely, compliant, and consistently managed.
- Evaluate and improve fundraising systems, technologies, vendors, and processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
- Help build IA into an organization-wide Fundraising Center of Excellence that provides strategy, expertise, infrastructure, and support.
- Develop fundraising standards, tools, templates, policies, training, and best practices.
- Convene development professionals and program leaders to share knowledge, address common challenges, and identify collaborative opportunities.
- Establish key performance indicators, dashboards, and reporting systems to measure fundraising results and operational effectiveness.
- Prepare regular reports and presentations for the department head, senior leadership, and the Board.
- Oversee IA’s priorities, staff, and day-to-day operations.
- Lead and develop assigned staff, establishing clear expectations and accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
- Foster a service-oriented culture focused on partnership, innovation, continuous improvement, and fundraising excellence.
Benefits
- Health, Dental & Vision Insurance through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) with a generous monthly contribution towards premiums.
- Annual BeniComp stipend for reimbursement of eligible medical, pharmaceutical, dental, and vision expenses.
- Group dental and vision insurance through MetLife.
- 10 paid sick days
- 15 paid vacation days
- Paid Jewish and Federal holidays
- Short Fridays to accommodate for Sabbath observance
- Free life and disability insurance
- Discounted continuing education opportunities
- 403(b) retirement plan with a 5% employer match after 3 years (requires a minimum 2% employee contribution)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
