Senior Development Officer - East Coast

JDC • New York, NY

2d • $180,000 - $250,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a bold and entrepreneurial Senior Development Officer (SDO) to serve as a front-line fundraiser representing JDC throughout the East Coast. This dynamic leader will be instrumental in driving JDC’s mission forward—pursuing strategic opportunities with tenacity, cultivating meaningful relationships, and meeting each challenge with creativity and resilience. The SDO will be responsible for stewarding a portfolio of individual and foundation donors, deepening partnerships with Jewish Federations, and identifying and engaging major gift prospects in alignment with JDC’s fundraising strategy and long-term growth priorities. This role focuses on securing significant philanthropic investments, with an emphasis on five, six, and seven-figure commitments. This is an opening for one SDO to be based in the New York Tri-State Area or Boston. We do not have multiple openings on the east coast. Thinking about applying? Frequently cited statistics show that certain applicants may hesitate to apply for positions due to a false perception that they must meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to apply if you meet a majority of the requirements. We look forward to your application.

Requirements

• 10-15+ years of professional fundraising experience including substantial experience in closing five- and six-figure gifts (and ideally seven-figure gifts).
• Fearless and resilient approach to fundraising.
• Proven success in soliciting and closing major gifts, and in building and maintaining relationships with major individual donors
• Experience raising funds for Jewish non-profits and working with donors in the Jewish community
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including an intuitive ability to understand donor motivations and speak to their values.
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills, able to inspire confidence, trust, and enthusiasm, whether one-on-one or in front of a large audience.
• Self-starter with a results-driven mindset, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Technologically fluent with donor CRM systems such as Raiser’s Edge, NXT, Salesforce, etc.
• Ability to travel locally on a regular basis, meeting with donors, Federation leadership and prospects in communities across the east coast.
• Ability to travel domestically 8-10 times and overseas 1-3 times annually.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in fundraising for overseas/global organizations.
• Experience working for a large (100+ employees) and/or complex international organization
• Familiarity with Israel and global Jewish communities
• CFRE certification
• Ability to operate computer keyboard and other office equipment
• Ability to communicate in person and over the telephone

Responsibilities

• Proactively Identify, research, engage, and cultivate a pipeline of high potential individuals, foundations, and corporate donors for new, renewed or increased ($50K - $1M+) gifts for JDC’s priority and budget programs.
• Develop and meet your individual and departmental fundraising goals and metrics
• Strengthen and deepen strategic funding relationships with key JDC stakeholders and major philanthropic partners, including select Jewish Federations.
• Cultivate relationships with lay leadership, Board members and trustees of Federations and other significant Jewish organizations.
• Develop and plan innovative donor engagement activities, ranging from intimate briefings to large scale events, travel to the field, virtual campaigns, and speaker tours.
• Represent JDC’s global impact and vision to a range of audiences, tailoring messaging to resonate with diverse philanthropic motivations and interests.
• Maintain up-to-date records of donor interactions and moves management in JDC’s CRM.
• Work closely with units across RD and the global organization to ensure alignment at all levels, including identification of donors, outreach and solicitation, identifying funding needs, communication and messaging
• Participate in special projects, cross-functional initiatives, and donor-related assignments as needed.

Benefits

• 100% paid medical and dental insurance for employee coverage
• Paid time off, including 20 vacation days, 20 sick days, 3 personal days, 10 national holidays, and up to 14 Jewish holidays depending on the Jewish calendar for any given year
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave for full-time staff who have worked with JDC for at least 1 year
• 403(b) with JDC contributions of 6.5% of salary
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), commuter benefits, and life insurance
• Learning & Development: Ongoing opportunities for professional development through workshops and trainings with our internal L&D program
• Food Perks: Bagel Thursdays and beverages/snacks in the office for on-site and hybrid employees

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed