Development Director, The Brotherhood Synagogue

Background
The Brotherhood Synagogue, located on Gramercy Park, is the largest Jewish congregation in downtown New York City. It is an independent, progressive community -- unaffiliated with, but following, the Conservative tradition. This combination allows the Synagogue to honor the spiritual and ethical heritage of the Jewish faith and celebrate the deep commitment and wide diversity of their membership. The Brotherhood is a very special place - the beautiful, warm, and welcoming atmosphere provides a home for many synagogue activities, meaningful spaces for prayer and for celebrations, education for children of all ages, classes for adults, social outreach and other programs which support and enhance the community.

Position
The Brotherhood Synagogue is looking for a strong and accomplished fundraiser to be their new Development Director.  With revenue of $3M, an $8M endowment and an annual fund that currently raises about $750k, the Development Director will have the proven capacity to design and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy focused on the long-term sustainability of the synagogue.  The goal is to grow and expand the initiatives currently in place and include the Annual fund, major and planned gifts, foundation grants, and targeted fundraising.

A critical piece of the fundraising plan will be to engage the Brotherhood membership of 800+ families by activating their interest and encouraging greater participation in synagogue activities. The Development Director will use their exemplary relationship-building skills to connect to the Brotherhood community, foster membership, and learn from them how the synagogue leadership can better meet its needs.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Development Director will work closely with Synagogue leadership, senior staff, and the Board of Trustees. The candidate should be self-motivated, comfortable being a visible and active part of the community, and a creative generalist who can design cultivation and stewardship strategies that will bring individuals closer to the mission and goals of the Brotherhood Synagogue.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Design and execute a comprehensive development plan for the Annual Fund, Endowed Funds, Planned Giving and individual program funds, including a yearly fundraising timeline
• Oversee policy and procedure for all fundraising efforts throughout the Synagogue, including those specific to the Development office as well as Schools’ Benefit, Annual Barbeque, Homeless Shelter, programs, and classes
• Identify and research prospective major donors from existing donor base and event participants, community, foundations, Nursery School, Hebrew School, Toddler program and Tikvah Special Education program
• Together with senior leadership and the Board, execute a prospect research strategy to expand upon the existing donor base by identifying and cultivating potential donors and fund sources
• Seek out and develop relationships with congregants who may not otherwise be engaged or attend events
• Maintain and deepen donor relationships through regular communication, stewardship, and solicitation
• Locate potential grant sources and supervise the preparation of grant proposals
• Draft correspondence and acknowledgments, including pledge follow-up and tribute gifts, ensuring appropriate recording and reporting of all gifts
• Develop, manage, and expand fundraising events, as appropriate, to meet fundraising goals
• Prepare monthly fundraising reports; attend and present at monthly Board of Trustees meetings
• Establish fundraising protocol and strategies working with the Development Committee and Development chair
• Set dollar goals for fundraising in collaboration with the Budget Committee
• Write and coordinate all Development materials including but not exclusively limited to the annual fund appeal, monthly newsletter article, case statements, and web content
• Serve as a liaison to keep the Rabbi, Nursery School, Hebrew School, and Board of Trustees informed of fund-raising activities
• Meet with the various Board Committees, i.e., House, Security, Special Events, Adult Education, Israel Affairs, Social Action, and Interfaith as well as with the Synagogue Controller to determine funding needs and report to Board Committee Chairs on gifts raised for their programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree, or equivalent experience
• Minimum of five years of fundraising experience with proven success required
• Prior grant writing experience preferred, but not required
• Development experience with religious institutions is preferred, but not required
• Knowledge of New York philanthropic community required; Jewish philanthropy a plus
• Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to form strategic relationships both internally and externally
• Superior written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with staff, fostering collegiality and a positive work culture
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines
• Creative and flexible
• Availability to attend events during the day, evenings, and weekend
• Comfortable interacting with the congregation
• Familiarity with computer systems and various software packages including word processing
• Proficiency in donor management platforms, prospect research and wealth screening tools; familiarity with Shul Cloud a plus

COMPENSATION:
The salary for this position is $120,000 plus benefits.

For more information about The Brotherhood Synagogue, please visit their website at https://brotherhoodsynagogue.org

To Apply: 
The Brotherhood Synagogue has retained the services of Harris Rand Lusk to conduct this search. Inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed in confidence to:
Elly Kirschner
Senior Director
Harris Rand Lusk
260 Madison Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Email resume and cover letter describing your interest in the role to:

groose@harrisrand.com

Please write “Brotherhood” in the subject line of the email