The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) seeks a highly skilled, experienced, and results-oriented development professional for the role of Associate Director of Individual Giving. Reporting to the Director of Development and working closely with The Museum’s Executive Director, this position is a key member of The CJM’s Development department, which presently raises approximately $4 million annually.

The Associate Director of Individual Giving focus will be on providing strategic leadership in cultivating and soliciting individual donors to grow unrestricted support for The Museum, while promoting opportunities for targeted funding of particular exhibitions, programs, and initiatives. The individual in this role will be responsible the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors and prospects capable of making annual gifts of $10,000 or more, as well as re-engaging lapsed donors. The Associate Director of Individual Giving will also work strategically with relevant team members to grow and upgrade The CJM's Circle of Friends level donors ($1,000–$10,000) and engage them in our work.

The successful individual in this role has talent in identifying and cultivating new donors, strong interpersonal and organizational skills, and the ability to work cross-functionally with various departments to build strategic fundraising plans and solicitations. In addition, for all positions, The Museum expects prospective employees to have an interest in and commitment to the mission and core values of The CJM, including its beliefs in anti-racism, diversity, equity, access, and inclusion.

Individual and major gifts

• Develop and manage The CJM’s major gifts strategy, and update or recommend new components to The Museum’s major gifts program 
• Responsible for cultivating new major gifts prospects and building and managing a portfolio of at least seventy-five major donors and prospects capable of giving $10,000 or more annually
• Develop appropriate stewardship and solicitation strategies for a target group of donors, including existing donors not yet giving at this level
• Develop long-term fundraising goals for the growth of major gifts support, along with specific action plans and strategies for growth in achieving these goals
• Work closely with the Director of Development to manage prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of legacy giving prospects and donors
• Prepare and position the Executive Director and Board of Trustees and/or volunteers for successful solicitation meetings and calls with major donors
• Track and document major gifts prospecting, fundraising, and commitment activity with an eye toward continual growth and improvement, including monitoring major gifts program ROI and retention rates and developing tracking reports as needed using the donor database

Collaboration

• Integrate the major gifts program with other fundraising goals and strategic initiatives of the Development department
• Collaborate with Development team members and internal partners to create written proposals, reports, correspondence, and fundraising materials to support major solicitations and funder appeals
• In concert with Development department colleagues, coordinate moves management fundraising processes across individual donors and prospects
• Liaise with the Marketing and Communications team on strategic member and donor communications, ensuring mailings and electronic solicitations integrate with CJM external communications priorities and voice

Stewardship

• Steward, support, and communicate with major donors to maintain and upgrade their giving
• Work closely with the Director of Development to ensure appropriate donor recognition
• Collaborate with events professionals and Director of Public Programs to design and coordinate stewardship and cultivation activities for major donors and prospects

Other responsibilities

• Represent The CJM by attendance at Museum events, including exhibition openings, donor benefit, cultivation, and fundraising events
• Represent The CJM in the Jewish and arts communities
• Build knowledge of Museum programs and strategic priorities to effectively communicate with Trustees, donors, prospects, partners, and others

Education and experience

• Bachelor of Arts or Science degree
• Minimum five years' Development experience; major gifts experience essential and campaign experience strongly preferred
• Experience in the arts, non-profit, or Jewish cultural field a plus
• Exceptional communication skills; articulate with proven ability to write effectively and speak persuasively
• Gifted relationship-builder, with the skills and agility to build strong rapport with philanthropists of diverse backgrounds
• Proven track record of working effectively with volunteer leaders, including boards of directors
• Demonstrated experience with project and budget management preferred

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Strong planning, strategic, and organizational skills to effectively coordinate and prioritize workload
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Familiarity with Blackbaud’s Altru or similar donor databases
• Knowledge of prospect research processes and tools
• Proficiency to manage multiple deadlines and work with diverse groups cross-organizationally in a collaborative manner; experience with project management tools like Asana a plus
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information
• Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends

At The CJM, we value great work, and acknowledge that we find more success when our coworkers come from a variety of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet all of the qualifications for the position. Applications will be reviewed carefully by our team, and candidates will be contacted by the CJM directly if they have been selected for an interview.