Director of Development, The Aleph Institute

The Aleph Institute seeks a proven, dynamic, and growth-minded leader to become its National Director of Development, who will develop and lead a multi-channel approach that will increase Aleph’s annual revenue and ensure Aleph is able to sustain and enhance excellence in programs and services. This person will also engage directly in fundraising efforts and meetings around the country (travel provided) within his or her own network of philanthropists, as well as within the network that Aleph has already developed. This person should be deeply familiar with the orthodox Jewish community and culture. This is a unique opportunity to play a leadership role in a vital national organization providing services to an often-overlooked segment of the community. The successful candidate will have significant fundraising leadership experience with demonstrated success in development planning, building capacity, and increasing revenue, as well as experience developing and maintaining productive working relationships with board members, partners, and colleagues. Additionally, the National Director should have excellent verbal and written communication skills to be able to convey the mission, core values, and purpose of Aleph clearly and persuasively.

The National Director will have broad flexibility to implement a strategic development plan that suits the unique needs, and leverages the existing strengths, of the organization. The National Director will envision and plan Aleph’s fundraising direction over several years, working with executive leadership to support planned growth of programs and services. They will both plan to maximize the development opportunities Aleph has already secured – such as long-running local events, strong major gifts relationships, and an online-based national fundraiser – as well as identify new areas of untapped potential.

As a member of the senior management team, the National Director will possess exceptional planning and management skills and must be a skillful staff leader, effective in recruiting, supervising, and mentoring a diverse development staff.

Responsibilities
• Travel for meetings and fundraise around the country
• Implement systems for monitoring annual campaign donor retention and lifetime value
• Establish and oversee donor loyalty initiatives
• Review portfolios for major gifts officers and help plan national major gifts strategies
• Participate in monthly planning sessions for each major gifts officer
• Participate in planning special campaigns for each branch, ensuring the annual campaign is not negatively impacted, special campaigns are coordinated across the entire organization, and available resources are allocated appropriately
• Report regularly to executive leadership on fundraising progress and planning
• Work closely with the management team to coordinate other aspects of Aleph’s work including operations and programming
• Coordinate closely with marketing and communications to plan and produce messaging and materials to support development
• Create and implement regular training opportunities for all individuals involved in fundraising
• Ensure Development team members have adequate support and tools
• Maintain a flexible leadership style that empowers staff through active communication and delegation, and promotes intra- and inter-departmental teamwork
Qualifications
This position requires a talented, entrepreneurial advancement professional with a strong conceptual understanding of Aleph’s mission and impact. For this critical role, the leadership seeks a seasoned professional who is capable of quickly orienting to Aleph’s fundraising success to date and assessing the challenges it faces, able to provide guidance and direction at both the national and branch levels, and understand the vision of Aleph’s executive leadership and can create a realistic strategic development plan to support their goals. The National Director of Development must be a persuasive communicator and an excellent team player and builder. S/he must have a clear and authentic commitment to the mission and strategic goals of Aleph and be able to inspire and lead development staff at all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated success in setting and executing a fundraising strategy that includes a multi-faceted annual campaign as well as special campaign projects.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and not afraid to take risks
• Strong leadership, management, and supervision skills that include the ability to motivate, influence, and hold the team accountable to high standards and goals.
• Collaborative, team-driven nature with the ability to partner internally with cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional reasoning, problem-solving, and analytical skills, including an ability to translate ideas and concepts into clear actionable items.
• Excellent attention to detail, responsiveness, and creative problem-solving skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an emphasis on the ability to persuade and influence others around ideas, decisions, and financial support.
• Deep understanding of the North American Jewish philanthropic landscape, and specifically the New York Orthodox Jewish community’s benefactors, and demonstrated commitment to Aleph’s mission.
• Skilled at multi-tasking; able to organize, prioritize and execute responsibilities in the face of conflicting priorities or unexpected situations; and a high level of discretion.
• Willingness to travel nationally.
• A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree is desirable.