Development Director

The United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula (UJCVP) is seeking a strategic, team-oriented and experienced Development Director to lead and grow our fundraising efforts.

About the UJCVP:
The Peninsula Jewish community is small only in its population of approximately 3,000 members, we are a vibrant, active Jewish community that does big things. Our organization is located on a community campus with two synagogues. We operate an early childhood center serving approximately 100 students, run a summer day camp, host the community Hebrew School, and provide social services and innovative and unique programming for all ages from seniors to infants. We are located in the historic area of southeastern Virginia bounded by the beautiful James and York Rivers. Our region combines the best of both worlds - stunning natural beauty and all the amenities of an urban area.

Key Responsibilities:

Annual Campaign:
Raising roughly $800,000 per year, the UJCVP’s annual campaign supports critical services and programs that sustain Jewish life in the Virginia Peninsula, Israel and worldwide. The annual campaign connects Jews of all ages to each other and to the community, provide Jewish education, provides social services, and offers meaningful ways for Jews to engage in Jewish life. As the Director of Development, you will work in partnership with the Executive Director to develop and execute a comprehensive annual campaign strategy with the goal of increasing support from prior donors and onboarding new donors.

The strategy will include:
• Design, implement, and systematize a streamlined donor relations strategy. This includes, but is not limited to donor acknowledgements, donor stewardship, and the donor experience;
• Managing the solicitation of top donors, board members, community leaders and other targeted groups through individual cultivation and stewardship undertaken by staff and volunteers;
• Recruitment, training, managing and inspiring campaign volunteers;
• Donor stewardship and recognition at all levels of the campaign;
• Executing meaningful campaign events and programs;
• Staffing campaign affinity groups such as Lions of Judah, Next Gen, Pearl Society;
• Writing all campaign collateral material including direct mail letters, phoning scripts, reports, talking points and other assignments as needed to support a successful campaign;
• Utilizing data to track trends and identify opportunities for campaign growth;

Endowment:
The UJCVP Endowment strengthen and protects the Virginia Peninsula Jewish community by building a permanent pool of charitable dollars provided by generous donors who share our vision of a strong innovative community for generations to come. With over 22 million dollars in assets distributed among donor-advised, restricted, unrestricted and custodial funds, the UJCVP Endowment builds and supports the local Jewish community. As the Director of Development, you will work in partnership with the Executive Director to:
• Cultivate relationships with fund holders and their families to facilitate their personal charitable interests and to provide a vehicle to maintain their connection to the UJCVP
• Work with donors to make planned gifts, establish Donor Advised Funds, and create Endowment Funds
• Develop regular communication with Endowment fund holders and board members highlighting their impact and giving opportunities.

Our ideal candidate for this integral role at the UJCVP meets the following criteria:
• An experienced fundraiser with a minimum of five years of experience in fundraising and development; experience in a Jewish communal organization is highly preferred;
• Successful track-record with experience making personal solicitations;
• A self-starter who is resourceful and maintains an upbeat, "can-do" attitude;
• Persuasive communicator both written and spoken, who can articulate a clear and inspiring case for giving;
• Extremely organized and focused, able to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines;
• An experienced implementer with a successful track record of executing special events;
• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with staff, donors, volunteers and constituents;
• Demonstrated ability to work with and maintain confidential information;
• Authentic personal connection to the Jewish community and familiarity with Jewish traditions;
• PC literate with strong competency in all Microsoft Office Suite programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and CRM software
• Fully vaccinated for COVID-19 within 6 weeks of the start date, with allowances for medical exemptions;
• Located in or willing to relocate to the Virginia Peninsula region.