THE ORGANIZATION
 

Overview

 

Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties is one of the oldest and largest family services institutions in the United States. JFCS was founded in 1850 by immigrant pioneers who arrived in California during the Gold Rush and created an extended family to care for each other. Today, JFCS continues that extended family, serving over 80,000 people annually with the highest quality, research-based social services designed to strengthen individuals, strengthen families, and strengthen community.

 

Programs

 

JFCS is a lifeline for children, families, and older adults who are facing life transitions as well as personal crises or challenges. JFCS has over 40 programs, including dementia care for seniors, therapy for children, youth volunteer programs, and services for people with disabilities. It supports the well-being and strength of the entire community—both Jewish and non-Jewish—so that all have the opportunity to reach their full potential. JFCS’s services range from infant adoption and new baby parenting classes through senior home care and palliative care services—recognizing that at some point in life, everyone needs support to weather life's transitions and challenges. JFCS serves clients of all ages as well as individuals of all races and sexual orientations.

 

A current priority at JFCS is to increase the organization’s focus on providing direct services to and supporting communities throughout the Peninsula. While JFCS has provided a range of services on the Peninsula for over 50 years in two facilities – one in downtown Palo Alto and a second in San Mateo – much has changed: The Peninsula has become a major regional population center and its influence in the Bay Area continues to grow – both in the Jewish and broader community.

In recent years, JFCS has seen a significant demand for clinical services on the Peninsula, particularly for children. Its family resource center, “Parents Place Palo Alto” is the largest of JFCS’s Parents Place programs in the Bay Area. Comprehensive senior services, volunteer programs, and teen internship programs are also offered and well utilized.

​

 

THE POSITION

 

Over the last five years, 30 percent of JFCS’s donors have come from communities on the Peninsula. As its development program continues to grow and the demand for its services in San Mateo and northern Santa Clara counties increases, JFCS seeks an energetic, strategic, and experienced fundraiser who can strengthen and lead the organization’s philanthropy program in the Peninsula region by building the prospect pipeline and as well as relationships with the existing portfolio of donors.   

​

The Director reports to the Deputy Director of Development and serves as a key member of the development team. This position is responsible as well for the coordination of donor-relations activities targeted to JFCS’s Peninsula constituents.

 

 

Responsibilities:

​

• Serve as the senior development representative for the Peninsula, planning, implementing, and evaluating all aspects of the region’s fundraising program, including market assessment, research and planning, community relations, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship 

• Grow and develop the organization’s individual donor prospect pool. Identify, engage, and solicit individuals and families capable of making gifts of $25K+

• Align prospect interests and philanthropic goals with JFCS’s current and emerging funding priorities

• Identify opportunities to identify and to secure support for JFCS’s programs from regional institutional funders, using JFCS board and other volunteer leaders as appropriate in the engagement and solicitation process

• Leverage board and staff relationships to maximize development opportunities, including designing and executing high-level solicitations

• Serve as an ambassador of the organization to individual, corporate and foundation prospects and funders throughout the region, involving the leadership and staff of the organization as appropriate in outreach, cultivation, and solicitation activities

• Identify and work closely with volunteers, providing them with direction and support in activities that will maximize major gift fundraising

• Prepare an annual portfolio plan in consultation with the Deputy Director to review top prospect strategies

• Oversee donor stewardship efforts for prospects/donors, helping to promote a culture of gratitude among internal and external constituents

• Effectively utilize the prospect management system to record prospect/donor activity and other relevant data in a timely fashion

• Work with the annual giving, legacy giving, regional development, and special events staffs to ensure coordinated development, implementation, and evaluation of fund-raising efforts designed to sustain and build the base of donor-investors

 

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

 

​

Experience:

 

• A minimum of five years of development experience, with a strong record of raising major gifts, either as a professional fundraiser or from a combination of professional and volunteer fundraising activities  

• Experience identifying giving opportunities and thinking creatively to establish matches between donors and programs and funding priorities

• Proven ability to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospects/donors and effectively move them through the development cycle

• Demonstrated ability to recruit, engage and support volunteer leadership with their efforts in fundraising, consultation, and advocacy

• Experience in making “qualifying” calls as well as developing donor-centric cultivation and solicitation strategies

• Demonstrated ability to engage and support volunteer leadership with their efforts in fundraising, consultation, and advocacy

• Experience with developing strategic fundraising plans and budget

• Significant level of computer proficiency, including MS Office and relational databases; Raiser's Edge experience preferred

• Demonstrated success of meeting annual fundraising goals

 

Education:

​

A Bachelor’s degree is required. An advanced degree is desirable.

​

​

COMPETENCIES/ATTRIBUTES

 

The successful professional will have or be:

​

• A strong desire and willingness to be externally focused, including regularly meeting with existing donors and identifying and building relationships with new prospects

• A high level of initiative, attention to detail and strong organization skills

• Strong verbal and written communication skills  

• Strong self-motivation and ability to work as part of a collaborative team

• Skill in successfully managing multiple projects on tight deadlines and under pressure in a dynamic and open environment

• Experience interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds

• Unquestionable integrity and commitment to professional ethics, and the ability to responsibly handle sensitive and confidential information

• Ability to grasp and articulate programs in a way that meets the interests and passions of donors

• Familiarity with and/or involvement with the Bay Area Jewish community

• Able to travel regionally and undertake occasional weekend work

• A commitment to the agency’s mission, goals, and objectives

 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

 

This is a full-time, exempt position. A competitive salary and generous employee benefits package will be offered. To be considered for this position or for additional information on the opportunity, please contact or send resume to:

​

​

David N. Randall

Principal

Randall Search Associates

415 767 3814

david@randallsearchassociates.com