THE ORGANIZATION

 

Since its founding in 1984, The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) has distinguished itself as a welcoming place where visitors connect with one another through dialogue and shared experiences with the arts. A dynamic institution, The CJM is a non-collecting museum that partners with national and international cultural institutions to present exhibitions that are both timely and relevant and represent the highest level of artistic achievement and scholarship.

 

The CJM makes the diversity of the Jewish experience relevant for a twenty-first century audience through innovative exhibitions and programs that educate, challenge, and inspire. The Museum's education programs include public tours, classes and workshops, film screenings, lectures and gallery talks, performances, teacher training, school visits, family tours and art making. It also includes a teen internship program.

In June 2008, The CJM opened a new 63,000 square-foot facility in downtown San Francisco. The museum's main building is the former Pacific Gas & Electric Jessie Street Substation, which was built in 1881 and rebuilt shortly after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Award-winning architect Daniel Libeskind designed the interior of the substation, plus a new addition that extends it and provides additional exhibition space.

Over the next year, The CJM will undertake a comprehensive and inclusive strategic planning process with input from the museum’s staff, board and volunteer groups, donors and the community. The goal of the process is to ensure a dynamic future for The CJM as a leading twenty-first century cultural museum, recognized nationally and internationally for the quality of its exhibits, programs and educational initiatives.

 

Informed by The CJM’s strategic planning process and to realize its vision for the future, the Museum plans to embark on an ambitious comprehensive campaign in 2023. The multi-year campaign will include investments in facilities and programs to make The CJM more accessible, innovative, and impactful within an inspiring community of cultural destinations in the Bay Area.

THE POSITION

 

The CJM seeks a highly skilled and experienced fundraiser for the role of Director of Major Gifts. Reporting to the Director of Development (DOD)and working closely with the Museum’s Executive Director (ED), Board of Trustees and other volunteers, the Director will be a key member of a development department that currently raises $4M+ annually.

 

The Director of Major Gifts will provide strategic leadership in cultivating and soliciting individual donors to increase unrestricted support for the Museum as well as targeted funding of exhibitions, programs, and initiatives. They will be responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding donors capable of making gifts of $10K and above and for designing strategies to re-engage lapsed donors capable of making gifts at that level. The Director will also work strategically with department colleagues to increase engagement of select Circle of Friends donors ($1K+) in the work of the Museum and cultivate them for larger gifts to the institution.

The successful individual has experience finding, qualifying and engaging new leadership-level donors. They will possess strong interpersonal and organizational skills, and the ability to work cross-functionally with other departments to build and implement strategic fundraising plans. In addition, the Museum seeks team members with an interest in and commitment to its mission and core values, including its beliefs in anti-racism, diversity, equity, access, and inclusion.

RESPONSIBILITIES

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Major and Individual Giving
 

• Oversee and strengthen The CJM’s major gifts program and strategies by establishing best practices and systems to build a robust pipeline of engaged donors/prospects capable of making gifts of $10K+

• Develop long-term fundraising goals for the growth of the major gifts program, along with specific action plans and strategies to achieve these goals

• Develop and manage a portfolio of approximately seventy-five to one hundred donors and prospects capable of making gifts of $10K+ annually

• Identify and qualify new major gift-level prospects; implement prospect research and engagement programs, working closely with the ED, DOD, board, volunteers and colleagues

• Develop engagement and solicitation strategies to upgrade Circle of Friends and other current donors capable of but not yet giving at the $10K+ level

• Working closely with the DOD, help manage prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of legacy giving prospects and donors

• Prepare and position the ED, board and volunteers for successful cultivation and solicitation calls with major donors and prospects

• Track and document major gift activity with an eye toward growth and improvement; monitoring major gift program ROI and retention rates; developing tracking reports

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Collaboration
 

• Integrate the major gifts program with other departmental goals and strategic initiatives

• Collaborate with colleagues and internal partners on written proposals, reports, correspondence, and fundraising collateral to support major giving

• In concert with department colleagues, coordinate moves management fundraising processes across individual donors and prospects

• Liaise with The CJM MarCom team on strategic donor communications, ensuring integration with CJM external communications priorities and voice

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Stewardship
 

• Steward, support, and communicate with major donors to maintain and upgrade their giving and keep them engaged with the Museum; 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 at Museum events, including exhibition openings, donor benefit, cultivation, and fundraising events

• Represent and serve as an ambassador of The CJM in the philanthropic and arts communities

• Build knowledge of CJM programs and strategic priorities to effectively communicate with Trustees, donors, prospects, partners, and others

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CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE

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The CJM encourages interest from applicants who have an appropriate combination of education, training,
skills, lived experiences and voice to execute the necessary job functions of the role. The CJM realizes that
candidates may not satisfy every requirement or meet every qualification listed.

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Education:

A Bachelor’s degree is required.

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Experience:

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• Minimum five to seven years of fundraising experience; campaign experience preferred

• Experience raising major gifts with a demonstrated ability to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors/prospects and effectively move them through the development cycle toward successful gift outcomes

• Proven record of increasing support from individuals and achieving monetary goals

• Experience building relationships with donors and funders and developing strong rapport with philanthropists of diverse backgrounds

• Proven record of working effectively with volunteer leaders, including boards of directors, and supporting them in their efforts in fundraising and advocacy

• Demonstrated experience with project and budget management preferred

 

COMPETENCIES/ATTRIBUTES

 

The successful candidate will have or be:
 

• Strong planning and organizational skills to effectively coordinate and prioritize workload

• Superior written and verbal communication skills with an ability to articulate a clear and compelling vision and lead others to implementation

• Enthusiasm for and interest in Jewish culture ahd history

• Energetic, flexible, collaborative, and proactive team member able to positively and productively design and direct both strategic and tactical initiatives

• Knowledge of prospect research processes and tools

• Proficiency in managing multiple deadlines and working collaboratively with groups cross-organizationally; experience with project management tools like Asana a plus

• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information

• Emotional intelligence and relationship-building skills

• Commitment to promoting a multicultural environment where diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are embedded into all aspects of operations

• Familiarity with Blackbaud’s Altru or similar donor databases

• Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends

 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

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A competitive salary and benefits package will be offered. To be considered for the role or for additional information about the opportunity, please send a resume and cover letter to or contact:

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David N. Randall

Principal

Randall Search Associates

415 769 4210

david@randallsearchassociates.com

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The Contemporary Jewish Museum is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry, age, marital or domestic partner status, sex, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a protected veteran, status as a qualified individual with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable Federal, State or Local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, The CJM will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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