Director of Development

Director of Development

Sephardic Community Center

Location: Brooklyn, NY | On-Site

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

The Sephardic Community Center is a vibrant community hub serving individuals and families across generations through high-quality programs, experiences and services rooted in togetherness, tradition and community.

We are seeking a commercially minded Director of Development to build and lead a disciplined, data-driven and accountable approach to fundraising.

The mandate has two equally important parts: strengthen the strategy, infrastructure and support that enable Center Board leadership and lay leaders to successfully raise significant dollars from within our community, and build new sources of revenue from corporations, foundations, family offices, government funding, sponsorships and other opportunities.

This is both a leadership and individual contributor role. The Director will own the Center's development plan and fundraising goals, set the strategy and build the infrastructure, while also personally researching opportunities, developing proposals, managing the pipeline and participating in fundraising discussions when needed.

What You'll OwnFundraising Strategy and Growth

· Own the Center's annual and multi-year development plan and be accountable for achieving its fundraising goals, working in partnership with the CEO, Board leadership and lay leaders.

· Build and manage a disciplined fundraising pipeline from prospect identification through cultivation, solicitation, commitment and collection.

· Develop a diversified fundraising model that strengthens community giving while expanding revenue from new sources.

· Digital Acquisition & Funnel Strategy: Design, implement, and manage end-to-end digital donor funnels across email, social , and web landing pages to convert prospects into recurring contributors.

· Evaluate opportunities based on potential revenue, probability, required investment and strategic fit.

· Partner with Finance to maintain clear visibility into pledges, payments and outstanding commitments, with a specific focus on reducing the time between pledge and payment.

Board and Community Fundraising

· Build the strategy, structure, tools and accountability that enable Center Board leadership and lay leaders to successfully fundraise within the community, recognizing that these relationships are often best led by the lay leaders who hold them.

· Translate the Board's relationships and community reach into actionable fundraising plans with clear prospect ownership, strategy, asks, next steps and follow-up.

· Work closely with the Board President, CEO and other lay leadership to identify and prioritize prospects and determine the right approach and solicitor.

· Prepare Board members and other solicitors for important fundraising conversations with research, giving history, relationship context, talking points and recommended ask strategies.

· Track activity and follow-up so opportunities continue moving and commitments are converted into collections.

· Participate in and, when appropriate, lead fundraising conversations directly.

Institutional Giving and New Revenue

· Develop meaningful new revenue from corporations, foundations, family offices, government and other funding partners.

· Own the grant process from prospecting and qualification through submission, reporting and renewal.

· Identify and pursue appropriate government funding opportunities, coordinating applications, relationships, reporting and compliance with internal and external partners as needed.

· Develop stronger sponsorship opportunities around the Center's programs, events, facilities, audience and community reach.

· Work with program and organizational leaders to identify initiatives that can attract outside funding.

· Continually identify new partnerships and revenue opportunities the Center is not systematically pursuing today.

Data, Technology and Development Operations

· Establish and maintain the CRM, prospect data and reporting infrastructure needed to manage fundraising activity and provide a clear view of performance and expected revenue.

· Establish consistent processes for prospect management, gift tracking and follow-up.

· Build and manage a disciplined pledge collection process, with clear ownership, aging visibility, follow-up and escalation, with the goal of reducing the time between pledge and payment and converting commitments to cash more quickly and consistently.

· Build a consistent approach to donor stewardship and engagement that strengthens relationships, improves retention and creates opportunities for increased support over time.

· Use technology, AI and automation to improve prospect research, relationship mapping, grant discovery, reporting and productivity.

· Establish meaningful KPIs and regularly report performance, pipeline, collections, risks and opportunities to the CEO and Board leadership.

· Maintain accurate fundraising forecasts and identify early when results are behind plan.

Leadership and Partnership

· Serve as the Center's internal leader on fundraising strategy and development.

· Partner closely with the CEO, Board leadership, Finance, Marketing and program teams.

· Bring coordination and accountability to fundraising activity across the organization.

· Build strong relationships with donors, prospects and partners while understanding and respecting the culture of the Sephardic community.

· Operate comfortably as both a strategic leader and a hands-on individual contributor.

How Success Will Be Measured

The Director will maintain a clear development scorecard and regularly share performance, risks, insights and opportunities with senior leadership.

· Achievement of annual fundraising and cash collection goals.

· Growth and quality of the fundraising pipeline.

· Increased effectiveness of Board and lay leadership in raising dollars from within the community.

· Increased revenue from corporations, foundations, family offices, government, sponsorships and other new sources.

· Improved donor retention and stewardship.

· Pledge collection rate, aging of outstanding commitments, and reduction in the average time from pledge to payment.

· Fundraising performance and ROI by channel, including dollars raised and collected, pipeline conversion, retention and cost of revenue where appropriate.

· Accurate forecasting, meaningful reporting and clear accountability.

· Effective use of technology, data and AI to improve fundraising performance.

What Success Looks Like in the First Year

· Established a clear annual development plan, fundraising goals and disciplined pipeline management process.

· Strengthened the structure, preparation and accountability supporting Board and lay-led community fundraising.

· Built a meaningful pipeline of institutional, corporate, foundation, family office, sponsorship and other new revenue opportunities.

· Implemented reliable CRM, prospect tracking, forecasting and development reporting.

· Put a disciplined pledge collection process in place and measurably reduced the time between pledge and payment.

· Improved donor stewardship, follow-up and retention.

· Established clear development KPIs and a regular performance scorecard.

· Improved coordination across Development, Finance, Marketing, Programs, the CEO and Board leadership.

Who We're Looking For

We are looking for a builder: someone who can think strategically about how the Center grows fundraising revenue and is equally comfortable doing the work required to make it happen.

The right candidate is commercially minded, analytical, highly organized and comfortable being accountable for measurable financial results. They understand that successful fundraising is built on relationships, but also requires strong strategy, preparation, data and consistent follow-through.

Strong candidates will bring:

· 7+ years of relevant experience in development, fundraising, institutional advancement, partnerships, business development or a related field.

· Demonstrated success building and executing fundraising or revenue-growth strategies.

· Experience enabling Board members, senior leaders or volunteers to successfully fundraise.

· Demonstrated experience leading multi-channel digital fundraising campaigns.

· Experience with institutional giving, corporate partnerships, sponsorships, grants and major gifts.

· Strong financial and analytical skills, including pipeline management, forecasting and performance measurement.

· Strong project management and follow-through.

· Fluency with nonprofit CRM platforms such as Bloomerang, as well as data, technology, AI and modern fundraising tools.

· Strong writing, presentation and communication skills.

· Judgment and presence for significant donor and partner conversations.

· An entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to identify opportunities others may not see.

· The ability to bring structure and accountability to a relationship-driven environment.

· A willingness to personally execute, not simply manage or delegate.

Compensation

Salary range: $140,000-$160,000 annually, commensurate with experience.