Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement, Southeast

Job Description

Job Description

Chaloner has partnered with the Shalom Hartman Institute on their search for a Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement, Southeast.

Mission and Philosophy

The Shalom Hartman Institute is a leading research and educational center serving Israel and world Jewry. We work to enrich the moral and spiritual life of Israel and the Jewish people, deepen the commitment to pluralism and Israel’s Jewish and democratic character, and rebuild the covenant between Israel and the Jewish world. 

Through our community of outstanding scholars and educators, the Institute develops innovative responses to the challenges of our time, cultivates a new generation of leaders and change agents, and builds transformational educational projects that help inspire a better Judaism and a better Israel for the 21st century. 

The Opportunity

The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America is making a significant strategic investment in the Southeastern United States — in particular, South Florida — as a new theater of philanthropic growth. This is an entrepreneurial opportunity to build an organizational brand presence and development operation from the ground up in one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic Jewish communities in the country. 

Miami and South Florida represent an extraordinary convergence: a rapidly expanding population of high and ultra-high net worth Jewish individuals and families, a year-round donor ecosystem anchored by a vibrant November–April season, and a community that is intellectually curious, Israel-engaged, and ripe for the kind of sophisticated, ideas-driven engagement at which Hartman excels. Our fundraising model is built on authentic relationship and intellectual engagement: curated, content-rich cultivation with serious philanthropists who care deeply about Jewish life, Israel, and ideas.

The Senior Director will lead Hartman’s presence in the region: the person who builds the brand, cultivates the donor base, curates an annual season of educational and engagement programming, and positions the Institute as a solid investment. Based in the Miami area, over time, the Senior Director will lead a team and anchor Hartman’s regional hub covering South Florida, with reach into Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, and other Southeast markets. 

Primary Responsibilities

Regional Fundraising Leadership

• Identify, qualify, cultivate, and solicit a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects ($100K–$1M+) among newly arrived and long-established Jewish communities in Miami, Boca Raton, Palm Beach, and surrounding areas.
• Develop local networks of Hartman Giving Society Supporters at the $10K+ level offering intimate learning, meaningful recognition and curated engagement with the Hartman Institute offerings.
• Conduct in-person cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation meetings with an emphasis on authentic intellectual engagement and long-term relationship building.
• Develop new individual donors, family foundations, Jewish Federations and institutional funders with minimal reliance on an existing donor base (note: Hartman has a small current list of active donors in Florida today).
• Identify and recruit new Board of Directors candidates in Miami, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach.

Programming and Engagement

• Design and execute a curated annual “Season of Ideas” suite of engagement opportunities: intimate donor salons, VIP learning experiences, private dinners, and leadership programming from November through April, featuring Hartman scholars, faculty from Israel, and local educators.
• Leverage Hartman’s local scholarly assets—including resident faculty in Miami and Boca Raton—as well as visiting scholars and senior Institute leadership (including the Institute’s presidents, who will spend significant time in Florida) to create a compelling, ongoing calendar of donor engagement.
• Build out locally-adapted Hartman offerings in Boca Raton, Palm Beach and across Miami's multiple centers of Jewish life.
• Serve as point person for all senior Hartman leadership visits to Florida, managing scheduling and donor meetings.
• Extend regional reach into Atlanta and the Carolinas during the summer months and beyond, building relationships in those communities where Hartman has nascent presence.

Team Building and Infrastructure

• Serve as the founding senior leader of Hartman’s Southeast team, with the expectation of hiring and managing a small team (program coordinator, development coordinator, and additional regional development officers) as the operation scales.
• Collaborate with Hartman’s New York-based development team, foundation relations staff, and Salesforce support infrastructure.
• Track donor engagement, pipeline development, and cultivation activity in Salesforce; comply with organizational best practices.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of direct, frontline major gift fundraising experience, with demonstrated success closing five-, six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Based in Miami with established roots in the South Florida Jewish community.
• Experience at large-scale, complex organizations with mission-driven, intellectually sophisticated programming.
• Familiarity in working with local lay leaders and board members to facilitate programming, events, strategic growth and partnerships.
• A confident, seasoned relationship-builder with senior presence and intellectual gravitas
• Proven ability to build a donor portfolio from scratch: identify prospects, initiate relationships, move cultivation forward, and close gifts without relying on an established donor base or event infrastructure.
• An entrepreneurial, self-directed style with the strategic acumen to package programs, create naming opportunities, and pitch sophisticated giving vehicles.
• Jewish literacy and genuine engagement with Jewish life, Israel, and the ideas at the heart of Hartman’s mission. The ability to hold a meaningful, nuanced conversation about the American Jewish community, emerging opportunities and challenges facing Jewish life, pluralism and democracy is essential.
• A Zionist orientation that is aligned with Hartman’s center-left, pluralist, intellectually rigorous approach to Israel and Jewish peoplehood. Comfort with complexity, nuance, and the “troubled committed.”
• Strong existing or buildable networks in the South Florida Jewish community.
• Comfort with intimate, content-driven cultivation including private dinners, salon events, one-on-one meetings, rather than gala or mass-event fundraising models.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to craft compelling proposals and donor materials independently.
• Supervisory experience; readiness to build and lead a diverse team of local talent.
• Hebrew or Spanish language proficiency would be a plus.

The Work Environment

Hartman operates as a collaborative, team-oriented culture with no bonus structure and a shared commitment to mission success. The Senior Director will have access to world-class scholarly and programmatic resources, a dedicated development infrastructure and senior leadership that is deeply invested in this role’s success.

This role requires travel: regular presence across South Florida (Miami, Boca Raton, Palm Beach); periodic visits to Southeast markets (Atlanta, Carolinas); 4–5 trips annually to Hartman’s New York office; and one trip to Israel annually to immerse in Hartman’s programs, faculty, and scholarship. Availability for evening and weekend events during the season is expected.

Compensation

Salary range: $200,000–$225,000, commensurate with experience. Hartman offers a very competitive and comprehensive benefits package.

To Apply

Interested candidates should apply by using the application form. Chaloner will review all applicants and, upon qualification, contact you to determine next steps.

Please submit a resume and cover letter. The cover letter should describe your relevant experience, your connection to Hartman’s mission, and your approach to building philanthropic relationships from scratch. 

The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.