Director, Major Gifts

American Jewish World Service
Remote, Bay Area (CA) Preferred

About America Jewish World Service (AJWS)

American Jewish World Service is the leading Jewish organization
working to fight poverty and pursue justice in Africa, Asia, Latin
America and the Caribbean. Through philanthropy and advocacy, we
respond to the most pressing issues of our time—from disasters,
genocide and hunger, to the persecution of women and minorities
worldwide. With Jewish values and a global reach, AJWS is making a
difference in millions of lives and building a more just and
equitable world.

AJWS works to advance equity and justice — from tackling
authoritarianism and the climate crisis to supporting Indigenous
communities and strengthening the leadership of women and LGBTQI+
people — by supporting social change organizations in the Global
South and advocating for U.S. and global policies protecting human
rights.

In both our international grantmaking and advocacy, AJWS focuses on
four central issues that we believe are key to securing human
rights and ending poverty:
• Humanitarian and Disaster Response
• Civil and Political Rights
• Land, Water, and Climate Justice
• Sexual Health and Rights

At AJWS we’re united by a deep belief in the human dignity of each
and every person. For some of us, that belief is anchored by
history. For others, it’s rooted in religious teachings or in the
personal relationships that shape our lives. No matter who we are
or where we’re from, everyone in the AJWS community finds sources
of inspiration to work for a better world.

Learn more about AJWS here.

The Opportunity

The Director, Major Gifts (Director) plays a critically important
role in raising the revenue that supports AJWS’s grantmaking and
advocacy. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Development
(AVP), the Director will have a portfolio of high-level donors and
supervise a team of four major gift relationship managers.

The Director works closely with the AVP, Development to create and
implement strategies to expand and diversify the donor base and
ramp up efforts to generate new gifts from individuals. Serving as a
member of the Development Division’s Senior Leadership Team, the
Director will collaborate closely with the Vice President for
Development, AVP and other divisional directors on planning,
overseeing, and executing AJWS’s major gifts program.

The Development Division at AJWS includes the following
departments: Institutional Giving, Major Gifts and Planned Giving,
Development Operations and Donor Engagement. Members of the
Division partner closely with the Communications and Marketing,
Programs, Finance and Administration, and People and Culture teams,
as well as the Executive Office and Board of Trustees, to instill a
culture of philanthropy across the organization.

The Division is responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and
soliciting donors, building a deep connection and commitment to our
work for our supporters. As part of the Development Division, the
Major Gi[s team contributes to achieving our annual fundraising
goal at the $10K+ level.

The Director’s responsibilities include, but are not limited
to:
• Manage a portfolio of high-level individual donors and prospects
($10k+ donor capacity) with an annual goal of approximately
$2.5M.
• Manage and motivate team of four major gifts relationship
managers, ensuring that they are accountable for meeting their
fundraising goals and contributing to a team culture rooted in
strong collaboration, cohesion, and a collective commitment to best
practices.
• Develop clear short-term and long-range fundraising plans that
are both realistic and ambitious, both for themselves and for the
major gifts team.
• Successfully identify prospects, funding opportunities, and
strategies that will help achieve AJWS and Divisional annual and
longer-term development goals.
• Analyze fundraising results against projections and ensure timely
and accurate reportng to internal and external
constituencies.
• Serve as an effective and persuasive spokesperson and
representative for AJWS and its mission, polices, culture, values,
and history by working effectively across teams and divisions;
enhancing AJWS’s culture of philanthropy and organizational values;
and building strong, trusting relationships and partnerships with
colleagues across the organization.

Candidate Profile

The following offers an aspirational view of the ideal candidate
profile; we encourage applications from candidates with a wide
range of experiences and backgrounds, especially those from
underrepresented groups.

Passion for the Mission
A storyteller at heart, our ideal candidate is eager for the chance
to advance AJWS’s efforts in promoting humanitarianism, human
rights, and international development. They embrace global
citizenship, appreciate community values and Jewish teaching, and
feel compelled to support a mission-driven organization with global
reach. Inspired by AJWS’s mission and impact, they see this as an
opportunity to inspire donor engagement and investment while
contributing to AJWS’s impact on a global scale.

Major Gifts Fundraising
A senior fundraising professional, the Director is highly skilled
at making ambitious asks and securing major gifts for their
organizations. They bring a record of success in identifying,
cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high net-worth donors. They
transcend transactional interactions, emphasize authentic
connections with the donor community, and bring a history of
success characterized by astute prospect identification, meticulous
cultivation, compelling solicitation, and thoughtful stewardship of
high net-worth individuals. Unafraid to make big asks, they use
their success to build and develop high-performing teams, lead by
example, and continually seek opportunities for growth, learning,
and reflection. The understand that collaboration is critical to
develop and execute sophisticated major gift fundraising campaigns
and bring significant experience with face-to-face major gift
solicitations.

Leadership and Team Management
A seasoned leader, successful candidates bring a career marked by
progressively increasing leadership responsibilities. They excel in
mentoring and coaching development professionals at all career
levels and understand how to motivate teams within a complex,
dynamic, and mission-driven nonprofit environment. They bring
significant experience leading and managing fundraising teams,
successfully guide them to achieve individual and collective
fundraising goals, and use data to drive strategy, benchmark
progress, inform decision-making, and consistently deliver timely
reporting.

Strategic Planning and Implementation
A big picture thinker, the next Director drives significant revenue
growth through innovative campaigns tailored to organizational
goals, needs, and aspirations. They excel in developing and
executing strategic major gifts fundraising strategies, collaborate
seamlessly across departments, and work effectively and respectfully
with members of the senior leadership team, including the President
and Board Members, to maximize their impact with high-level
donors.

Communication and Relationship Building
A skilled communicator and storyteller, the Director deftly
articulates funding needs in a manner that is compelling, effective,
and inspires action. They excel at building strong relationships
with donors and their networks, represent their organizations
effectively, and foster the trust necessary to drive fundraising
success and advance organizational mission. A highly proficient and
emotionally intelligent leader, they collaborate across teams and
divisions to communicate fundraising goals, progress, and victories
to cultivate an organization-wide culture of philanthropy.

Strong candidates will offer:
• Understanding of fundraising for human rights or international
causes is preferred.
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally is needed.
• Knowledge of the Jewish community is desirable; however,
individuals who align with our mission and values are strongly
encouraged to apply.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary for the role is anticipated to range from $150,000 to
$180,000, commensurate with experience. Company offers fringe
benefits, life, health, dental, disability insurance, vacation
days, 403(b) as currently offered to at-will employees and
applicable for the current salary band for the role.

Contact

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group has been exclusively
retained for this engagement, which is being led by Molly Brennan
and Malissa Brennan. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by
filling out our Talent
Profile. All inquiries are strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing
reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities.
If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need
assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected].
If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional
information regarding how to request an accommodation for the
interview process.

AJWS Additional Considerations

Black, Indigenous and People of Color; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Intersex, Trans and Gender non-conforming people; women; and
differently abled people are encouraged to apply. We also encourage
applications from people of diverse religious, spiritual and
cultural backgrounds.

As an organization committed to promoting social justice around the
world, it is essential that we incorporate a diverse, equitable and
inclusive lens into all aspects of our work at AJWS. We encourage
applicants with a global perspective and a commitment to values
around diversity, equity, and inclusion to apply.

For more information, please see AJWS’s commitment to diversity,
equity, and inclusion here:
https://ajws.org/who-we-are/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-at-ajws/

Authorization to work in the US is required.

About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group

Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s
premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since
its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on
mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right
leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable
impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs,
responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities
and around the world.

Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on
its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and
is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a
changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach,
with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in
cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of
diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the
firm’s
website.

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