Director of Development

SVARA is a traditionally radical yeshiva dedicated to the serious study of Talmud through the lens of queer experiences. SVARA’s unique pedagogy makes Talmud study in the original accessible—for the first time in Jewish history—to all who want to learn. At SVARA, everyone—queer, straight, trans, alef-bet beginners, experienced talmudists, secular, religious, Jews, non-Jews—everyone learns together in a mixed-level bet midrash that recognizes as crucial the insights of all those on the margins.

SVARA’s mission is to empower queer and trans people to expand Torah and tradition through the spiritual practice of Talmud study. Through this, SVARA envisions a future in which liberatory expressions of Judaism equip individuals and communities to realize a just and healed world.

Our yeshiva is named for a 2,000-year-old talmudic term, meaning “moral intuition.” Svara is the only source of law that can overturn even the Torah itself. SVARA’s work follows the direction of Chazal, the Rabbis of the Talmud, who were willing to make radical moves—sometimes uprooting the Torah itself—to make Judaism more meaningful, compassionate, and responsive to the human condition. When you have svara (moral intuition) and gemara (learning), you are qualified to be a player, change maker, and radical innovator in the Jewish project and the world at large.

Position

SVARA believes that the spiritual practice of Talmud study, particularly as it’s done at SVARA, shapes learners into the kind of people who are moved to, equipped to, and courageous enough to bring about a more just and equitable world. Through their strategic focus areas, SVARA supports a growing base of people for whom Talmud study is a transformative spiritual practice, a roadmap for making radical change rooted in tradition, and the grounding force behind a bet midrash-centered movement made up of leaders of the Jewish future.

SVARA’s Director of Development (DOD) is committed to secure the necessary investment of resources to achieve the organization’s strategic vision. The DOD’s scope will include designing, implementing, and evaluating all fundraising strategies relating to foundations, corporate, individual & digital supporters, including annual and legacy giving. The DOD will create and execute a development plan that details how SVARA will identify funding sources and cultivate supporters.

The DOD will also be responsible for creating and implementing an external communications and public relations plan, using social and other media, and supporting the ED on time-sensitive communications. The DOD will attract excellent volunteers to contribute their talents and meet needs identified by program leadership. The DOD will be a member of the Executive team and will be required to perform the duties and responsibilities listed below.

• Ambassadorial talent to fuel passion and understanding for the need to support SVARA’s mission.
• Successful track record of developing and executing comprehensive development plans, achieving fundraising goals, and a passion for diversifying a donor base – racially, socio-economically, etc.
• Superb interpersonal and persuasive communication skills; an ability to relate to diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community
• Confidence sharing SVARA’s work and stories with Board members, donors and community partners; experience in cultivating, closing, and stewarding gifts at every level
• Creative problem solving, decision making and strategic planning skills; a self-starter who believes in the power of community and working together to achieve goals
• Excellent project management and organizational skills, and the ability to gracefully manage tight timelines in a fast-paced working environment and multiple projects concurrently
• Demonstrated ability to build a culture of philanthropy within an organization.
• Proven ability to successfully engage major donors in stewardship events and solicitation meetings.
• Strong attention to detail, especially in getting to know individual donors, their interests and connections to the organization
• Strong management, budgeting, and reporting experience.
• Creative, strategic, and…