Senior Development Officer - American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; JDC

Organization

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)

Senior Development Officer

New York, NY; hybrid

JDC is seeking a bold and entrepreneurial Senior Development Officer (SDO) to serve as a front‑line fundraiser representing JDC throughout the East Coast. This dynamic leader will be instrumental in driving JDC’s mission forward—pursuing strategic opportunities with tenacity, cultivating meaningful relationships, and meeting each challenge with creativity and resilience. The SDO will be responsible for stewarding a portfolio of individual and foundation donors, deepening partnerships with Jewish Federations, and identifying and engaging major gift prospects in alignment with JDC’s fundraising strategy and long‑term growth priorities.

This role focuses on securing significant philanthropic investments, with an emphasis on five, six and seven‑figure commitments.

• Proactively identify, research, engage, and cultivate a pipeline of high‑potential individuals, foundations, and corporate donors for new, renewed or increased ($50K - $1M+) gifts.
• Develop and meet individual and departmental fundraising goals and metrics.
• Strengthen and deepen strategic funding relationships with key JDC stakeholders and major philanthropic partners, including select Jewish Federations. Cultivate relationships with lay leadership, Board members and trustees of Federations and other significant Jewish organizations.
• Develop and plan innovative donor engagement opportunities, including intimate briefings, large‑scale events, field visits, virtual campaigns, and speaker tours. Represent JDC’s global impact and vision to a range of audiences, tailoring messaging to resonate with diverse philanthropic motivations and interests.
• Maintain up‑to‑date records of donor interactions and moves management in JDC’s CRM.
• Work closely with units across RD and the global organization to ensure alignment at all levels, including identification of donors, outreach and solicitation, identifying funding needs, communication and messaging.
• Participate in special projects, cross‑functional initiatives, and donor‑related assignments as needed.

• 8 – 15+ years of professional experience and a verifiable track record of fundraising success at the five‑ and six‑figure gift level; experience with closing gifts at the seven‑figure level preferred.
• Fearless and resilient approach to fundraising. Proven success in building and maintaining relationships with major individual donors.
• Experience raising funds for Jewish non‑profits and working with donors in the Jewish community.
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including an intuitive ability to understand donor motivations and speak to their values.
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills, able to inspire confidence, trust, and enthusiasm, whether one‑on‑one or in front of a large audience.
• Self‑starter with a results‑driven mindset, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Experience in fundraising for overseas/global organizations.
• Experience working for a large (100+ employees) and/or complex international organization.
• Familiarity with Israel and global Jewish communities.
• Technologically fluent with donor CRM systems such as Raiser's Edge, NXT, Salesforce, etc.
• Ability to travel locally on a regular basis, meeting with donors, Federation leadership and prospects in communities across the east coast. Ability to travel domestically 8-10 times and overseas 1-3 times annually.
• Ability to use standard office equipment and communicate effectively in person and by telephone.

• Anticipated salary is $180K-$250K; in determining where a candidate falls in that range JDC considers several factors, including skills and experience, internal equity, and cost of living in location of work.
• Excellent benefits package, including but not limited to:
  • Competitive medical, vision and dental insurance coverage.
  • Paid time off, including 20 vacation days, 20 sick days, 3 personal days, 10 national holidays, and up to 14 Jewish holidays depending on the…