Chief Development Officer     

Put yourself at the intersection of history, feminism, Judaism, and social change. Help lead a dynamic team at a nonprofit working to strengthen the voices and impact of Jewish women and gender-expansive Jews.    

The Jewish Women’s Archive (JWA) is a global organization devoted to collecting and promoting the stories and voices of Jewish women*, to ensure a more accurate historical narrative and a more inclusive future. Founded in 1996 as an innovative online archive, JWA has become the world’s largest source of information on Jewish women and has built a wide range of leadership, online, and public programs that provide education and insight and spark conversation and change.   

JWA enters its fourth decade with a new, timely strategic plan to build on its strong foundation, meet the moment, and expand its impact.    

*JWA embraces expansive understandings of Jewishness and gender. We include Jews from all backgrounds and those who are non-binary, genderqueer, or gender-questioning.   

Position Summary    

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) plays a core role in JWA’s success, leading our development efforts. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, Judith Rosenbaum, the CDO will serve as a hands-on organizational leader responsible for setting and articulating a compelling fundraising strategy and executing the day-to-day management of the organization’s fundraising activities, including individual, foundation, and legacy giving.      

The CDO will work in close partnership with the CEO and other senior staff and build relationships with Board members, foundation officers, and individual donors to raise the $2M annual operating budget and ensure JWA’s sustainability. With a new strategic plan and a significant matching grant towards the plan’s implementation, this is an exciting time to advance JWA’s momentum and impact.   

Primary Responsibilities        

• Lead all fundraising activities for JWA, including identifying and cultivating individual and institutional prospects and managing a portfolio of major donors.  

• Design and implement major donor strategy to fund annual and strategic plan campaigns, including managing events to expand stakeholder base.   

• Support the CEO’s development efforts, including designing individual donor strategies and implementing rigorous moves management.    

• Develop and, in partnership with JWA’s communications staff, execute a comprehensive strategy for donor appeals and grass-roots campaigns.   

• Manage foundation relations and craft grant proposals and reports.   

• Cultivate board members as donors and networkers; manage relevant board committees such as the development committee.    

• Expand and enhance JWA’s planned giving program.    

• Oversee management of donor database, donation processing, and acknowledgments, including partnering with the COO on refining JWA’s development infrastructure as a part of the strategic plan.    

• Drive data analysis and benchmarking against goals.    

• Serve as part of JWA’s senior leadership team.  

• Supervise the Development & Executive assistant.    

• Represent JWA with local and national stakeholders.    

Required Skills and Experience    

• At least 5 years of success in senior leadership and fundraising.  

• Proven track record of increasing an organization’s fundraising revenue and soliciting major gifts from existing and new prospects.  

• Strong commitment to and passion for the mission of JWA and the ability to articulate the importance of the organization’s work to prospective and current funders.    

• Demonstrated ability to develop, foster, and sustain donor relationships.   

• Ability to work successfully with individuals at all levels within the organization, including board members, donors, and staff.    

• Strong oral and written communicator, including grant writing experience and excellent presentation skills.    

• Strong organizational, time, and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, short-term needs, and long-term planning.   

• Fluency with digital platforms, e.g., Microsoft Suite, Google Suite, DonorPerfect (or similar CRM), grant database.   

• Ability and willingness to travel.    

• Strong attention to detail, intellectual curiosity, and receptivity to feedback.   

• A commitment to the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and passion for social justice.    

Personal Qualities and Mindset     

• Drive to achieve results: You have a track record of accomplishing ambitious goals and getting results even when there are obstacles. You set a high bar and meet it, because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to anticipate hurdles and come up with pragmatic solutions. You plan backwards and involve stakeholders appropriately. You have experience managing multiple projects and keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks.    

• Strategic thinking and implementation: You keep the big picture in mind. You are practiced at defining priorities and setting goals to help advance the organization as a whole. You also know how to execute those goals and can plan and track accordingly.    

• Hands-on mindset: You are comfortable as the primary development staff member, and excited to be involved at all levels of the fundraising process. You’re ready to roll up your sleeves and do the work.  

• Relationship-building: You enjoy working with people, collaborating with colleagues as well as maintaining strong relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders. You have the patience to think through problems and know how to build alliances and find points of collaboration even when there are competing interests.    

• Innovation and experimentation: You think outside the box and share new ideas or approaches. You welcome new information and unfamiliar ways of thinking and being. You have an entrepreneurial spirit and aren’t afraid to experiment and to learn from the process, while remaining realistic about what is feasible within a given timeframe.     

• Kindness and generosity: You recognize being a part of a larger team and the value of your coworkers. You share ideas, welcome feedback, offer assistance, and ask for help.    

• Positive attitude and sense of humor: You take your work seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously. You know when to laugh at and learn from mistakes.    

Salary, Benefits, and Location  

The salary range for this full-time position is $130,000-$150,000, commensurate with experience. The position is eligible for a generous benefits package, including health and dental insurance, life insurance, long-term and short-term disability, paid parental leave, 403(b) contribution, FSA, and QTA, paid federal and Jewish holidays, professional development funding, and hybrid work model.    

JWA’s office is located in Newton, MA, with a hybrid schedule. Candidates in the Boston and New York City areas are preferred, though we are open to remote candidates. JWA is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, LGBTQ people, and disabled people are strongly encouraged to apply.    

JWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer:    

At the Jewish Women's Archive, we are committed to creating a culture of inclusion and accountability. We honor the wisdom, insights, perspectives, and experiences of diverse viewpoints and recognize that many critical voices have been underrepresented in Jewish organizational life and nonprofit organizations as a whole for too long. We welcome applications from people of diverse religious, spiritual, and cultural backgrounds.    

We are an equal opportunity employer and recruit, hire, train, promote, compensate, and administer all personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, culture, age, creed, disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, or any other protected status.    

To apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter to the JWA website. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.