BACKGROUND
The Organization
The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life, is a new model of community and cultural center designed to match the needs and spirit of the Jewish communities in Central and Northern Brooklyn. Since its inception five years ago, The Neighborhood has created hundreds of pop-up events where people can joyfully express themselves, learn together, and celebrate their individual experiences of being Jewish. Recently, The Neighborhood has secured a permanent space in Williamsburg that will serve as an artistic venue and community space designed to convene and showcase the best of Jewish life in Brooklyn and beyond.
To support the organization’s growth and vibrant programming, The Neighborhood seeks a Chief Development Officer (CDO) to lead fundraising and resource development. Under the leadership of a dynamic CEO and capable new COO, an energetic and creative team, and an intentional and active Board of Directors, The Neighborhood has begun its next chapter. The Chief Development Officer will be instrumental in actualizing the vision of The Neighborhood, creating systems to engage meaningful individual and major gifts as well as developing corporate partnerships.
The Position
The Chief Development Officer will be an experienced major gifts and campaign leader with at least seven years in major gift fundraising, including a minimum of three years in campaign leadership. The CDO will have a deep understanding of the major gift cultivation cycle, including how to message the varied programs of The Neighborhood to diverse audiences. The CDO will demonstrate leadership in research and network building required to fundraise for a growing organization.
The CDO will have managed or directed capital campaign execution and will bring a track record of building development systems. The ideal candidate will offer sophisticated CRM proficiency in Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, or an equivalent platform; persuasive written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to write a case, draft a briefing, and serve as a credible voice in donor meetings; and the capacity to work in genuine partnership with a visionary founding team. Above all, this leader will bring meticulous precision and persistent engagement to foster profound donor connectivity and institutional stewardship.
Reports to
3-year fundraising target
Year Founded
Chief Executive Officer
$11M
2019
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate for the Chief Development Officer position possesses the following competencies:
Communicates Effectively
Develops and delivers multi-modal communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
Stakeholder Focus
Builds strong stakeholder relationships and delivers targeted solutions.
Drives Results
Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances.
Interpersonal Savvy
Relates openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.
Builds Networks
Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.
Develops scalable processes, tools, and infrastructure that enable consistent execution and organizational growth.
Builds Systems
Persuades
Uses compelling arguments to gain the support and commitment of others.
ROLE OVERVIEW
Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Growth (35%)
• Conceptualize and implement the development function, building the fundraising capacity, infrastructure, and resources needed to support the organization's long-term growth and evolving strategic priorities.
• Design and execute the full capital campaign strategy including pitch materials, gift range chart, prospect pipeline, solicitation calendar, and public launch plan. Serve as the campaign's chief architect and primary relationship builder.
• Develop and maximize philanthropic opportunities associated with the organization's new facility, including major gifts, campaigns, membership programs, and donor recognition initiatives.
• Enable transformational gifts. Identify, research, and qualify gifts at the $100K+ level. Prepare the CEO and Board Members for meaningful participation in partnership meetings: develop necessary briefings, materials, strategy, and follow-through.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy encompassing major gifts, annual giving, campaigns, board engagement, donor research, prospect qualification, and stewardship.
• Expand and diversify the donor base by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding new and existing donors across individual, family, philanthropic, and sector-specific networks.
Donor Engagement & External Relations (30%)
• Build strong donor and stakeholder relationships, serving as a trusted ambassador who effectively bridges organizational culture, mission, and donor expectations while preserving authenticity through implementation of a high-touch communications cadence.
• Evaluate and strengthen fundraising events, appeals, and donor experiences to increase philanthropic outcomes, return on investment, and long-term donor engagement.
• Navigate complex donor relationships and diverse stakeholder perspectives with diplomacy, sound judgment, and a commitment to maintaining broad community support.
• Ensure all donor-facing communications, events, and engagement experiences reflect the highest standards of quality and professionalism while authentically representing The Neighborhood's mission, values, and longstanding commitment to different generations and audiences across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and other relevant NYC catchment areas.
• Represent The Neighborhood externally. Serve as an articulate, credible ambassador for its mission with donors, prospects, media, and peer institutions.
Development Operations & Infrastructure (20%)
• Establish and optimize development systems and operations, including CRM utilization, donor segmentation, prospect tracking, communications cadences, reporting, and performance management.
• Leverage audience, donor, and household data to drive targeted fundraising, relationship management, and engagement strategies.
· Engage and leverage outside consultants effectively and efficiently. Serve as day-to-day manager and thought partner for external campaign counsel, ensuring consultants’ work accelerates the CDO’s rather than duplicates it.
Culture of Philanthropy, Leadership & Partnership (15%)
• Partner closely with executive leadership and the board to strengthen fundraising performance, build development capabilities, support board engagement in philanthropy, and contribute to organizational strategy and decision-making.
• Champion a culture of philanthropy across the organization, partnering with marketing, communications, programs, and events teams to integrate fundraising, storytelling, audience engagement, and donor stewardship into all aspects of the organization's work.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration and shared ownership of fundraising outcomes, ensuring staff and board members understand and effectively contribute to relationship-building, donor engagement, and resource development efforts.
• Provide adaptable, hands-on leadership during organizational growth and transition, navigating evolving priorities, stakeholder dynamics, and complex donor relationships with diplomacy, sound judgment, and a focus on long-term sustainability.
Additional Qualifications
• Demonstrated success in development, fundraising, major gifts, or advancement leadership, ideally within the Jewish community, arts, cultural, community-based, or mission-driven organizations.
• Strong track record of leading and executing fundraising systems and infrastructure in organizations transitioning from startup-stage operations to greater organizational maturity.
• Proven ability to develop and execute fundraising strategies, including major gifts, campaigns, donor cultivation, stewardship, prospect development, and board engagement.
• Track record of successfully soliciting and cultivating donors across diverse levels of wealth, backgrounds, generations, geographies, and philanthropic interests.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage donors, board members, staff, community leaders, and external stakeholders as a trusted partner and ambassador.
• Experience working with and directing consultants to support fundraising initiatives.
• Lead with compassion and empathy; an ability to hold the elasticity of community.
• Experience leveraging CRM platforms, donor data, audience insights, and prospect research to inform fundraising strategy and communications.
• Strategic and creative approach to philanthropy, with the ability to identify new funding opportunities, donor audiences, and engagement models beyond traditional fundraising tactics.
• Comfort with operating at the intersection of community engagement, programming, marketing, communications, and fundraising to advance organizational goals.
• Ability to provide expert fundraising counsel to executive leadership and the board, bringing informed perspectives, sound judgment, and confidence in decision-making.
• High emotional intelligence, political sensitivity, and interpersonal acumen, with the ability to navigate differing viewpoints and build trust across varied constituencies.
• Collaborative, low-ego leadership style characterized by adaptability, constructive dialogue, shared ownership, and a commitment to the success of the broader organization.
• Hands-on, entrepreneurial mindset with the flexibility to thrive in a growing and evolving environment while maintaining strong organizational discipline and operational rigor.
WHO WE ARE
Work Environment
While the permanent headquarters for The Neighborhood is under renovation, the team works in-person in a downtown Brooklyn office space. Once renovations are completed, the team will work in the Williamsburg office.
Attendance at some evening and weekend events is required.
Familiarity with technology and various workflow platforms is encouraged.
Our Values
The Neighborhood’s values shape the organization’s internal culture and how The Neighborhood engages within the Brooklyn community.
The organization’s values are:
We are good neighbors. We are curious and creative. We practice sacred disagreement. We’re into being Jewish. We are Brooklyn.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary
$170,000 - $180,000
Benefits
Current benefits include:
· Tax-free health reimbursement through a QSEHRA at the IRS maximum amount (prorated for partial-year eligibility), to use toward qualifying health insurance and medical expenses of your choice
As The Neighborhood continues to grow, benefits offerings will expand.
TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS
If you would like to apply for the Chief Development Officer role, please click here. All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application.
We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply even if you do not meet all of the qualifications outlined above. If you are selected to move forward for an initial screening call, we expect you to hear from us by late October.