Director of Development at Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis

About this role

Director of Development

Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis

Role Overview

Are you energized by cultivating meaningful relationships, planning and executing ambitious campaign strategies, and seeing the next generation of Jewish leaders in action? Are you a self-starter who thrives in a collaborative, mission-driven environment where creativity, initiative, and connection are valued? Are you excited by the opportunity to engage existing and potential donors to partner with an impactful nonprofit working to ensure a strong and vibrant Jewish future?

If so, Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU Hillel) invites you to bring your expertise and talents to our team as our Director of Development.

In this pivotal role, you will partner with our Chief Executive Officer, Campus Marketing & Development Manager, and Board leadership to design, oversee, and implement a strategic, multi-year development plan to grow WashU Hillel’s annual campaign and launch an exciting capital and endowment campaign to secure WashU Hillel’s future.

Working closely with our CEO, the Director of Development will drive all facets of WashU Hillel’s fundraising efforts. You will strengthen and grow the relationships that fuel WashU Hillel’s impact by connecting passionate donors, St. Louis Jewish community members, WashU parents and alumni, and other partners to our mission and ensure that our existing supporters, donor prospects, friends, and institutional partners feel inspired, valued, and engaged every step of the way.

WashU Hillel is the catalyst for Jewish life among college students at Washington University, connecting students with one another and with Jewish culture and traditions through a vast array of offerings. Every gift you secure and every relationship you cultivate helps us build a robust and thriving campus Jewish community that we hope inspires students to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life.

If you are passionate about making a transformative impact and ensuring a strong Jewish future, we invite you to apply.

What You’ll Do

Annual Campaign

• Create and oversee the execution of an annual campaign plan that includes Annual Fund and Major Gifts—to double WashU Hillel’s annual $1.3M budget in the next 3-4 years.

• Drive WashU Hillel’s Major Gifts program by supporting and partnering with the CEO and Board leadership on major gift cultivation, solicitation, reporting, and stewardship.

• Supervise part-time Campus Marketing & Development Manager in executing all direct mail and digital communications toward annual campaign goals from concept, drafting, and design to production (including, but not limited to, newsletters, direct mail campaigns, digital appeals such as Giving Tuesday and Hillel Global Giving Week, and WashU Hillel’s Annual Report).

• Manage and grow a portfolio of Major Gift donors and prospects (includes travel roughly 4-6x per year, subject to whether position is remote).

• Pilot new Annual Fund initiatives, strategies, and events to engage alumni, parents, and local community members.

• Coordinate donor meetings, including preparation of CEO’s donor and prospect visit briefings and itineraries.

• Oversee new donor prospect identification and cultivation.

Development Operations

• Oversee gift processing and development operations, including personalized and timely gift acknowledgment and entry in/maintenance of WashU Hillel’s donor database, ensuring development data is clean, accurate, and current.

• Maintain up-to-date development metrics for regular reporting to CEO, Development Committee, and Board of Directors.

• Forecast fundraising potential for annual budgeting process; monitor progress toward goals and manage development expenses.

Other Responsibilities

• Upon successful transition into WashU Hillel and Annual Fund growth, our goal is for the Director of Development to update and drive execution of a multi-million-dollar Capital & Endowment Campaign plan in partnership with external consulting team, CEO, Board leadership, and partners.

• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with WashU’s Office of Advancement.

• Oversee Board Development Committee in collaboration with Board Chair and CEO.

• Plan and organize development-related special events throughout the year.

• Identify foundation and grant opportunities and assist CEO or other staff in drafting proposals and reports.

• Maintain a current case statement and wish list of Hillel needs to support solicitations and grant-writing.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• Bachelor’s degree required; CFRE preferred

• Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in development including leading execution of a fundraising plan

• 3-5 years in major gift fundraising and/or demonstrated success in personally cultivating and closing major gifts

• Demonstrated knowledge of fundraising principles, best practices, and planned giving vehicles and strategies

• Exceptional relationship-builder and written and verbal communication skills with an ability to inspire donors through storytelling and data-driven impact

• Self-motivated with the ability and willingness to drive a development plan with limited development infrastructure (beyond part-time Campus Marketing & Development Manager and administrative support to assist with gift entry and donor database maintenance)

• A passion for WashU Hillel’s mission and a commitment to advancing its impact

• Familiarity with and a commitment to the Jewish community; knowledge of St. Louis, New York City, Chicagoland, Los Angeles, and/or Bay area Jewish philanthropic communities and/or university advancement a plus

• Ideally located in St. Louis, but open to remote position (New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles preferable)

What You’ll Receive

• Competitive salary in the nonprofit marketplace. The salary for this role is $100,000-$115,000.

• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, Group Supplemental Retirement Annuity (

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