The Museum
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.
As a place of memory, the Museum enables Holocaust survivors to speak through recorded testimony and draws on rich collections to illuminate Jewish history and experience. As a public history institution, it offers intellectually rigorous and engaging exhibitions, programs, and educational resources.
The Museum protects the historical record and promotes understanding of Jewish heritage. It mobilizes memory to teach the dangers of intolerance and challenges visitors—including more than 60,000 schoolchildren a year—to let the painful lessons of the past guide them to envision a world worthy of their futures. The Museum aims:
- To memorialize the six million Jewish men, women, and children who perished in the Holocaust.
- To honor the survivors of the Holocaust, by telling their stories via exhibits and educational programs.
- To educate visitors and audiences about the vibrant history and culture of the Jewish people.
- To educate visitors about antisemitism and Jewish hatred in all forms.
- To stand with the State of Israel and the Jewish people throughout the world.
A full outline of the Museum’s current exhibitions on-site, the Gerda III exhibition at The Mystic Seaport, and its memorial art installation by Andy Goldsworthy, the Garden of Stones, can be found here.
In addition to its remarkable exhibitions, the Museum boasts an exceptional education department, dedicated to educating visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. It serves as a living memorial to those who perished and a testament to the resilience of Jewish culture. The Museum’s workshops and educational programs include resources for all ages, promoting understanding and remembrance of Jewish heritage.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage is a public, American institution with strong Jewish roots. The core building’s six-sided shape and six-tiered, louvered roof, rising 85-feet in the air, are reminders of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. They are also reminiscent of the six-pointed Star of David, symbolizing the Museum’s commitment to representing Jewish life and culture as it has endured and evolved.
Purpose of the Position
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) at the Museum of Jewish Heritage is dedicated to advancing the Museum’s mission of educating diverse audiences about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The CDO is responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive fundraising strategies to ensure the financial sustainability and growth of the Museum, and for cultivating relationships with donors, key stakeholders, and philanthropic organizations. With ambitious fundraising goals on the horizon, the next CDO will play a critical role in developing the Museum’s fundraising team and furthering its best-in-class development operations.
The successful candidate will serve as the lead on all aspects of contributed income development and the tracking of both short- and long-term goals. This includes the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategic fundraising plan that integrates principal, major, and institutional donors; grants, planned giving, corporate and government partnerships, membership programs, the annual fund, special campaigns, special events, and capital projects. The CDO will launch and oversee the execution of multi-year capital and endowment campaigns to ensure the Museum’s long-term stability. They will work closely with the President and Chief Executive Officer, Board of Trustees, and senior leadership team members as ambassadors of the institution across a diverse set of stakeholders. Ultimately, the CDO’s efforts will contribute to preserving and sharing the rich heritage and history of Jewish people, ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust are remembered, and that the Museum continues to be a beacon of education.
Key Responsibilities
Executive Leadership
- Serve as a member of the President and Chief Executive Officer’s executive leadership team, representing the fundraising function across the staff and Board of Trustees.
- Build and nurture an internal and external culture of philanthropy with staff, donors, partners, and other key external stakeholders.
- Establish a fundraising strategic plan, incorporating Museum needs, programs, and initiatives to assist in the achievement of its mission.
- Partner with the President & Chief Executive Officer and Board of Trustees to establish the pipeline of future fundraising projects.
- Recruit, retain, and mentor best-in-class development staff.
- Collaborate with the Communications department to incorporate the Museum's unique culture and history into fundraising efforts.
Fundraising and External Engagement:
- Coordinate, attract, and close major gift funding support at the high six- and seven-figure level from individuals, foundations, and government entities.
- Serve as the lead solicitor of major gifts and as a strategic partner to Museum leadership in building new funding sources and building the Trustee pipeline.
- Craft a planned giving strategy, targeting impactful legacy gifts from existing and prospective donors.
- Liaise with the Board of Trustees to develop major gifts prospects and identify diverse major sources of revenue, including leading Development Committee and Nominating Committee meetings and participating in Finance Committee and general Board of Trustees meetings.
- Create and oversee a multi-year capital and endowment campaign, adjusting as needed throughout the process.
- Manage contributed income projections, development-specific expense tracking, and the respective reporting in concert with Finance.
Operational Management:
- Partner with the Curatorial Affairs department on institution needs and revenue generating opportunities.
- Collect data on department metrics to analyze and provide key takeaways and opportunities to the President and Chief Executive Officer and Board of Trustees.
- Collaborate with the Information Technology department, ensuring CRM is up-to-date and fundraising efficiencies are maximized.
The Candidate
Experience and Professional Qualifications
The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will be an accomplished fundraising professional with extensive experience in principal and major gift fundraising, capital campaign management, and staff development and oversight. They will serve as a dedicated advocate for the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s mission, assisting in enabling Holocaust survivors to speak through recorded testimony and drawing on rich collections to illuminate Jewish history and experience. The Museum seeks a charismatic and effective communicator with proven experience in cultivating, soliciting, acquiring, and stewarding prospective donors across a variety of revenue-generating methodologies. Other desired qualifications and leadership characteristics include the following:
- Ten plus (10+) years of progressive experience in advancement, with at least five years in senior development and fundraising positions, including strategic and budget planning. Ability to define a vision, set goals, and strengthen the institution’s culture of philanthropy, preferably at a cultural institution.
- Significant prior experience coordinating, attracting, and closing six- and seven-figure gifts from individuals, foundations, and government entities.
- Extensive experience designing, launching, and running successful capital and/or endowment campaigns.
- A track record of engagement across a breadth of industries and stakeholders, including the Museum community, foundations, business, and political leaders, with the proven ability to create partnerships.
- A passion for the Museum’s commitment to educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.
- Proven experience in recruiting, retaining, and managing professional staff, along with the ability to build, train, and motivate a large development team.
- Effective project management skills, including analysis, planning, prioritization, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Strong business and financial acumen coupled with high emotional intelligence.
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written), including presentation skills.
- Technological savvy and a track record of working with customer relationship management systems (Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, etc.).
- An understanding of the use of management information and metric-based systems in fundraising to identify opportunities for innovation and to effectively adapt as needed.
Education
A bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required for this position. A master’s degree in related field and/or a CFRE certification is preferred.
Hybrid Work Environment
The Museum of Jewish Heritage is in Battery Park City in Manhattan, New York City. The Chief Development Officer will be expected to be on site during the initial probationary period, the first 90 days of employment, after which the Chief Development Officer may work remotely two days per week.
The Museum employs a staff of talented, creative, results-oriented professionals, working in a spectacular setting in Lower Manhattan and committed to the vital mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.
The Museum is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds
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