Chief Development Officer

A Message to Our Community

The Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester is more than an institution. It is a living breathing reflection of what a community can bediverse vibrant welcoming and resilient. A place where a child takes their first steps a teen finds their voice an adult rekindles purpose and Jewish & Israel life flourishes across generations.

As we look ahead we are filled with both urgency and optimism. The future of our JCC is not about survivalits about becoming more vibrant more inclusive of all abilities and identities more Jewish and more essential than ever before. We are not just preserving a legacywe are becoming the tomorrow of JCCs.

We remain profoundly grateful to the members donors volunteers and partners who make this possible. Your work fuels impact across Early Childhood Fitness/Wellness/ Aquatics/Recreation (FWAR) Arts & Culture Jewish Life Camp Seneca Lake Camp Sisol and Active Agers (55). To sustain and grow this impact we are investing in executive-level development leadership that will steward todays donors welcome new partners and build an enduring culture of philanthropy.

Our Values

Kehillah Community
An intentional community that nurtures physical emotional and spiritual wellbeing; we foster belonging by building connections shared responsibility and common purpose.

Hachnasat Orchim Welcoming Belonging
We center the needs of every guest and member creating a true sense of home and belonging across our community center.

Chesed Compassion
Lovingkindness in action; we show care that improves wellbeing and brings warmth and joy acting to carry goodness into the world.

Kavod Honor Respect
We treat people and traditions with dignity embrace difference with a flexible mindset and cultivate authentic connections so all can be their true selves.

Shmirat HaGuf Being Our Best Selves
We honor the body as a gift promote wholeperson wellness and continually improve while celebrating and motivating one another.

Guided by these values the JCC is poised for its next chapter of service and impact.

The Opportunity

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a key member of the Executive Team who will architect and lead an integrated agencywide development strategy. The JCC operates with an annual budget of approximately $12.5M and a staff of 90 fulltime employees and 250 parttime/seasonal/contracted team members. The CDO will advance annual philanthropic revenue beyond its current $2.0M baseline while driving success of a comprehensive $5M campaign now underway. This role will professionalize best practices across programs events initiatives and capital needsensuring coordination clarity and donorcentric alignment across the organization.

The CDOs scope spans our full program portfolioincluding Early Childhood FWAR Arts & Culture Jewish Life Camp Seneca Lake (CSL) Camp Sisol and Active Agers (55)with thoughtful partnership to program Directors. Two signature programs the Ames Amzalak Rochester Jewish Film Festival and the Lane Dworkin Authors Innovators Festival; the CDO will collaborate closely with their respective Directors to design donor strategies and packages while honoring each programs leadership brand and identity.

With support from agency leadership the CDO will build the development function from the ground updefining structure roles and the interim the CDO will coordinate our current multi-hand approach with robust support from internal professionals and engaged lay leaders.

The CDO partners closely with the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team: Chief Operating Officer; Chief Creative Officer; Executive Director Camp Seneca Lake; Chief Jewish Life & Engagement Officer; Chief Human Resources Officer; and General Manager FWAR. The CDO is a visible ambassador to donors prospects foundations corporate partners and the broader Rochester community.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Develop and execute a multiyear development plan to grow unrestricted annual giving major gifts planned giving grants corporate partnerships and event-based revenue in alignment with agency priorities.
• Design and activate an endowment growth strategy (legacy/planned gifts board-restricted and true endowment) aligned to long-term sustainability and investment policy.
• Establish clear KPIs and dashboards (pipeline health donor retention and upgrade rates grant hit rate corporate revenue event ROI) and report progress to the CEO and Board.
• Serve as internal convener of a crossfunctional Development Council (program marketing finance and operations) to coordinate calendars campaigns and cases for support.

Campaign & Major Gifts

• Colead the comprehensive $5M campaign with the CEO (and committee chair) including gift table design case refinement prospect strategy solicitation plans and campaign cabinet support.
• Manage a personal portfolio of highcapacity donors and prospects; conduct discovery cultivation solicitation and stewardship with disciplined moves management.
• Design and manage recognition and naming opportunities; ensure fulfillment and enduring stewardship.

Annual Giving Membership Integration & Events

• Partner with the Directors of the Ames Amzalak Rochester Jewish Film Festival and the Lane Dworkin Authors Innovators Festival to meet strong development needs while preserving program leadership and identity; co-create sponsorship underwriting and majorgift strategies unique to each.
• Build a highperforming annual giving program (multichannel appeals midlevel donor strategy recurring monthly giving and lapseddonor reactivation) in partnership with Marketing/Communications.
• Evolve events from transactional to missionrich experiences that drive retention upgrades and pipeline growth; set goals and evaluate ROI.
• Align messaging and donor journeys with member engagement to grow participation and philanthropy.

Institutional Giving (Grants Foundations & Corporate)

• Lead foundation strategy: landscape analysis proposal development compliance and reporting.
• Grow corporate revenue (sponsorships program underwritings cause marketing) with clear benefits packages for FWAR Arts & Culture Early Childhood Family Programs and Camp Seneca Lake.

Systems Data & Operations

• Leverage Blackbaud Raisers Edge (NXT) as the system of record for philanthropy; integrate with DAXKO (building CRM) to align membership and program data for segmentation cultivation and stewardship.
• Strengthen policies and infrastructure: gift acceptance pledge management acknowledgments and audits.
• Ensure CRM integrity and analytics (e.g. Salesforce/Blackbaud or equivalent) prospect research and disciplined pipeline management.
• Partner with Finance on forecasting reconciliation and revenue recognition; ensure ethical and compliant fundraising practices.

Board Volunteers & Team Development

• Build the development team establishing structure roles (e.g. Major Gifts Annual Giving Grants Events Stewardship/Donor Relations) and performance expectations in alignment with strategy and budget.
• In the interim coordinate the current multi-hand approach with strong support from internal professionals and external lay leaders; clarify responsibilities cadences and decision rights.
• Staff the Development/Philanthropy Committee of the Board; prepare materials and progress reports.
• Recruit coach and manage a nimble development team (e.g. Major Gifts Annual Giving Grants Events and Donor Relations/Stewardship) and leverage dottedline support across departments.
• Train staff lay leaders and program directors in donorcentric best practices; equip ambassadors with cases for support and talking points.

CrossAgency Coordination & Best Practices

• Camp Seneca Lake (CSL): Work very closely with the Executive Director of Camp Seneca Lake and CSLs development team to coordinate best practices and donor journeys for a flagship program whose alumni and donor base largely reside outside the Rochester area.
• Collaborate across departmentsincluding Early Childhood FWAR Arts & Culture Jewish Life Camp Seneca Lake Camp Sisol and Active Agers (55)to prioritize opportunities and prevent overlap.
• Create a clear intake and vetting process for fundraising initiatives across departments (program pilots events capital needs) to avoid overlap and donor fatigue.
• Maintain a master development calendar institutional priority list and prospect assignment protocol.
• Ensure every appeal and event connects back to mission impact and a unified agency case.

First 30/60/90 Days: Success Milestones

First 30 Days - Listening tour with CEO Executive Team program Directors (incl. CSL) Board/Development Committee chair and top donors. - Audit current fundraising programs calendars collateral Raisers Edge NXT setup and DAXKO integration; implement quick wins (e.g. <48hour acknowledgments datahygiene fixes essential reports). - Launch the crossfunctional Development Council with a written charter meeting cadence and decision rights. - Align with CEO/COO on KPI dashboard and revenue targets; confirm campaign cabinet engagement plan.

By Day 60 - Present a unified Case for Support draft and campaign gift table; identify top50 prospects with individualized strategies. - Publish a 12month stewardship and solicitation calendar (appeals events touchpoints) including plans for the Film Festival and Authors Innovators Festival. - Outline an endowment & legacy strategy (policies bequest society concept priority prospect list). - Define interim team workflows; draft position descriptions and hiring plan for the development function. - Establish a CSL coordination protocol for alumni/outofmarket donor engagement.

By Day 90 - Conduct joint visits with the CEO and volunteers; advance 15 active solicitations and close initial leadership gifts for the comprehensive campaign. - Launch the next annual appeal with segmented messaging and RE NXT reporting; ensure event and sponsorship packages are live. - Train Directors and lay leaders on donorcentric practices; roll out the KPI dashboard and monthly pipeline reviews.

Qualifications

• 7 years of progressive fundraising experience with a strong record in major gifts and campaigns; success in six and seven-figure solicitations preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to design strategy build teams and deliver measurable revenue growth across multiple giving channels.
• Skilled relationship builder and storyteller; excellent written/oral communication presentation and facilitation skills.
• Experience partnering with Marketing/Communications to align brand campaigns and donor journeys.
• Proficiency with fundraising CRMs and analytics; commitment to datainformed decision making and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of the Rochester philanthropic landscape and/or Jewish communal life is a plus; passion for the JCC mission is essential.
• Ability to work some evenings/weekends; and occasional regional travel.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $110000$125000 commensurate with experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package and JCC membership; details provided during the interview process.
• Additional Perks: Opportunities for professional development networking and participation in Jewish communal events and conferences.

Diversity Equity & Inclusion

The JCC of Greater Rochester is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse identities backgrounds and perspectives and are committed to building an inclusive culture in which staff members and community partners can thrive.

To Apply

Please submit a resume a brief cover letter and two writing samples (e.g. a solicitation letter and a grant excerpt) to with the subject line CDO Application Your Name. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.