Associate Director, Major Gifts

Search for Common Ground  

In a world often divided, Search for Common Ground stands for the power of bringing diverse people together to find solutions. We work to transform the way people deal with conflict, building healthy, safe, and just societies around the world. We do this through building trust and creating collaboration opportunities for adversaries, ultimately leading to breakthroughs for peace. By meeting this moment with Search, you join a powerful global peace movement that believes that all voices should be heard and respected in shaping a better, more connected world and that a collaborative vision is essential for lasting peace. 

Search for Common Ground is the world’s largest nongovernmental peacebuilding organization and has been doing this work since 1982. We take a dynamic, unique approach by building solutions that are based on inclusion and locally-led programs. We are community leaders. We are youth activists. We are women. We are peacebuilders. Peace moves at the speed of trust, so we invest for the long haul. When we’re no longer needed, we leave, leaving behind people and institutions with the ability to manage future conflicts. 

Department Summary  

The Development team is composed of driven, collaborative, supportive, and passionate fundraising professionals who create synergies among donors, prospects, and the mission of Search for Common Ground. We bring our individual experiences and expertise to walk alongside our current and future peacemaking philanthropic community, cultivating, maximizing, and stewarding their financial resources with the needs and development of the communities we serve to stop the spread of violence. The Associate Director, who joins our effort thrives on challenges, especially creating a new major donor program and the opportunity it presents to realize the goals of an ambitious 5-year, $35 million fundraising campaign.

Position Summary  

The Associate Director, Major Gifts (West Coast), is an exciting new position, responsible for building a major donor program for the organization on the West Coast and ensuring those major donors have a positive and rewarding philanthropic experience. 

Reporting to the Director of Development, they will initially be responsible for leading major gift fundraising for our conflict resolution work in Israel and Palestine. Search’s Israel-Palestine initiative is growing at a critical time in the region. Our strategy emphasizes the significant roles of women and youth in driving social cohesion, offering a vision of empowerment, dialogue, and economic resilience as crucial components of lasting peace. 

The Associate Director will identify, cultivate, solicit, and successfully steward qualified prospects and donors at the $10,000 and above level, initially rallying Jewish American philanthropists with a goal of managing a 150+ person portfolio. 

This work and the person in this position value relationship-based fundraising and strategic year-round moves management, with an emphasis on long-term stewardship and engagement. The Associate Director position will work closely with Search board members and leadership to advance major fundraising priorities and goals and support the board/leadership’s fundraising efforts. The ideal candidate has strong knowledge of and comfort with the West Coast Jewish philanthropic community, has demonstrated leadership and success with major donor fundraising, and values the critical role of cultivating and sustaining philanthropic relationships.

The candidate can be based on the West Coast but will be required to make frequent trips to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, often on short notice.

• Identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts from individual donors, family foundations, and other  prospective high-net-worth supporters aligned with the organization's mission and values
• Build, provide leadership on, and manage a portfolio of 150+ prospects
• Create individual goals for each prospect in the portfolio based on the donor’s history of giving and  the organization’s knowledge of the prospect’s capacity  
• Develop and execute personalized cultivation and stewardship strategies, including meetings, events, and communication plans, to foster long-term relationships and maximize donor engagement
• Work closely with our CEO and Director of Development to strategically prioritize and make requests for gifts of five- and seven-figures, tailoring proposals and solicitation materials to align with individual donors' interests and philanthropic goals 
• Collaborate with the CEO and fundraising team to create compelling fundraising materials, proposals, and impact reports tailored to the interests and priorities of major donors 
• Establish a robust donor stewardship program to ensure continuous donor engagement,  recognition, and appreciation through correspondence, professional proposals, mailings, and acknowledgements 
• Conduct in-depth prospect research to identify new major gift opportunities and expand the organization's network of potential philanthropic supporters 
• Coordinate closely with program staff to stay updated on the organization's initiatives, impact, and success stories, effectively communicating the organization's programmatic achievements to donors 
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor records, donor correspondence, and gift documentation in compliance with organizational policies and procedures 
• Act as an ambassador for Search for Common Ground, representing the organization at donor-related events, conferences, and networking opportunities to promote its mission and philanthropic initiatives 

• Demonstrates a proven track record serving in a development leadership position and closing major gifts of five, six, and seven-figures from individuals and family foundations 
• Has documented experience with launching and building new fundraising campaigns  
• Demonstrates comfort  with Jewish culture and Jewish philanthropy, with an interest in conflict resolution and Israel/Palestine 
• Works collaboratively with senior managers and colleagues sharing senior expertise; builds  teams for successful implementation of projects and programs 
• Effectively influences vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and  Search's network of experts critical to the area of purview 
• Makes decisions on existing information when it may not be complete 
• Adapts to the personal style and preferences of colleagues to assess their needs and preferences;  tolerates ambiguity 
• Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search; develops program objectives, indicators, and results; and participates in strategy development for  the team
• Creates standards across functions globally within Shared Services teams with the ability to create a best fit that considers international norms and compliance while supporting an organizational culture for work 
• Overcomes obstacles, including personal biases, by following Search's ethics code in complex  situations, displayed in activities as ethical principles and values that guide professional interactions 
• Assesses risks and opportunities in a complex environment and convenes discussions to lead to a  favorable outcome 
• Establishes tools to monitor the quality of work and verification of information 
• Has knowledge of project management tools, including technology as resources, and applies delegation skills to support the development of others, as well as the building of efficiency and  reduction of stress 
• Supports employees in their efforts to achieve job goals (e.g., by providing resources, removing obstacles, acting as a buffer)
• Engages with Shared Services teams, cross-functional teams, and colleagues to produce innovative solutions
• Uses analysis (costs, benefits, risks) to manage within a global standards and best practices framework
• Guides colleagues, Shared Services teams, and cross-functional teams and direct reports toward learning resources to broaden their skill sets and understanding and continue to grow in both breadth and depth of knowledge of organizational functions, standards, and objectives
• Remains alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks, acquires relevant knowledge and skills that will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understands the safeguarding policy and procedures, and conducts yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding Policy. 

• Proven track record of successful portfolio management, campaign experience, and closing major gifts
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate complex  issues in a clear and compelling manner 
• Excellent attention to detail 
• High degree of integrity, initiative, resourcefulness, and decision-making skills 
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment, meet concurrent deadlines, organize time and priorities, and do so in collaboration with diverse stakeholders 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with donors, board members, program  staff, and other diverse stakeholders 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and experience managing donor databases and utilizing fundraising software for donor relationship management (Salesforce preferred)
• Demonstrated understanding of philanthropic trends and best practices in major gift fundraising  and donor stewardship, especially related to Jewish American philanthropy 
• Prior successful experience with a fundraising campaign
• Demonstrated experience engaging celebrities around visibility and fundraising
• An advanced degree or certification in fundraising is a plus 
• Interest in and ability to visit field offices on official Search trips, e.g., donor missions, etc. 

• BS/BA with a minimum of 11 years experience securing major gifts and cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals and philanthropic donors.

• Remote-based on the West Coast only, with preference for LA-area. The candidate must be able to travel at least 40% of the time to major cities along the United States West Coast region.

• Typically manages one or more direct reports and/or consultants and/or manages one or more functional areas.

How to Apply:  Search for Common Ground has retained S+R Consulting for recruitment support. To apply, please complete this form and in it you can attach a cover letter (no longer than two pages) and your resume. We ask that your cover letter include a high-level summary of how your experiences and skill set complement the requirements of this position. Please combine your cover letter and resume as one file in PDF form and use this subject line: “Last Name-SFCG Associate Director.” We are accepting applications on a rolling basis.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

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Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work. All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.  Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. View our code of conduct here and our privacy policy here.

Les descriptifs de pouvant ne pouvant être exhaustifs, le titulaire du poste pourra être amené à entreprendre d'autres tâches qui correspondent globalement aux responsabilités clés ci-dessus.

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Seuls les candidats invités à un entretien seront contactés. Pas d'appels téléphoniques s'il vous plaît. Veuillez consulter notre site Web www.sfcg.org pour tous les détails de notre mission.

Tous les employés de Search doivent adhérer aux valeurs de Search : Collaboration- Audace - Ténacité - Empathie - Résultats. Conformément à ces valeurs, Search fait respecter le code de conduite et les politiques connexes sur la lutte contre le harcèlement au travail, la protection contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection des enfants, les conflits d'intérêts et la lutte contre la fraude. Search s'engage à préserver les intérêts, les droits et le bien-être des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes vulnérables avec lesquels elle est en contact et à mener ses programmes et ses opérations d'une manière qui soit sûre pour les enfants, les jeunes et les adultes vulnérables.

Search for Common Ground ne fait pas et ne doit pas faire de discrimination fondée sur la race, la couleur, la religion (croyance), le sexe, l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale (ascendance), le handicap, l'état matrimonial, l'orientation sexuelle ou le statut militaire, dans aucune de ses activités ou opérations.

Consultez notre code de conduite ici et notre politique de confidentialité ici.

Dado que la descripción de funciones no puede ser exhaustiva, el titular del puesto puede tener que realizar otras tareas que coinciden en líneas generales con las responsabilidades clave mencionadas.

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Sólo se contactará con los candidatos invitados a una entrevista. Se agradece no recibir llamadas telefónicas. Consulte nuestro sitio web www.sfcg.org para conocer todos los detalles de nuestro trabajo. Todos los empleados de Search deben adherirse a los valores de la organización: Colaboración - Audacia - Tenacidad - Empatía - Resultados. De acuerdo con estos valores, Search hace cumplir el Código de Conducta y las políticas relacionadas con luchar contra el acoso en el lugar de trabajo, la protección contra la explotación y el abuso, la protección de la infancia, los conflictos de intereses y la lucha contra el fraude. Search se compromete a salvaguardar los intereses, derechos y bienestar de los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables con los que está en contacto y a llevar a cabo sus programas y operaciones de una manera que sea segura para los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables.  Search for Common Ground no discrimina ni discriminará por motivos de raza, color, religión (credo), género, expresión de género, edad, origen nacional (ascendencia), discapacidad, estado civil, orientación sexual o condición militar, en ninguna de sus actividades u operaciones. Consulte nuestro código de conducta aquí y nuestra política de privacidad aquí.