Director of Advancement

Queens Hillel

Role Overview

Queens Hillel is seeking a strategic, relationship-driven Director of Advancement to build and lead a comprehensive fundraising program for one of the largest and most diverse Jewish student populations in the nation. Reporting directly to the Executive Director and serving on the senior leadership team, the Director of Advancement will design and execute an annual giving strategy, cultivate and steward a growing portfolio of donors, and partner closely with the Board and Executive Director to secure the resources that sustain Jewish life across the borough of Queens. This is a rare opportunity to build a development function from a position of real institutional momentum, in the run-up to Queens Hillel's 80th anniversary in 2027.

Who We Are Looking For

You are a strategic development professional who is equally comfortable in a one-on-one donor meeting, in front of a board committee, and behind the scenes building a moves-management pipeline. You have a genuine passion for Jewish campus life and the ability to translate the day-to-day work of a busy, multi-site Hillel into a compelling case for support. You are organized, self-directed, and energized by a growing organization where you can shape the development function rather than inherit one. You bring warmth, follow-through, and a collaborative spirit to your work with colleagues, lay leaders, and donors alike.

What You’ll Do

Development Strategy & Management

• Build and lead our annual development plan alongside the Executive Director, one that keeps pace with Queens Hillel's operating budget, fuels growth across our sites, and grows revenue year over year.
• Exercise daily oversight of progress toward fundraising goals and financial health.
• Oversee the annual campaign, including grassroots fundraising, direct mail, digital appeals, and the Queens Hillel Annual Report.

Donor & Stakeholder Management

• Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of donors.
• Curate a portfolio of major donors for the Executive Director.
• Build and execute stewardship plans for all donors, ensuring timely and meaningful gift acknowledgment.
• Identify, write, and manage grant proposals and reports as assigned.
• Manage donor-facing communications across email, social media, and direct outreach channels.

Board Management

• Serve as the professional staff partner to the Board's development-related committees.
• Equip board members and lay leaders with the tools to support fundraising and organizational growth, through training, engagement, and board recruitment.

Fiscal Data Management

• Work with the Director of Operations to ensure donor data, gifts, and interactions are accurately recorded in Queens Hillel's donor database and reconcile gifts and revenue with financial records.
• Serve as staff lead for alternative giving vehicles, including matching gifts, donor-advised funds, and planned giving.

Organizational Leadership

• Plan and execute donor-centric community initiatives, including Queens Hillel's 80th anniversary campaign in 2027.
• Serve on the senior leadership team and contribute to organization-wide strategy alongside the Executive Director, Managing Director, and Director of Operations.
• Represent Queens Hillel to Federation, foundation, and university partners as needed.
• Attend select evening and weekend programs, such as Shabbat dinners, student leadership training and staff retreats.

What You’ll Bring to the Job

• Bachelor's degree required; relevant graduate degree a plus.
• 6+ years of fundraising experience in higher education, Jewish communal life, or comparable nonprofit development.
• A track record of managing annual campaigns, individual solicitation, major gifts and donor stewardship
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and a natural storyteller's instinct.
• Strong proficiency in donor CRM systems, data-driven decision-making and financial oversight.
• Passion for the Jewish community, familiarity with the NYC and Queens philanthropic landscape and an understanding of the Jewish calendar and practices.
• Ability to work independently in a growing, entrepreneurial organization while staying closely aligned with senior leadership.

What You’ll Receive

• The salary range for this position is $120,000-140,000.
• Health insurance, retirement plan, Life, AD&D, and Long Term Disability insurances, generous vacation and Jewish/secular holiday time off, and parental leave.
• Paid professional development, mentorship, and participation in Hillel International's support systems. Plus, you’ll be eligible for Queens Hillel’s Talent Investment Fund which awards $2,000 yearly for additional professional development.

About Queens Hillel

Queens Hillel is the pluralistic, borough-wide home for Jewish student life across Queens, serving students at Queens College in Flushing, QCC in Bayside, St. John’s University in Holliswood and at our growing second site at 80-15 188th Street in Hollis. Queens is the most ethnically diverse county in the country, and our students reflect that: a vibrant mix of backgrounds, observance practices, and Jewish journeys. Since 1947, Queens Hillel has been building Jewish community in “the World's Borough,” and as we approach our 80th anniversary in 2027, we are investing seriously in the development infrastructure that will carry us into our next chapter.

Queens Hillel is affiliated with Hillel International. Hillel International enriches the lives of Jewish students so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world, and envisions a world where every student is inspired to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel.