Job Description

Chaloner has partnered with the Shalom Hartman Institute on their search for a Senior Development Officer, Israel Giving.

Mission and Philosophy

The Shalom Hartman Institute is a leading research and educational center serving Israel and world Jewry. We work to enrich the moral and spiritual life of Israel and the Jewish people, deepen the commitment to pluralism and Israel’s Jewish and democratic character, and rebuild the covenant between Israel and the Jewish world.

Through our community of outstanding scholars and educators, the Institute develops innovative responses to the challenges of our time, cultivates a new generation of leaders and change agents, and builds transformational educational projects that help inspire a better Judaism and a better Israel for the 21st century.

The Opportunity

Sixty-five percent of the Shalom Hartman Institute's work takes place in Israel. From the Hartman High Schools - one of the most significant modern orthodox Jewish educational endeavors in the country - to the Institute's deep portfolio of programs for Israeli leaders, Hartman's Israel-based work is foundational to its global mission. And yet, historically, this work has been significantly underfunded relative to its scale and impact: North American donors, understandably, gravitate toward programming they can see and touch closer to home.

That is the opportunity. The Institute is investing in dedicated philanthropic leadership to close this gap — to identify, cultivate, and inspire North American donors who care about shared society, Israeli democracy, and the future of Jewish pluralism in the Jewish homeland. Post-October 7th, there is a growing and newly engaged universe of North American philanthropists who want to make a difference in Israel. Many have never had a vehicle as intellectually rigorous, as mission-aligned, or as programmatically sophisticated as Hartman through which to channel that commitment.

The Senior Development Officer, Israel Giving will own this work. Based in the New York metropolitan area, this person will carry a national portfolio of prospects with a unifying focus: donors and foundations whose philanthropic interests are oriented toward Israel. They will be the internal expert on Hartman's Israel-based programs, the primary relationship-builder for Israel-focused giving, and the key connector between North American donors and the Institute's Jerusalem campus, faculty, and leadership. This position will report to the Managing Director for Israel Funder Engagement (based in Israel).

Primary Responsibilities

Israel-Focused Fundraising

• Identify, qualify, cultivate, and solicit a national portfolio of major gift prospects ($50K–$1M+) with a specific philanthropic interest in Israel, Israeli society, or the North American Jewish relationship with Israel.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy for Israel programs, including prospect mapping, pipeline development, and customized cultivation and solicitation plans for individual donors, family foundations, and institutional funders.
• Conduct in-person cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation meetings with an emphasis on authentic intellectual engagement and long-term relationship building.
• Serve as the primary development liaison to Hartman's Israel-based programmatic leadership, building deep fluency in the Institute's high school programs, Israeli leadership initiative, thought leadership, public voice, shared society, Rabbinic training and other Jerusalem campus work to represent these programs compellingly to North American donors.
• Close major gifts in support of Hartman's Israel-based programs, leveraging the programmatic assets of the Jerusalem campus and the intellectual firepower of Hartman's Israeli faculty and scholars.
• Collaborate closely with Hartman's regional and program staff, development officers, and Board leadership to identify Israel-interested prospects within their existing portfolios and coordinate seamless handoffs or co-cultivation where appropriate.
• Identify and develop relationships with donors who may be giving to other Israel-related organizations — including universities, hospitals, democratic reform efforts, Israel advocacy, Jewish learning institutions, Jewish Federations, Israel experiences, initiatives rebuilding of North and South and community organizations — and position Hartman as a compelling and differentiated investment.

Programming and Engagement

• Design and execute cultivation programming specifically oriented to Israel content: private donor briefings, intimate scholar salons, and engagement events featuring visiting Israeli faculty, program leaders, and senior Institute leadership. Work collaboratively with Hartman Giving Society platforms to showcase Israel-based program activity and scholarship.
• Coordinate the scheduling and donor cultivation dimensions of visits by Israel-based Hartman scholars, program directors, and senior leadership to North America, ensuring that each trip is maximally leveraged for relationship-building and gift conversations.
• Facilitate meaningful donor engagement with Hartman's Jerusalem campus, including curating Israel trips and immersive experiences that connect major donors and prospects to the full breadth of the Institute's work on the ground.
• Serve as an informed, credible, and intellectually engaged interlocutor on Israeli society, culture, and current affairs able to hold substantive conversations about pluralism, democracy, political developments and trends, the status of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the full complexity of contemporary Israel with sophisticated North American donors.

Portfolio Management and Collaboration

• Manage a robust national prospect portfolio with discipline and rigor: track all engagement, cultivation activity, and pipeline movement in Salesforce; adhere to organizational best practices around moves management and gift documentation.
• Work collaboratively and without ego alongside Hartman's broader development team, the New York office infrastructure, and foundation relations staff.
• Positively contribute to the development team's collective culture of mission-driven, relationship-first fundraising.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of direct, frontline major gift fundraising experience, with demonstrated success closing five- to seven-figure gifts.
• Deep Jewish literacy and genuine engagement with Jewish life, Israel, and the ideas at the heart of Hartman’s mission. The ability to hold a meaningful, nuanced conversation about Israeli society, pluralism, democracy, and Jewish identity is essential.
• Authentic connection to Israel and Jewish life; ideally, significant time spent in Israel (study, work, or living experience) that grounds engagement in firsthand knowledge.
• A Zionist orientation that is aligned with Hartman's liberal Zionist, pluralist, intellectually rigorous approach to Israel and Jewish peoplehood. Comfort with the complexity of the "troubled committed".
• Proven ability to represent sophisticated, ideas-driven programming compellingly to major donors; comfort with content-rich, relationship-based cultivation rather than event- or gala-driven models.
• Intellectual gravitas and senior presence sufficient to earn the trust of experienced donors and to sit comfortably alongside Hartman's scholars, educators, and program experts.
• Experience at a Jewish organization, advocacy organization, or mission-driven institution where Israel was a significant dimension of the work — with a track record that goes well beyond enthusiasm or general Israel engagement.
• Familiarity with the landscape of North American Jewish philanthropy directed toward Israel, including relevant foundations, giving vehicles, and peer organizations and the ability to credibly differentiate Hartman within that ecosystem.
• Based in the New York metropolitan area; strong preference for candidates with existing networks in the tri-state area's Jewish philanthropic community.
• Hebrew language proficiency strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to craft compelling proposals, donor materials, and briefing documents independently.

The Work Environment

Hartman operates as a collaborative, team-oriented culture with no bonus structure and a shared commitment to mission success. The Senior Development Officer will have access to world-class scholarly and programmatic resources, a dedicated development infrastructure and senior leadership that is deeply invested in this role’s success.

This role requires meaningful travel: regular national travel to meet donors and prospects (approximately 35% of time); 2–3 trips annually to Hartman's Jerusalem campus for program immersion, faculty engagement, and donor hosting; and regular presence in Hartman's New York office, which serves as the hub of North American development operations. Availability for evening and weekend donor events is expected.

Compensation

Salary range: $175,000-$190,000, commensurate with experience. Hartman offers a very competitive and comprehensive benefits package.

To Apply

Interested applicants should apply using the application form: https://www.chaloner.com/open-roles?jobId=3616155. Chaloner will review all applicants and, upon qualification, contact you to determine next steps.

Please submit a resume and cover letter. The cover letter should describe your relevant fundraising experience, your connection to Israel and to Hartman's mission, and your approach to identifying and cultivating donors with an Israel-focused philanthropic interest.

The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Experience Required

7 and up