Assistant Director, Fundraising and Events

Are you looking for a mission-driven non-profit where your skills can help people in need around the world? At the Jewish United Fund (JUF), we take pride in our mission and in having a work culture that fosters a sense of belonging and feels rewarding, supportive, and inclusive. We have a hybrid schedule and offer generous benefits including a 401(k) match, 22 days of paid time off, 11 sick days, and up to 21 paid holidays. The salary range for this role is $70,000-$78,000.

What you’ll be responsible for:

You will assist in the administration and management of the JUF Professionals Network (JPN), supervision of administrative staff. Using independent discretion, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining your own portfolio of donors as a Donor Officer and participate in any cross-network fundraising and leadership development initiatives within JPN. Additionally, you will be responsible for implementing fundraising and programmatic initiatives and engaging professionals and lay leaders in the Chicagoland Jewish community.

What you’ll be doing:

• Perform responsibilities of a Donor Officer, including research on potential and current donors, building relationships with new and current supporters, and conducting face-to-face engagement, stewardship, and solicitation meetings thereby increasing their connectivity and giving to the Jewish United Fund.


• Oversee the Campaign operation elements of JPN as well as supervising the department’s Administrative Aide.


• Work with volunteer leadership and internal staff to implement JPN programs, events, and initiatives geared toward fundraising, outreach, and leadership development, including forming relationships with key contacts and donors in assigned professional networks.


• Assume the responsibilities related to the administration of the professional network(s), including generating fundraising reports and working with assigned support staff to handle necessary correspondence and maintain timely and accurate records.


• Work with various JUF departments to provide general support for all other JUF Annual Campaign events, phonothons, and special events.  


• Support JUF Campaign and mandatory campaign-related activities on an ongoing basis.

What you need to succeed:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution


• 4+ years of experience in a fundraising institution


• Experience with face-to-face communication with donors or other professionals is required


• Excellent written communication skills, able to handle multiple projects at a time, and highly organized


• Ability to establish and monitor priorities, maintain flexibility, and meet deadlines with limited direct supervision


• Experience planning, executing, and evaluating successful events


• Experience crafting tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for new and existing donors


• Ability to become proficient in Salesforce and other software platforms


• Proficient in all Microsoft Office Suite of products


• Passion for fundraising


• Knowledge of Jewish community, culture, heritage, traditions, and Jewish communal services preferred


• Supervisory experience and experience working with a database software are a plus

What you’ll love about us:

At JUF, you can be part of one of the largest non-profit social welfare institutions in Illinois. We provide food, refuge, healthcare, education, emergency assistance, and essential services to 500,000 Chicagoans of all faiths and millions of Jews around the world. We offer medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with base contribution and match, additional health and wellness benefits, financial benefits, professional training, tuition reimbursement, paid family leave, and much more.

Our Hybrid Schedule:

We have a hybrid work policy to allow staff the flexibility to work from home / remotely on Mondays and Fridays. Tuesdays-Thursdays, the standard work location is 30 South Wells Street in Chicago, and staff are expected to work in person. We have a 36.5 hour work week, not a 40 hour work week. Our work hours are 8:30am-5pm Monday-Thursday and 8:30am-4pm Friday with a daily 1 hour lunch break.