Director of Advancement

About ICS

The Institute for Curriculum Services (ICS) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 education on Jews, Judaism, and Jewish history in the United States. We do this by working with publishers and content developers, developing high-quality instructional materials, and providing professional development to classroom teachers.

Position Overview

ICS seeks a mission driven and experienced professional to join our team. The Director of Advancement will be responsible for leading ICS’s fundraising efforts by developing and implementing a strategic fundraising plan and working to develop the financial resources to support ICS’s growth and expanded impact. Candidates must be talented and confident relationship-builders, creative, collaborative, and detail-oriented.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Create and lead the implementation of a fundraising strategy to increase our revenue and grow and diversify our funder base
• Meet our annual fundraising goals (estimated at $4M+ for FY26, and quickly growing)
• Steward existing funders and build inspiring programming to connect them to our work and sustain and/or increase their support
• Actively pursue new funders and sources of support
• Build a Major Donor program to increase individual support for ICS’s mission
• Help to build, engage, and manage ICS’s governing board
• Shape a culture of philanthropy on our Board and support Board members to connect their networks to ICS programs and impact
• Direct the work of our Grants Manager and Writer, and potentially grow the development team
• Track, analyze, and present relevant fundraising data and make data-based decisions
• Collaborate with communications team to keep existing and potential donors engaged with our work

Qualifications and Requirements

You are:

• Passionate about ICS’s mission
• Experience in fundraising that includes leading the entire funder lifecycle with individuals and institutions resulting in 5, 6, and 7-figure gifts
• Experience working with boards of directors to engage board members’ networks to play a catalytic role in ICS's ability to fundraise
• Experience working collaboratively on a development team that successfully forecasts and conducts regular progress to goal conversations
• Experience collaborating with communications team for fundraising purposes
• Excitement about being a part of a growing organization
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently in a remote environment
• Desire to be a part of a mutually supportive and connected community of professionals
• Experience working on a team and managing and supervising others
• Self-motivated, team-oriented, relational, entrepreneurial, organized, optimistic

You have:

• 4+ years of experience in frontline fundraising, preferably in individual and/or foundation giving
• Track record of successfully raising $5M+
• At least two years of experience managing and nurturing teams under tight deadlines, effectively delegating projects, and providing coaching and constructive feedback
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Experience with donor CRMs
• Master’s degree or beyond in Communications, English Literature, Journalism, Business/ Nonprofit Administration, Education or related field (preferred, but not required)

We are:

• Passionate about the mission and the work that we do
• A collaborative team that is intellectually curious, warm, and upbeat
• Dedicated to learning and growing
• Proactive problem solvers
• Serious about our positive work culture and relationships

In addition to a collaborative, meaningful, and friendly work environment, we provide a generous compensation and benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance
• An employee flexible spending health care and dependent plan
• A 401(k) program with organizational contribution
• Generous paid time off (vacation and health and wellness time) and Federal holidays
• Days off for Jewish holy days that fall during the work week
• Professional development budget