CHARLESTON AND THE CHARLESTON JEWISH COMMUNITY
Charleston is the oldest and largest city in South Carolina. An historic port city and popular tourist destination, Charleston has had a continuous Jewish presence since the 17th century. Jewish Charlestonians take great pride in the Lowcountry lifestyle of excellent food, weather, lifestyle, and warm Southern hospitality. The next Charleston Jewish Federation CEO will learn what locals know - few cities in the country can match Charleston’s history and charm.
As expected in one of the oldest Jewish communities in North America, Charleston boasts a diverse mix of Jewish life. It is home to Reform, Conservative and Orthodox synagogues, a Chabad, and a Jewish community day school. Charleston is a welcoming, tight-knit Jewish community.
Charleston offers an array of excellent restaurants and cultural events, including the renowned Spoleto Festival each year. It is home to a minor league baseball team that hosts a Jewish heritage game each year. The College of Charleston is the oldest municipal college in the United States and is home to about 800 Jewish students. It has a vibrant Jewish studies program that offers programs to the broader community. In addition to an active Hillel branch, the college offers an array of courses, including Hebrew language, Jewish culture and history, as well as Israel- and Holocaust-related courses.
As befits Southern hospitality, we are proud of the degree of collaboration among local Jewish leaders. The presidents of synagogues and other Jewish organizations regularly convene with Charleston Jewish Federation (CJF) to discuss the needs, issues, and priorities for the greater Jewish Community. A few years ago, Jewish Family Services (JFS), then a component of CJF, became its own 501(c)3. JFS continues to work closely with CJF and their offices are adjacent to one another.
Both the Charleston metropolitan area and Jewish community are growing! Many Jews have relocated from other areas of the country in the past several years. A recently commissioned demographic survey estimated the Jewish population of greater Charleston to be approximately 10,000 adults. The Jewish community cuts across age, profession, religious affiliation, neighborhood (and opinion!). CJF is excited to find the right person to help it address the needs of our growing community.
Charleston’s economy is driven in large part by tourism, information technology and medicine. Major employers include Boeing, Benefitfocus, Blackbaud, Google, the Medical University of South Carolina, Mercedes-Benz (Vans Division), Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Trident Technical College, and Volvo. Charleston is also home to a joint Navy/Air Force base.
THE CHARLESTON JEWISH FEDERATION AND CEO POSITION
The Charleston Jewish Federation (CJF) is seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will lead the organization into the next stage of its growth and development. The CEO will be responsible for the leadership and management of the professional staff and will guide all aspects of the CJF. The CEO must be both innovative and respectful of the longstanding nature of Jewish communal engagement in Charleston. The right candidate will bring experiences that reflect the ability to grow the annual campaign, develop leadership, work collaboratively with the Board of Directors, manage the professional staff, effectively advocate for Israel, and raise the organization’s profile among the Jewish and broader Charleston communities. The CEO will oversee a team of seven employees.
The CEO must be an effective communicator and fundraiser with the ability to build consensus, forward-thinking about the Federation’s mission and core priorities, and an inspiring presence to the community, professional staff, and volunteer leadership. The CEO should be considered the “voice” of the greater Charleston Jewish community to the broader Charleston community and partner organizations.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree required. Educational background with a focus in non-profit management, business administration, human resources/services, or a related field.
- Proven track record of strong leadership in a senior leadership position within a similar or larger (equal to or greater than $1.5m in development on a regularly occurring annual basis) non-profit organization (5+ years).
- Agile and fast -- particularly in times of human crisis (Jewish and global), the CEO must lead the Jewish community response.
- Confident approach to champion the future of the Charleston Jewish community while respecting its history.
- Familiarity with Jewish communal issues, traditions, and holidays, and respect for diversity in Jewish practice and customs.
TFRD
- Proven, strong track record with diverse experiences in all aspects of TFRD, including: major gift fundraising; successful grant writing; annual and supplemental campaign planning and implementation; creative individual gift solicitation; endowment development.
- Experience with legacy giving and bequests.
- Demonstrated experience of stewardship of and ongoing personal interactions with major and mid-level donors and corporate sponsorships.
- Demonstrated experience with increasing the donor base and increasing donations from lower-level donors.
- Demonstrated use of e-philanthropy and other technological platforms.
- Understanding of the Jewish philanthropic world and its major agencies such as Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish Agency for Israel, JDC, World ORT and ability to work with our local Jewish Endowment Foundation.
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP (with JFNA; with organizations in the community; convener, spokesperson, Jewish presence)
- Proven strong, successful relationships with national leadership and support staff of organizations such as JFNA, JAFI, SCN, ADL.
- Brings a proven leadership presence within the community.
- Demonstrated examples of being a visionary for the organization and be successful with strategies to implement actions and processes that are inclusive of the professional staff and volunteer leadership.
- Demonstrated leadership style that is open and accessible, sensitive to various viewpoints, and uses a consensus approach.
- Demonstrated ability to engender trust among stakeholders, professionals, volunteers, donors, and the community at large.
- Deep interest in becoming a vital part of the Charleston Jewish community.
EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS (budget; financial management; personnel and HR; communications; planning and strategic thinking)
- Demonstrated experiences in originating, creating, developing, and growing programs and services to meet community needs on a changing basis.
- Experience in budgeting and financial management (including direct fund raising, donor relationship building, grant development, budget development, oversight, and accountability) is required.
- Demonstrated ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the Federation and recommend changes (additions, modifications, deletions).
- Demonstrated history of communicating with a broad cross-section of the Jewish community outside of written communications or events.
- Flexibility and respect in dealing with different personalities and people of various political and religious ideologies.
- Ability to work non-traditional hours to meet with primary donors, stakeholders, members of allied organizations, and to attend key business, educational, political, religious, and social functions.
- Experience in business/organizational administration, human resources, and work collaboration:
- Staff recruitment, development, and retention, and human resource management;
- Organizational design when staff allocation requirements need adjusting.
- Excellent and effective oral and written communication skills with the ability to articulate the needs of the Federation to the larger community and to listen actively to the ideas of professionals, volunteer leadership, and the community. This also includes:
- Ability to present and work effectively with the Board.
- Ability to develop and deliver formal and informal presentations.
- Excellent speaking skills in both prepared and ad hoc settings.
- Understanding of tax and regulatory issues of a 501(c)3.
COMPENSATION
- The Charleston Jewish Federation (CJF), as an intermediate-sized Federation, offers a competitive salary commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience.
- Salary Range: $150,000 - $175,000.
- While the CJF does not currently offer traditional medical coverage, the Board of Directors is interviewing insurance companies with the intent to provide support for health benefits for all CJF professionals. The CJF also offers a 401K match.
- The CJF is also open to providing a performance bonus structure tied to certain metrics that provides the opportunity for additional compensation.
- Reasonable relocation costs will be provided for non-local candidates.
TO APPLY FOR THE CEO POSITION
- Interested individuals should submit a current resume and cover letter including reasons why the Charleston Jewish Federation interests you in applying to: ceosearch@jewishcharleston.org.
- The CJF search committee will begin reviewing applications as they are received and will continue until a successful candidate is named.
- The CJF search committee will request a finalist candidate to provide the names and contact information for three (3) current/recent references.
- Please note that the CJF search committee will not be able to interview all candidates for the position. It will only contact candidates it determines preferable for consideration for the role of CEO.
Charleston Jewish Federation provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender identification, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
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