Associate Director of Development Operations

Position Title: Associate Director of Development Operations

Organization: Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Department: Development

Position Type: Full-Time (37.5+ hours/week), Exempt

Work Setting: Hybrid, (4 days on-site, 1 day remote)

Reports To: Senior Director of Advancement Services

Pay Range: $80,000-$90,000/year

Total Compensation:  

In addition to standard pay, compensation for this position includes:

• Comprehensive, low-cost healthcare coverage for employees


• Generous employer 401(k) contributions


• Employer-covered life insurance

Time Away from Work:

Being able to take time away from work is critical in bringing your best self to work. Time off benefits for this position include:

• Paid vacation time and sick leave


• 15 paid holidays, including Federal and Jewish holidays (as long as the holiday lands on a normal scheduled work day), and floating holidays


• 2 Wellness Days to be taken any time during the year to support employees’ mental wellness

Position Overview:

JFS is looking for a compassionate, mission-driven individual to join the Advancement Services team as the Associate Director of Development Operations. In this role, you have the opportunity to use your fundraising operations skills and management experience to make a meaningful difference in your community and help change lives across San Diego. The Associate Director of Development Operations plays an integral role on the team and supports the entire agency by managing and optimizing development and advancement operations.  The Associate Director primarily focuses on team leadership and supervision of gift processing, database management, and development operational support to assist with fundraising efforts effectively.  This position is a key collaborator within the Advancement team as it relates to recommending and implementing operational efficiencies and best practices, in addition to serving as a business partner to the Finance team on all fundraising revenue management. This position reports directly to the Senior Director of Advancement Services and works closely with all members of the Advancement division, including Development, Volunteer Engagement, and Marketing.

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead and inspire a team of advancement services professionals, including a Senior Database Associate, and a Donor Database Associate


• Provide oversight, guidance, and continuous training on database, gift processing procedures – including gift entry, donor records management, and gift acknowledgement


• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to team members to enhance their skills and capabilities to encourage a future generation of leaders and development professionals


• Creates and fosters a collaborative team culture that promotes innovation, and assists with implementing methods for continuous improvement for individuals and team productivity.

Database and Gift Management

• Responsible for maintaining a robust and accurate Raiser’s Edge donor database for the organization, and for supervising all related functions, including data entry, gift processing, statistical reporting and analysis


• Complete complex data queries, reports, exports, mergers, global changes, data imports, and system upgrades


• Collaborate with Marketing staff to assist with overall management of online marketing database, Luminate Online, as it pertains to donation processing and donor records management, including integration of bidirectional data


• Responsible for coordinating data transfer to and from external/internal databases by utilization of Omatic software, including integration of data from Instrumentl and Galaxy Digital


• Responsible for data security and access to Raiser’s Edge, including managing users and assigned roles


• Maintain a working relationship with the IT department as it relates to database updates, agency protocols, and shared understanding of Blackbaud access


• Communicate and troubleshoot any Raiser’s Edge issues or service interruptions with internal and external departments


• Provide leadership to the team as it relates to best practices with data hygiene processes, data management, and data integrity


• Provide training and oversight of donation processing procedures and provide batching/gift entry support for high volume times

Development Operations Management

• Facilitate coordination and partner with the Finance department as it relates to timely and effective monthly fundraising reporting and analytics – including monthly reconciliation, review of GL codes, forecasting and budget reports, and audit requests


• Collaborate with Marketing and Development teams to support direct mail and e-appeal efforts - including creating complex queries to segment donor lists, managing the import and export of mailing lists, and sharing reporting results


• Support event data management and serve as primary for on-site registration needs for all fundraising events throughout the year


• Oversee daily mail donations process including guidance on donation allocations, deposit log, and collaboration with Facilities team. Serve as back-up resource for members of the team for completing daily process


• Collaborate closely with Development team to support donor stewardship and cultivation by maintaining timely acknowledgement process, assisting with stewardship mailings/projects, and providing exceptional customer service via the donor services phone line


• Maintain regular review process of acknowledgement letter templates, and donor stewardship templates to ensure accurate and current information


• Assist with managing department budget including tracking expenses and accurate allocations


• Partners with Prospect Researcher and provides back-up support when research request volume is high

Strategic Planning and Support

• In collaboration with the Sr. Director of Advancement Services, assists with creation and implementation of analytical financial reports, including key performance indicators and metrics for fundraising officers


• Synthesizes organizational donation and engagement data to provide Development team with insights on fundraising trends


• Assists Sr. Director of Advancement Services with recommendations and implementation of long and short-term strategic goals and operational plans for Advancement Services division


• Demonstrates a curious and creative mindset for seeking knowledge on the latest trends, benchmarks, and best practices within the nonprofit development operations space

Skills/Experience/Abilities That Are a Must-Have:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent 5+ years of relevant experience is required


• Demonstrated experience and mastery (7+ years) of operational management of fundraising databases (e.g., Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce) and proficiency in data analysis and reporting


• Significant experience and success managing /supervising high performing, fast-paced teams in a dynamic environment


• Expertise in fundraising operations, including administrative and financial functions, or related fields within the nonprofit sector


• Advanced knowledge of gift processing, administration, and data governance policies


• Understanding of general accounting practices, including general ledger and fund structures


• Working knowledge of managing a department budget and appropriate forecasting


• Ability to manage and work with external vendors as it relates to subscriptions and services utilized by the department


• Advanced communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with both external and internal stakeholders


• Excellent project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects while adhering to various deadlines and goals


• Strategic thinker with a proactive approach to addressing challenges and opportunities in a fast-paced environment


• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with minimal supervision


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite with advanced proficiency in Excel

Skills/Abilities We’d Like You to Have:

• Experience with data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau a plus


• Experience with project management tools, such as SmartSheet, Monday.com, Asana, etc a plus

Important Notice:

Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Please, no phone calls. Please, principals only. Please, local candidates only (relocation is not provided).

About Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Jewish Family Service of San Diego is a client-centered, impact-driven organization working to build a stronger, more resilient community.  For over 100 years, Jewish Family Service has been a trusted resource for the entire community, offering an array of services that are always life-changing, and often life-saving.  At Jewish Family Service, we believe our employees are the backbone of our Agency.  We strive to ensure that each employee is treated with dignity and respect.  Our goal is your success.  Come work at JFS and be our partner in Moving Forward Together.  To learn more about JFS, please visit jfssd.org. 

*Jewish Family Service is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.