Director of Development

Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid)

Sterling Search Inc. has been exclusively retained to recruit the new Director of
Development for Anti-Defamation League: https://www.adl.org/

ADL Is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless
mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair
treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using
innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism,
countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works
to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.

ADL values guide the internal culture and shape the approach we take to our programs and
initiatives externally. Confronting antisemitism, our founders established ADL based on
their Jewish values. We build on their legacy as we speak out on behalf of all marginalized
communities across the country and around the globe.

Courage
We have the courage to speak out against antisemitism, extremism, hate and bigotry,
discrimination and injustice—even when we stand alone.

Inclusion
We are committed to inclusion, ensuring that all people are respected and appreciated as
valuable members of our community.

Respect
We value respect in our work and workplace, acknowledging the humanity in others—even
as we put forth different views.

Collaboration
We embrace the power of collaboration, recognizing that working together yields gains that
could not always be achieved on our own.

Integrity
We always operate with the highest levels of ethical and legal standards.

Credibility
We are viewed as having unquestioned credibility because our actions draw from years of
experience and are grounded in research and rigorous thinking.

DEVELOPMENT
As ADL grew surpassing the $100 million mark, it became clear that its development
function needed to evolve in sophistication. This realization prompted a comprehensive
reorganization about two years ago, transforming the function into a more advanced and
strategically aligned operation—which it is still rolling out.

Modeled in part after a higher education framework, ADL established a centralized
advancement team at headquarters to support the regions in areas such as research and
data, wealth screening, annual giving, events, grant writing, and planned giving. This
structure enables regional teams to focus more directly on local and regional donor
acquisition and stewardship strategies. The development team works in close partnership
with the Regional Directors and their field teams, who are the face of their ADL community
and have deep knowledge and connections into their communities, leveraging those
relationships in partnership with the development team.

This position will be part of the Southern California development team, which reports to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement for the West Division. This leader oversees a broad portfolio spanning Texas, Oklahoma, San Francisco, and the Seattle/Pacific Northwest regions, as well as the Desert region, which includes two offices one in Las Vegas and one in Phoenix.

The Southern California team covers Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange County and San
Diego and has a team of four reporting to the Director of Development who reports to the
Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement for the West Division.

CULTURE
We are committed to being a highly effective and contemporary organization that achieves
long-term success through our culture and talent. We value and foster a culture of
innovation, collaboration, respect, courage, accountability, and inclusivity. And this isn’t
just talk. A full 50 percent of everyone’s performance rating, starting at the top of the organization, is determined by demonstration of the ADL Values. We hold quarterly “all hands” meetings to share information, provide recognition and answer questions. We offer a suite of wellness benefits and a variety of work schedules to support work-life balance. With consideration for our colleagues who observe Shabbat, we close at 3:00pm (local time) on Fridays throughout the year. To give ourselves some space at the end of the week to think and work on projects, we encourage no meetings on Fridays.

Everyone at ADL has access to LinkedIn Learning, an award-winning online training
platform with a digital library of over 9,000 courses and Work Bravely, a coaching and
training platform that offers personalized, professional development. Our Leader of Culture helps us maintain our focus and continue to accelerate our progress. Everyone at ADL has access to LinkedIn Learning, an award-winning online training platform with a digital library of over 9,000 courses and Work Bravely, a coaching and training platform that offers personalized, professional development. Our Leader of Culture helps us maintain our focus and continue to accelerate our progress.
Belonging is particularly important to ADL given our mission “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” We are committed to creating a more just and inclusive culture to ensure how we operate internally mirrors the advocacy and education work we do externally in support of our mission. Not only is it the right thing to do, but we believe such a culture allows each of our colleagues to flourish and
contribute to their highest level.

This is an exciting time to join ADL as the organization continues to evolve its development
function into a best-in-class operation. ADL is actively investing in innovative tools and
technologies, including donor-centric AI agents designed to streamline processes, drive
efficiency, and empower development officers with the insights and capabilities needed to
maximize their impact.

ADL’s mission could not be more important in the world we are living in today. For those
committed to combating hate and advancing justice, this is a meaningful opportunity to be
part of an organization making real impact.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Development reports to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement
and manages regional frontline fundraising staff, including one Major Gifts Officer, two
Individual Gift Officers and a Development Coordinator to develop, implement, and
evaluate regional fundraising programs that successfully meet annual fundraising and
performance goals as approved by the Philanthropic Engagement vertical of the national
office. The position collaborates heavily with the Senior Director of Philanthropic
Engagement and will seek input and philanthropic engagement from the Regional Director.
For themselves and their frontline fundraising staff, the Director of Development will
maximize the donor engagement process to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward
prospects/donors with major gift capacity and inclination between $50,000 and $500,000
in support of ADL’s highest priorities.

Primary Responsibilities of the Job:

• In collaboration with the Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement, recruit, hire,
  manage and assess regional frontline fundraisers.
• Develop and implement cultivation strategies for a portfolio of individuals with the
  capacity to make gifts (between $50,000 and $500,000), nurturing relationships
  through personalized communications, meetings and engagement opportunities in
  accordance with ADL’s policies, procedures and funding priorities.
• Maintain an active, current body of knowledge of ADL and its mission, programs,
  activities, institutional needs and fundraising priorities.
• Work with Prospect Research to identify new major gift prospects and understand
  their philanthropic interests, capacity to give and inclination to give to ADL.
• Negotiate gift agreements and terms with donors, in collaboration with the
  Philanthropic Services team.
• In collaboration with the stewardship team and regional/divisional/national program
  staff, implement stewardship plans for major gift donors, ensuring timely and
  meaningful acknowledgment, recognition and reporting on the impact of their
  contributions.
• Actively participate in Development team meetings to coordinate prospect review
  and discuss specific prospect strategies as they relate to prioritized fundraising
  needs.
• Plan, organize, manage and evaluate the annual fundraising campaign in
  collaboration with the Senior Director of Philanthropic Engagement, Regional
  Director and national Development offices.
• In collaboration with the national Donor Experience and Philanthropic Services
  team and/or Regional Operations, ensure implementation of approved, budgeted
  regional fundraising and non-fundraising events, such as Insider Briefings.
• In collaboration with the national Donor Experience and Philanthropic Services
  team, align with national gift processing and CRM policies, procedures and
  initiatives.
• Collaborate with the national Institutional Giving team to assess and engage with
  institutional and corporate gift opportunities.
• Negotiate gift agreements and terms with donors, in collaboration with the
  Philanthropic Services team.
• Maximize resources from the national Analytics and Prospect Research teams, to
  ensure prospect identification and qualification and portfolio management.
• Work in close partnership with regional and divisional teams to encourage a Culture
  of Philanthropy and meaningful engagement.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor records in the CRM database,
  documenting all interactions, proposals and gift agreements related to major gifts in
  accordance with CSC policies and procedures.
• Collaborate and partner effectively across the organization to build and sustain the
  culture of philanthropy across ADL.
• Serve as an effective and enthusiastic ADL spokesperson and representative.

Secondary Responsibilities of the Job:

• Participate in special assignments or projects as representative at the national level.

Qualifications:

• Outstanding strategic thinking and analytical skills, interpersonal skills, sound
  judgment and experience handling highly confidential information.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with a diverse group of
  stakeholders, including high net worth individuals, colleagues and senior
  executives.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with superior attention to
  detail and strong storytelling skills.
• Display a positive attitude and show good judgment, common sense and excellent
  listening skills; committed to transparency, accountability and direct
  communication.
• Ability to anticipate and be responsive to multiple stakeholders’ needs
  simultaneously, internally, and externally, including individual donors and
  prospects.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to see projects through to completion
  while meeting tight deadlines.
• Prior experience working with fundraising databases (Salesforce), MS Office
  applications and online collaboration tools.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team in
  meeting goals.
• Ability to successfully navigate and thrive in a complex organization.
• Committed to advancing the mission and goals of the ADL.

Work Experience:

• Five to seven years of community fundraising experience with increasing levels of
  fundraising responsibility and management.
• Significant fundraising experience, including a demonstrated record of soliciting and
  closing five-figure and six-figure gifts, including multi-year commitments.
• Experience in a national organization with an affiliate or chapter structure a plus.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, plus additional related college courses
  or professional training.

Work Environment:

• ADL is a hybrid environment; this role requires 3 days a week in the Los Angeles
  office.

Compensation:

• This position offers an annual salary of $155,000 to $170,000 for a 35 hour work
  week.
• Low-cost comprehensive array of medical, vision and dental plans
  403b – ADL will contribute 2% plus match 25% of the first 6% of the employee’s
  contribution
• 15 days of vacation for first two years with 20 days for years two to five.
• 15 days sick time
• 10 federal holidays plus up to 13 Jewish Holidays (unless they fall on a weekend)

ADL aims to create a working environment where every employee can thrive professionally.
Our mission-driven work is best accomplished in an environment that supports belonging.
ADL values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages people of all races, religions,
nationalities, genders, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and veterans to apply.
ADL is an equal opportunity employer. Recruitment, hiring, promotions and other terms,
conditions and privileges of employment shall be maintained in a manner which does not
discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual
orientation, gender expression, marital status, physical or mental disability, veteran status,
or military status, or in violation of any applicable Federal, state or local laws. ADL will
ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to
participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions,
and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. For individuals with disabilities
who would like to request an accommodation to support the interview process, please
contact the People & Culture department at talentacquisition@adl.org.

ADL will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner
consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable
State, Local, and Federal laws. The information in this job description indicates the general
nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to
contain, or be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities,
qualifications and objectives required of employees assigned to this job, nor is it to be
interpreted as a contract for employment.