Executive Director- Champaign-Urbana

The Jewish Federations of North America, Inc.; Champaign (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation seeks an Executive Director to lead operations, fundraising, and program delivery in service of CUJF's mission.

The role reports to the Board, builds partnerships with donors, volunteers, and the broader community, and ensures compliance with nonprofit governance and financial stewardship.

Qualifications

• Understanding of the CUJF mission and Jewish communal life.
• Collaborates effectively with Board members, volunteers and local organizations.
• Creative and resourceful in initiating new programs with Board approval.
• Efficiently manages multiple projects and provides staff support.
• Able to interpret financial data to guide strategic decisions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee CUJF operations and staff.
• Prepare budgets and supervise financial reporting and compliance.
• Maintain board records and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Report to the Board and communicate with the Board President regularly.
• Lead annual campaign planning and donor cultivation.
• Represent CUJF at community events and conferences.

Skills

Fundraising

Financial management

Non-profit accounting

Board liaison

Staff supervision

Budgeting

Communications

Volunteer recruitment

Strategic planning

Tools

Office suite

Bloomerang

QuickBooks

JFNA website software

Job description

The Executive Director of the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation (CUJF) demonstrates a strong commitment to the mission of CUJF, Jewish values, Jewish communal life, Israel, Jewish education, and Jewish charitable institutions . The Executive Director fosters relationships with donors and seeks out new development opportunities. With oversight from the Officers and Board, and in collaboration with employees and community volunteers, the operation of the CUJF office and management of all CUJF activities are the purview of the Executive Director. As the chief operating employee, the Executive Director ensures that the mission of CUJF is followed, that Board policies are implemented, and that day-to-day operations of CUJF and its subsidiaries are carried out efficiently and effectively. The Executive Director acts as the liaison between CUJF and both the Jewish community and the community at large building relationships and strengthening ties to advance the CUJF mission.

Relationship to CUJF Board and Officers:

The Executive Director is employed by the Board to administer the operations and manage the charitable, programmatic, and fundraising activities of CUJF. The Executive Director: a) reports to the Board on the status and outcomes of all CUJF operations and activities; b) makes recommendations to improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the organization; c) attends all Board and Executive Committee meetings; and d) communicates with the Board President at least weekly.

Executive Director Responsibilities:

Administration

The Executive Director oversees all operations of CUJF, including, but not limited to: recruiting, training and supervision of staff; creating and administration of programs and services; management and production of the annual budget; providing financial oversight; monitoring income and expenses; ensuring compliance with laws, rules and regulations applicable to not-for-profit corporations; providing support for CUJF committees.

• Personnel: The Executive Director recruits, hires and supervises CUJF staff, with the approval of the CUJF Board.
• Committees: The Executive Director ensures administrative support is adequate for active committees and maintains essential functions of inactive committees.
• Financial responsibilities of the Executive Director (include but are not limited to):
  • Providing high-level oversight of all accounting functions, ensuring that financial processes align with accepted accounting principles and best practices for non-profit organizations.
  • Regularly reviewing and analyzing detailed financial statements, balance sheets, and cash flow reports with the Contract Accountant and the Treasurer to ensure the organization's long-term fiscal health.
  • Developing and implementing internal controls to safeguard assets and prevent financial mismanagement.
  • Overseeing the annual budgeting process with a data-driven approach, ensuring departmental spending remains within the Board-approved parameters.
  • Serving as the primary point of contact for external auditors, ensuring the timely and accurate submission of all materials for annual audits and tax filings (Form 990).
  • Sign regulatory filings, tax exemption forms, and other legal filings. Ensure all US and Illinois regulations are known and followed.
• General: The Executive Director works with staff and CUJF Officers to maintain files of Board minutes, Treasurer's reports, and other important documents of record.
• Other: The Executive Director ensures that CUJF activities are consistent with Jewish Law. The office will be closed on Shabbat and on all work-restricted Jewish holidays.

Board Support

The Executive Director:

• Prepares materials for Board meetings.
• Attends all Board and Executive Committee meetings, other than closed sessions that concern the Executive Director’s personal matters.
• Meets regularly (at agreed upon intervals) with the Board President to review office operations, to plan and report on activities, and to discuss pertinent issues regarding personnel, programs, or committees.
• Meets with individual Officers and Committee Chairs as needed to plan and implement actions related to their activities.
• Attends any committee meetings that may benefit from the Executive Director’s presence, as an ex-officio member of all committees.
• Serves ex-officio on the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Endowment Foundation (CUJEF) Board of Directors and attends its meetings.

Annual Campaign and Financial Resource Development

The Executive Director’s activities include:

• Working with the VP for Campaign, to assist in the planning, coordination, and implementation of the annual campaign strategy.
• Providing support to the VP for Campaign to recruit volunteers, coordinate tasks, and manage the timeline of activities to ensure implementation of the annual campaign strategy.
• Collaborating with the VP for Campaign or other volunteers to prepare appeal letters or other written materials for the campaign.
• Working with campaign committee staff and volunteers to plan and implement the logistics and program for the campaign dinner, and other campaign related events.
• Signing and personalizing acknowledgement letters and receipts.
• Managing reminders to collect unpaid pledges, as well as thanking donors by phone calls, letters, etc.
• Working with the campaign committee to build relationships with current and prospective major donors in order to secure campaign pledges and foundation gifts through personal solicitation and cultivation.
• Identifying potential donors for special projects.
• Raise funds through direct contact with ongoing and prospective donors for CUJF and CUJEF.
• Applying for grants from national, regional, or local organizations to support CUJF programming.

The Executive Director works with the CUJEF Board to encourage community members to make gifts to CUJEF, both during their lifetimes and in their estate plans.

Events and Programming

The Executive Director supports committees planning programs and other events sponsored by or affiliated with CUJF. This may include processing registrations, copying materials, mailing announcements etc.

Marketing and Communications

The Executive Director:

• Supervises the marketing efforts of CUJF throughout the community, and prepares the annual report.
• Works with the Community Engagement Coordinator to manage the website and social media pages, with assistance from staff or volunteers as needed to keep the website up to date and maintain an active social media presence; and ensure that selected time sensitive documents (e.g., 7 year holiday calendar, Chevra Kadisha information, camp scholarship applications) are posted on the website.
• Makes presentations to community groups, media outlets, etc., as deemed appropriate by the Executive Director and the Board to represent the mission of the organization.

Community/Public Relations

The Executive Director:

• Works collaboratively with the CUJF Board, Jewish leadership, and volunteer leaders to represent the issues and agenda of the Jewish community to the community at large.
• Keeps the local Jewish Community informed about the CUJF activities that connect us to Jews nationally, abroad, and in Israel.
• Represents CUJF at local, regional and national conferences, programs and seminars as requested.

Requirements

The successful candidate for the CUJF Executive Director position:

• Demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to the mission of CUJF in public speaking engagements, interactions with volunteers, and participation in community activities.
• Collaborates effectively with Board members, volunteers, and colleagues from other local civic and Jewish organizations.
• Is creative and resourceful in suggesting and initiating (with Board approval) new programs or procedures to make the organization more effective in attaining its mission.
• Efficiently manages multiple projects simultaneously, including coordinating volunteer efforts, monitoring timelines, and providing office and staff support for CUJF’s fundraising, charitable, and programmatic efforts.
• Is literate in standard computer software and is willing and able to learn new software applications as needed, such as Office suite, Bloomerang, Quickbooks, Facebook, and JFNA website software.
• Maintains confidentiality, particularly in sensitive situations such as Human Service beneficiaries, anonymous donors, and earmarked contributions.
• Pursues professional development opportunities and attends regional and national meetings (following defined budget and reporting expectations) to enhance leadership capabilities and remain informed on national and international Jewish programming.
• Becomes sufficiently familiar with the Champaign-Urbana community to collaborate with the Board President and/or Committee Chairs in identifying and recruiting potential volunteers for committees, the Board, or special projects.
• Possesses a significant background in financial management, including direct experience with non-profit accounting, fund accounting, and fiduciary oversight. The candidate must be able to interpret complex financial data to make strategic recommendations to the Board.

Compensation

$75,000-$90,000 annually plus benefits

Champaign-Urbana offers all the amazing amenities of living next to a world class university without the hassle and stress of traffic and high cost of living.