Director of Development

About Birthright Israel Foundation of Canada

Established in 2001, Birthright Israel Foundation of Canada (BRIFC) enables Canadian Jewish young adults to participate in Birthright Israel by building philanthropic support across Canada.

About Birthright Israel

Birthright Israel began with an audacious idea in 1999: to offer Jewish young adults from around the world a life-changing educational experience in Israel that strengthens Jewish identity and, in turn, helps transform the Jewish future. It is the birthright of every Jewish young adult to visit their ancestral homeland and forge a lasting connection to their heritage, community, and Israel. Widely recognized as the most successful Jewish identity and engagement-building program in Jewish history, Birthright Israel has been a gift to more than 950,000 participants from 70 countries, including more than 50,000 Canadians.

Mission: Provide Jewish young adults with opportunities for transformative and immersive shared experiences in Israel, and a foundation for ongoing Jewish connection.

Vision: Ensure a vibrant future for the Jewish people by strengthening Jewish identity, Jewish communities, and connections with Israel.

Position Summary

BRIFC is seeking a motivated, energetic, and relationship-driven fundraising professional to play a central role in donor development, community engagement, and portfolio management.

The Director of Development will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and prospects; manage and grow an assigned portfolio; build a pipeline of new supporters; and support senior leadership in major-gift activity. The role will also help deliver donor engagement initiatives and fundraising events, translating strong relationships and community engagement into measurable philanthropic results.

The successful candidate will be confident initiating conversations, developing new relationships, asking for support, and providing thoughtful stewardship that encourages long-term donor loyalty. This role requires initiative, sound judgment, strong interpersonal skills, disciplined use of fundraising systems, and a demonstrated ability to leverage existing professional and community relationships while building new connections through BRIFC’s network, referrals, and independent outreach to expand the organization’s donor pipeline.

This is an opportunity to join a growing national organization and a global network of professionals committed to strengthening Jewish continuity and deepening connections between Jewish communities and Israel. The position offers close mentorship and collaboration, increasing responsibility, and the opportunity to grow into a more senior development role over time.

Key Responsibilities

Donor Development and Portfolio Management

• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward new donors while managing an assigned portfolio of donors and prospects.
• Develop and execute tailored strategies for each relationship, including outreach, meetings, engagement opportunities, solicitations, renewals, gift increases, and stewardship.
• Build a strong and active pipeline of prospective donors through research, referrals, community involvement, networking, and personal relationship development.
• Conduct regular donor and prospect meetings, both independently and alongside BRIFC leadership, volunteers, and Board members.
• Make direct gift requests appropriate to the donor’s interests, capacity, and level of engagement.
• Strengthen donor retention and encourage increased philanthropic commitments through meaningful communication, impact reporting, and consistent follow-through.
• Prepare donor research, meeting briefings, talking points, proposals, correspondence, and impact-focused materials.
• Provide thoughtful and timely donor care, recognition, acknowledgements, and stewardship.
• Support the Chief Development Officer and President & CEO with major-gift cultivation and solicitation, including preparation of donor briefings, proposals, meeting strategies, and follow-up plans.
• Identify opportunities to engage alumni, parents, families, and community members as donors, ambassadors, hosts, connectors, and volunteers.

Community Engagement and Relationship Building

• Grow BRIFC’s visibility and donor pipeline through strategic outreach, networking, relationship-building, and mission-based storytelling.
• Represent BRIFC at community events, programs, meetings, and gatherings in Toronto and, periodically, across Canada.
• Build relationships with individuals, families, alumni, community leaders, professional networks, and prospective partners who can advance BRIFC’s fundraising goals.
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of Birthright Israel’s programs, outcomes, participant experiences, and philanthropic priorities.
• Communicate BRIFC’s mission and impact clearly and persuasively in one-on-one conversations, group presentations, written communications, and donor meetings.
• Collaborate with colleagues on donor and Board communications, updates, campaigns, and engagement initiatives throughout the year.

Fundraising Events

• Plan and coordinate donor cultivation and fundraising opportunities, including intimate gatherings, boardroom presentations, community briefings, donor-hosted events, and larger fundraising initiatives.
• Work with event hosts, volunteers, Board members, and internal colleagues to identify invitees, develop outreach strategies, and establish fundraising and engagement goals.
• Provide event hosts with guidance, timelines, briefing materials, guest information, talking points, and follow-up plans.
• Participate actively in guest outreach, donor engagement, and post-event follow-up.
• Ensure that events result in meaningful next steps, including meetings, solicitations, renewed gifts, increased commitments, and new donor relationships.
• Track event participation, fundraising results, donor outcomes, and follow-up activity.

Fundraising Operations, CRM, and Reporting

• Maintain accurate donor and prospect records in Salesforce, including contact information, meeting activity, relationship details, proposals, gift history, and next actions.
• Track proposals, solicitations, pledge fulfilment, donor recognition, and acknowledgements in collaboration with internal colleagues.
• Produce regular portfolio, activity, pipeline, and results reports for the Chief Development Officer and President & CEO.
• Monitor progress against individual and organizational fundraising goals.
• Contribute to the development of effective fundraising systems, templates, processes, and practices that strengthen donor experience and organizational performance.
• Collaborate with communications, operations, and leadership colleagues to ensure coordinated and accurate donor engagement.

Qualifications and Core Competencies

• Relevant experience in fundraising, donor relations, business development, sales, account management, or another relationship-based revenue role. Demonstrated ability to develop new relationships, build a prospect pipeline, and move opportunities toward successful asks and commitments.
• An established personal and professional network, together with the confidence and initiative to introduce prospective donors and community relationships to BRIFC.
• Proven ability to build trust, manage multiple relationships, and communicate with professionalism, warmth, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Comfort initiating donor conversations, securing meetings, discussing philanthropy, and asking for financial support.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft donor correspondence, proposals, grant applications, briefing notes, presentations, and impact materials.
• Confidence speaking one-on-one and presenting to small and larger groups.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and time-management skills, with exceptional attention to detail and reliable follow-through.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience supporting fundraising events, donor-hosted gatherings, volunteer-led initiatives, or community engagement programs.
• Comfort using a CRM to manage donor activity and maintain data quality; Salesforce experience is strongly preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, and OneDrive; experience with Canva and Salesforce is an asset.
• Ability to handle confidential donor, financial, and organizational information with care and discretion.
• Willingness to work full-time from BRIFC’s Toronto office, attend occasional evening and weekend events, and travel periodically across Canada.
• An appreciation for the mission of Birthright Israel and a commitment to strengthening Jewish identity, Jewish continuity, community, and connection to Israel.

What Success Looks Like in the First 6–12 Months

• A well-developed and actively managed portfolio of donors and prospects.
• Consistent donor and prospect meeting activity, with clear strategies, next steps, and disciplined follow-through.
• A growing pipeline of qualified prospects, including new relationships, introduced through the successful candidate’s own network and outreach.
• Measurable progress in new gifts, renewals, gift increases, and donor retention.
• Strong performance in conducting donor meetings and making appropriate gift requests.
• Strong preparation and support for senior leadership, Board members, event hosts, and volunteers involved in fundraising.
• Accurate and timely use of Salesforce, including complete contact reports, prospect strategies, and next actions.
• Effective collaboration, responsiveness, sound judgment, confidentiality, and professionalism.
• A strong understanding of BRIFC’s mission, programs, fundraising priorities, and case for support.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Meaningful, mission-driven work supporting Jewish young adults across Canada.
• The opportunity to represent a proven, globally recognized, high-impact program.
• Mentorship and collaboration with experienced fundraising and organizational leaders.
• Significant exposure to donors, community leaders, Board members, alumni, families, and national partners.
• Professional development and a clear pathway for increased responsibility and growth within development leadership.
• The opportunity to contribute to a collaborative, ambitious, and growing national organization.

BRIFC is committed to building an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative workplace. We thank all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.