The Jewish Community Board of Akron (JCBA) commits to creating Jewish Connections for Life, ensuring that all Jews can participate in Jewish life in any way that fits their interests and passions, at every stage of life. Supporting and enriching the lives of Jews locally, nationally, in Israel and worldwide, the JCBA supports multiple local, national, and global Jewish organizations and initiatives. Additionally, JCBA oversees the operation of The Schultz Campus for Jewish Life, a 55-acre campus that houses the JCBA, the Shaw JCC of Akron, The Lippman School, Beth El Congregation, Schultz Towers, and Jewish Family Services of Akron.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will be responsible for the overall successful leadership and management of the Jewish Community Board of Akron, Inc. (JCBA). This individual will lead the Akron Jewish community’s efforts to preserve, perpetuate, and enhance Jewish life in Akron. The CEO will continue to build a culture of collaboration among donors, key stakeholders, lay leaders, professional staff, volunteers, and the JCBA’s three constituent agencies: The Shaw Jewish Community Center, The Lippman School, and Jewish Family Service. Outside of the campus, the CEO will serve as the voice of the organized Akron Jewish community, creating and supporting connections and relationships with Summit County organizations, the broader non-Jewish community, Israel, and our overseas partners.
The CEO is accountable to the Board of Trustees and its elected Board President. The successful candidate will have demonstrated a record of accomplishments in fundraising and community engagement. The candidate must be an effective general manager of operations, an action-oriented relationship builder, and a collaborative and energetic leader.
The CEO will be familiar with Jewish traditions and values and understand contemporary Jewish life in terms of demographics, patterns of communal activity, and the roles of Jewish communal institutions and agencies in today’s world.
In each of the following areas, the successful candidate will have demonstrated the ability to lead a not-for-profit organization:
Strategic Planning
- Communicate a compelling vision for the JCBA's role in the local Jewish community and translate that vision and mission into a strategic plan, objectives, activities, and deliverables in ways that engage a broad community constituency
Fiscal Resource Development | Fundraising Skills
- Set the strategic direction and manage the JCBA's financial resource development activities
- Be a successful fundraiser by engaging directly with major donors, building, and sustaining relationships with them and their families, and helping them to realize their philanthropic goals for the community and constituent agencies
- Identify new donors, develop new strategies, and new donor engagement opportunities
- Implement strategies to attract new endowed gifts and strategically utilize existing endowment funds for the benefit of the Akron Jewish community
- Establish a JCBA development team to ensure financial sustainability of the organization and growth of its annual campaign
- Recruit, organize, and inspire fundraising volunteers to engage in donor cultivation and solicitation
Community Engagement
- Build personal and trusted relationships with major donors, volunteer leaders, stakeholders, JCBA professional staff, key agency leadership, clergy, and civic leaders
- Take responsibility for integrated community planning efforts that support the mission of the JCBA, particularly the development of short term and long-term strategies in relation to constituent agencies, synagogues and other community organizations
- Articulate and demonstrate passion for the JCBA's mission
- Maintain a positive presence and serve as a dynamic spokesperson in the Jewish and non-Jewish Akron communities
Marketing and Communications
- Initiate and maintain a strong communications program to all constituents in the community, providing honest and transparent updates and messaging
- Oversee the creation of overall messaging and marketing campaigns for the JCBA and its agencies that will result in greater awareness of the benefits that the JCBA and its agencies bring to the Akron Jewish community and Jewish communities throughout the world
Business Leadership and Management Skills
- Work with the Board, its committees, and professional staff to manage a governance structure that fosters effective partnerships
- Work with volunteer and professional leadership to develop the skills and knowledge required to build consensus on issues
- Provide oversight and work collaboratively with the directors of the JCBA’s three agencies to integrate their programming and operations into the JCBA’s overall mission and strategic plans
- Bachelor's or more advanced degree
- A minimum of 7 years’ management experience working for a for-profit, not-for-profit, or a combination of both
- A history of developing strong trusted relationships with a variety of key stakeholders, including major donors, donor prospects, and agency and community leaders, both professional and volunteer
- Proven strategic leadership
- An understanding of the fiscal and legal standards applicable to the management of a not-for-profit entity
- A successful track record of working with one or more Boards and an understanding of the volunteer-professional partnership Demonstrated ability to promote a creative, collaborative, and forward-thinking culture
- An experienced fundraiser and/or manager of multimillion dollar campaigns with a track record of successful fundraising accomplishments
- Successful experience leading a not-for-profit organization is highly desirable