Cook Silverman Seeks Chief Development Officer for The Osher Marin JCC

May 4, 2023 – Greenbrae, CA-based Cook Silverman Search has been retained by The Osher Marin Jewish Community Center (JCC) to lead its search for a new chief development officer. The JCC is seeking a chief development officer to energize donors and build on its recent successes to support its mission and accelerate its fundraising efforts to support growth and sustainability.

Over the last three years, the JCC has increased its charitable revenue from 11 percent of its total annual budget to 25 percent and has grown from an annual $1.5 fundraising program to that of $3.5 million. At the same time, it has put in place best practices and techniques necessary to engage its leaders in meaningful fundraising activity. “It is an exciting time for the new CDO who will be able to build on recent success and grow fundraising to match future aspirations of the JCC,” Cook Silverman said.

The search firm is looking for candidates that are highly enthusiastic about growing a development program to a new level. Candidates should be committed to supporting and promoting an internal and external culture of philanthropy. The firm is seeking a warm and inviting leader who enjoys welcoming others to the table. In addition, candidates must be committed to supporting and promoting an internal and external culture of philanthropy.

Since its founding in 1948, the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center has played a vital role in Marin County. The organization proudly celebrates and sustains Jewish culture and stands as a beacon of tolerance and inclusion for all.

Additional Competencies

• Ten+ years’ progressive fundraising experience with a sizable, high-performing organization that includes annual, major, capital, and planned fundraising; demonstrated success in securing major gifts will be an advantage as will experience identifying and stewarding long-term relationships with donors with evolving priorities.
• Demonstrated track record and success in curating meaningful donor opportunities based on existing and new initiatives and cultivating and soliciting.
• Demonstrated skills in motivating, directing and managing staff, and in coordinating and supporting the fundraising activities of others, including board leadership; outstanding interpersonal skills.
• A good listener and strategist; comfortable receiving input from many sources, and able to analyze and formulate disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan; gravitas to challenge assumptions and stay focused on institutional priorities.

West Coast Non-Profit Recruiters

Cook Silverman Search focuses on senior development positions for not-for-profit organizations, predominantly in Northern California. Its client base represents a broad span of organizations, including independent schools, universities and faith-based organizations, as well as those serving conservation, health care, social service, museums, science and culture. The firm has placed advancement executives for Peninsula Family Service, Moreau Catholic High School, Children’s Council of San Francisco, and Pinewood School, among others.

Victoria L. Silverman is managing founder of Cook Silverman Search. She has more than 30 years of experience in the philanthropic sector. Throughout her career, she has worked in senior fundraising, advancement, and management positions at Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of California, the American Film Institute, and the Buck Institute for Age Research, among others. Her search work focuses on higher education, the arts, biotech and environment sectors. She has been speaker for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and has served on fundraising advisory committees for several non-profit organizations.

Chief Development Officers

Virtually every industry needs top-drawer chief development officers. CDOs play a key role in planning, coordinating and administering capital campaigns, corporate giving and galvanizing new donors while keeping previous funders content. Implementing funding strategies that “keep the lights on,” according to recruiters specializing in the function, is job one.

Recruiters continue to report that CDOs are in high demand. Fundraising prowess and having an ability to drive growth are essential parts of the job in nearly every competitive organization today. Recruiters generally say that the best training for these positions is experience, noting that there are many industry conferences and summits that are beneficial for benchmarking and sharing of best practices.

Here is a sampling of recent searches for chief development officers from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Diversified Search Group (DSG), a leading search firm backed by private equity firm ShoreView Industries, has been enlisted to find a chief development officer for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy in Washington, D.C. The assignment is being led by Gerard F. Cattie Jr., Manuel A. Gongon Jr., Ian McCray, and Beth Reeves. “The foundation is seeking a seasoned, entrepreneurial fundraising leader to propel its philanthropic future in a period of rapid growth,” said DSG.

Los Angeles-based Shelli Herman and Associates has been selected by Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County (SHFB) to lead its search for a chief development officer. At the start of 2022, Shelli Herman & Associates helped recruit Claudia Bonilla Keller as CEO. The new CDO will actively partner with Ms. Bonilla Keller, who aspires to uplift the mission and provide dignified, equitable, and consistent access to nutritious food, creating a foundation for community health. The chief development officer will play an important role in the creation and execution of the food bank’s future strategy, especially as it relates to philanthropy.”

Executive search and non-profit consulting firm KEES has placed Michelle Jimenez as the first chief development officer of the Maryville Academy Foundation in Des Plaines, IL. This was the first search partnership for KEES and Maryville Academy Foundation, following a competitive selection process to identify a search partner. The comprehensive search attracted several qualified candidates from across the Midwest. “The future holds enormous potential for Maryville Foundation, and we are thrilled to have led this search,” said Heather Eddy, president and CEO of KEES.

Related: Cook Silverman Search Seeks CDO for San Francisco Non-Profit Glide

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media