Position Overview
The Vilna Shul: Boston's Center for Jewish Culture is a vibrant hub for Jewish arts, culture, and ideas housed in a historic synagogue building on Beacon Hill. The Development Operations Coordinator keeps the engine of The Vilna's fundraising running smoothly. This is a pivotal moment to join: The Vilna is in the midst of a $10M capital campaign, The Vilna Illuminated, which will transform our historic building and power our growth into one of Boston's leading cultural destinations. Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, this person is the team's operational backbone, processing and acknowledging gifts, maintaining the donor database, and ensuring that our reporting schedule for individuals and foundations is on track. This person also coordinates foundation and government grants, supports donor stewardship and communications, and serves as a brand ambassador at Vilna events. The ideal candidate is organized, proactive, and energized by moving many fundraising priorities forward at once.
Responsibilities
Development Operations & Database Management (45%)
- Maintain and ensure integrity of our donor database, including accurate tracking of gifts, interactions, and engagement.
- Support capital campaign operations, including pledge tracking and campaign reporting.
- Generate and maintain reports and dashboards to inform fundraising strategy and track progress to goals.
- Process, track, and acknowledge all philanthropic gifts and pledges, and reconcile records with the finance team.
- Conduct prospect research and compile findings into donor profiles for senior staff.
Grants Coordination & Project Management (30%)
- Maintain a comprehensive calendar of grant deadlines and reporting requirements.
- Coordinate workflows and materials for grant submissions and reporting.
- Contribute to drafting and editing grant applications as part of a collaborative team effort.
Donor Communications & Stewardship (15%)
- Support donor engagement cycles by tracking outreach, preparing materials for cultivation and solicitation, and ensuring timely stewardship follow-through.
- Collaborate with the marketing team on annual fund appeals, campaign copy, development website pages, and donor-facing collateral; contribute to social media content as needed.
Program & Event Support (10%)
- Support planning and execution of fundraising events.
- Staff an average of four events at The Vilna each month, contributing to a welcoming, well-run experience for all participants.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
- 2-4 years of relevant experience
- Exposure to or interest in grants and project management across multiple concurrent deadlines
- Experience with a CRM or donor database strongly preferred
- Demonstrated ability to master new data systems quickly
- Proficiency in Google Workspace and comfort working across cloud-based tools and platforms
- Interest in building and owning organizational systems and workflows
Ideal Qualities
- Aligned with The Vilna’s mission and values
- A natural project manager: enjoys spreadsheets and tracking systems, and thrives as the organizational hub keeping the development team's deadlines, workflows, and priorities on track
- People-oriented, comfortable and eager to engage with donors and program participants
- Takes initiative and works independently with curiosity, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn while also asking questions and collaborating with staff and volunteer leadership
- Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including drafting and editing clear copy
Requirements
- Willingness to work occasional nights and weekends
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
Salary range and benefits: $60,000–$70,000, commensurate with experience. Competitive benefits.
Apply Now Applications will close on Monday, August 3, 2026. Applicants will be interviewed on a rolling basis. To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume in one pdf using the apply button on this page or at https://vilnashul.org/about/careers. No phone calls please. If you are having trouble uploading, please email info@vilnashul.org. We thank you for your interest in career opportunities at The Vilna.
About The Vilna Shul: Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture
The Vilna Shul is a cultural center in a historic synagogue building in downtown Boston. Our mission is to spark excitement and curiosity about Jewish culture and our American immigrant story through vibrant and meaningful experiences. Our vision is to be a place where arts, culture, tradition and ideas power personal connections, community and the pursuit of a more inclusive society. To learn more, visit us at www.vilnashul.org.
The Vilna Shul provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, The Vilna Shul complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the organization has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.