Posted on September 23, 2009

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Chief Executive Officer

Organization: The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) is the only national organization dedicated to galvanizing the field of nonprofit Jewish resident camp and increasing the number of children participating in transformative experiences at Jewish camp. FJC helps assure a vibrant North American Jewish community by:

• Increasing awareness about the value of Jewish summer camps to families and communities. Expanding access to and intensifying demand for local camp programs through communication, outreach, and incentive/scholarship programs.
• Providing vital resources and cutting-edge strategies to enable the field to better serve campers and increase market share.
• Developing capacity by nurturing and creating new camp initiatives, models, and programs.
• Advocating to Jewish organizations, foundations, and thought-leaders on behalf of the field of Jewish camping.
• Providing training and leadership development programs to camp leaders and staff.

FJC co-founders Robert Bildner and Elisa Spungen Bildner created the FJC in 1998 because they recognized that Jewish camps were highly effective in transforming campers' and counselors' Jewish identities but were frustrated that, in spite of their impressive track record, Jewish camps had not received their fair share of resources and support from most segments of the Jewish community. Since the foundation's inception, the landscape of Jewish camping has been dramatically improved. The FJC's professional development and capacity building programs, coupled with community building initiatives, convening of camp leaders, and advocacy efforts has ensured that the Jewish summer camp experience is now at the forefront of the community's agenda. FJC's phenomenal growth has been made possible by the collective efforts of a passionate and committed Board, high-profile funders, a high performing and dedicated leadership team, and many key constituents from the Jewish camp movement.

FJC has a staff of 23, an operating budget of $23M and works with more than 150 Jewish camps across the entire spectrum of Jewish sponsored camps encompassing 70,000 campers and 12,000 counselors across North America. The FJC has a deep and focused mission, a passionate and engaged board of directors, and is strong financially. These critical factors provide the FJC with a tremendous platform for continued growth and development of its innovative programming.

Grants and Programs:

Only 10% of camper-aged children currently attend a Jewish summer camp. Because camp inspires a lifetime commitment to the Jewish people, FJC does everything it can to make Jewish camp the summer community for every Jewish child. To achieve this goal, the Foundation offers various innovative professional development programs, grants, fellowships, convening opportunities, capacity building, and general advocacy on behalf of Jewish camps. Below is a representative list of innovative and collaborative hallmark programs with overall funding of nearly $100M.

The Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) exposes seasoned professionals in the field of Jewish camp with the business, management, and leadership skills required to enrich their camps and compete in the summer marketplace. The primary goal of ELI is to further develop camp director's strategic capabilities and leadership skills. Launched in 2006 and generously funded by The Marcus Foundation, ELI weaves the best of private sector practice in leadership and management development together with Jewish values and ethics to create the premier training program for camp professional leaders. Camp leaders “graduate” with the knowledge to take their board, staff, and camp to the next level. Since its inception, 19 directors have graduated and a second cohort will graduate in December 2009.

The Cornerstone Fellowship, made possible by the generosity of the AVI CHAI Foundation, empowers third-year Jewish bunk counselors to view themselves as Jewish role models for both campers and younger counselors alike. The program imparts counselor skills, best practices in Jewish content programming, and teambuilding exercises. The Cornerstone Fellowship has trained nearly 1,200 college-aged camp counselors over the last seven years.

Specialty Camps Incubator nurtures promising entrepreneurial projects with financial aid, technical assistance, and a platform for peer learning. Based on this model, the Specialty Camps Incubator accelerates the launch of potentially successful camp ventures. Through a rigorous national selection process by a team of independent advisors, the Incubator accepted camp concepts with robust Jewish missions and strong business plans. The program, generously funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, will yield new Jewish specialty camps to attract Jewish children entering grades six through twelve. To date, the Incubator has helped open 5 new camps that are accepting kids for summer 2010.

Campership Incentive Program (CIP) is a bold partnership between local organizations, including federations, religious movements, camps, and foundations, and the FJC that enabled Jewish summer camps to welcome nearly 6,500 first-time campers in 2009 (including the JWest program detailed below). Over the past two years this partnership has increased demand for Jewish summer camp through financial incentives. CIP uses a monetary incentive to tip the scales in favor of Jewish summer camp. Once new campers experience the magic of Jewish summer camp, they're likely to return again and again. CIP helps local Jewish organizations get the program off the ground by providing seed funding as part of a matching fund model.

The Foundation for Jewish Camp's JWest Campership Program awards financial incentives to first-time campers entering 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. This program seeks to increase the number of Jewish youth who attend overnight Jewish summer camps in the western United States and is made possible by a generous grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation. The program just completed its second year.

Leaders Assembly convenes hundreds of professionals, philanthropists, Jewish communal leaders and lay leaders from the camping field across the entire United States to learn, share, and innovate. The Leaders Assembly is a unique and powerful unifying event. It is the fields most comprehensive and high profile opportunity to address the challenges and opportunities of professional development and capacity building in Jewish summer camps. Leaders representing all expressions of Jewish life take this time to shape the future of the Jewish summer camp movement. The first two Assemblies were exceptionally well received and the next is planned for March 2010. The conference is organized by the entire FJC staff working tirelessly to ensure the delivery of an exciting, uplifting and a world class event.

Position: Reporting to a 22 member board, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will continue to lead the FJC in its growth, maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit that has been the hallmark of its success.

The successful candidate will continue to identify new segments of the Jewish community to serve with new and innovative products. S/he will have a keen understanding of the power of partnership and leverage in delivering mission. This is a compelling opportunity for a strategic and entrepreneurial executive passionate about Jewish continuity and helping nonprofit Jewish camps provide transformative summer experiences for kids and their families.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Vision and Leadership:

• Drive the momentum of FJC's success and maintain the foundation's reputation as the central address for information on Jewish camping by meeting with camp leadership, speaking at conferences, working with investors, and partnering with key leaders to leverage support and maximize the impact of Jewish camp in the community.
• Strengthen the foundation's role in promoting Jewish camping as a central Jewish communal activity by continuing to provide innovative products and services that professionally develop camp leaders, future camp directors, as well as enhance camp facilities thus encouraging families to choose nonprofit Jewish summer camp over for profit or secular opportunities in the marketplace.
• Provide leadership, direction, and support to the field by listening to the needs of camp directors and FJC partners, deepening relationships, and creating new products and services that meet the needs of various segments of the Jewish population based on geography, socio-economic factors, and program content.
• Serve as the primary liaison to the board and major donors, ensuring they are appropriately engaged and recognized. Continuously be alert for potential additions to the board to keep it and the committee leadership fresh and energized.

Development and Public Relations:

• Recruit, retain, and lead a high performing development department.
• Develop and implement a multi-faceted campaign to broaden the base of the foundation's financial support and substantially increase the foundation's annual revenue. Seek innovative ways to leverage funds so that they have maximum impact.
• Continue to partner with the Board to attract and develop high impact funders and ensure that funds are allocated properly to reflect present needs, future potential, and support achievement of the mission.
• Maintain existing relationships and establish new ones with key funders in the world of Jewish camping and in the Jewish community at large.
• Ensure that the Foundation is receiving frequent and appropriate press coverage to maintain its “top of mind” status as the go-to source for information about, and advocacy for, nonprofit Jewish overnight camps, providing leadership, expertise, and financial resources to camps, campers, and their families across North America.

Team/Organizational Leadership:

• Partner with the Chief Operating Officer to translate the strategies and priorities of FJC into result-oriented action plans. Ensure the effective operation of the foundation ensuring internal processes and systems are aligned to deliver the highest quality programs and services to the field.
• In collaboration with the Financial Controller, provide guidance, and leadership in the development of the organization's budgets and reporting and ensure the maintenance of best practices in all aspects of its financial operations.
• Together with the Director of Human Resources, support, and promote a results-oriented and "coaching" culture that values strong links between individual and team performance and overall organizational performance measures. Map skills required for future success of team members and initiatives, and identify professional development opportunities to support these. Develop policies to ensure the recruitment and retention of "top-tier" personnel.
• Maintain rigorous guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of the work of the Foundation and its grantees.

Professional Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree required; advanced degree highly regarded.
• A proven track record of success as a CEO, President or divisional leader of a rapidly evolving, market driven, service-oriented and entrepreneurial organization; a minimum of 15 years of overall professional experience and ideally 10-plus years of executive management experience.
• An entrepreneurial business savvy and politically astute leader with the ability to set clear priorities, delegate and guide investment in people and systems; organization and problem solving skills which support and enable sound decision making.
• Excellent financial management skills in budgeting, forecasting, and reporting are required.
• Strong leadership skills with an ability to partner with a high powered and active volunteer Board of Directors.
• The foresight, charisma, and creativity to identify and implement strategies that diversify funding streams and maximize fundraising opportunities particularly unrestricted funding.
• Effective presenter with an ability to represent FJC in any setting including individual camps, public speaking events, high profile funders, and to all Jewish leaders across the spectrum of the Jewish world.
• Excellent coalition building skills with an ability to communicate and work effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders; a persuasive negotiator able to achieve consensus amongst differing opinions.
• A successful track record of managing significant growth of organizations and service offerings; setting organizational strategy, leveraging activities, and resources where appropriate; developing and supervising staff, and serving as a spokesperson for an organization.
• Demonstrated success of guiding the implementation of business processes, infrastructure, and internal organizational systems needs of a growing organization.
• Experience in coaching and developing professional staff and a successful track record of recruiting and retaining high performing teams.
• A combination of both for and nonprofit experience is ideal; management of a complex, innovative, and entrepreneurial organization is highly preferred.

Personal Qualifications:

• A passion for and belief in the importance of Jewish camping and more broadly Jewish continuity and its role in the larger Jewish community. A genuine comfort level with, and respect for, all segments of the Jewish community.
• Exposure to Jewish camping through either personal experience or through family involvement preferable.
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills and an ability to convey the importance of nonprofit Jewish camping to donors, the Jewish community at large and collaborators. Ability to develop and enrich foundation, business and community relationships to further the organization's reach and effectiveness.
• Equivalent demonstrated commitment to delivering high quality services and products adding value to the field; in this case helping Jewish camps to attain a degree of excellence and a positive alternative to private and secular camps.
• An entrepreneurial spirit that is constantly seeking new opportunities and flourishes in high growth environments; demonstrated ability to think strategically and opportunistically.
• Innovative and a consummate team player. Capacity for managing and leading exceptionally talented colleagues; a leader who can positively and productively impact both strategic and tactical finance, operations, and administration objectives as well as programmatic initiatives.
• Comfortable in using the language specific to the issues of Jewish community and continuity.
• Unflappable; grace under fire.
• Significant travel required.

Foundation for Jewish Camp is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position. The Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit organization, serves diverse organizations and is committed to building high-performing teams that mirror the communities we serve.

To Apply: If interested please e-mail your resume in Word and indicate in your cover letter where you learned of the opportunity.

The Bridgespan Group
E-mail: fjc@bridgespan.org

Find out more by visiting the organization's web site»

Job Type: Executive
Organization Type: Nonprofit Organizations