Slingshot Description

Slingshot was founded by a small group of next generation funders who wanted a way to explore and support innovative Jewish projects.

Our signature product, Slingshot: A Resource Guide to Jewish Innovation is a guidebook first created in 2005 to help next generation funders and volunteers find organizations in the alphabet soup of the Jewish community that resonate with their lives. Slingshot highlights the 50 most innovative nonprofits in North American Jewish life each year.

Slingshot also runs a giving circle for funders in their 20s and 30s to learn about innovative Jewish projects, network with each other, and explore Jewish life. For many members, Slingshot offers the first opportunity to read a grant proposal, go on a site visit, or discuss how personal values may influence a funding decision. The Slingshot Fund is also unique among giving circles because its membership changes and evolves each year. Members often join the Slingshot Fund for two or three cycles and go on to become board members at Slingshot, lay leaders of organizations listed in the guide and more involved with local Jewish life including Federations, Synagogues and JCCs.

Slingshot was born as an annual resource guide for funders to explore innovative Jewish life, but has become an important center of gravity for the Jewish innovation space. Slingshot has proven itself adept at advocacy, lay leadership training, and convening, in addition to other functions that are critical for the future of innovative Jewish life.

We are seeking a creative, passionate and driven individual to join our team.

Purpose of Position

• Primary point of contact for the organizations featured in the Slingshot resource guide, for the professional evaluators who help create the guide and will oversee the process of producing the guide, including the design, writing and printing.

• Oversee the production of any supplemental additions of Slingshot, including two special editions in 2015.

• Support Slingshot’s other program work, especially our work with funders in their 20s and 30s.

• The Program Manager will also be an integral part of the team that maps out Slingshot’s growth and development as an organization. This position is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial professional to play a significant role with a growing organization. Working for Slingshot is the best experience you can have managing relationships with dozens of innovative leaders, public speaking, working on multiple exciting projects at once and learning about the community of innovative Jewish organizations in North America.

Essential Job Functions

• Oversee the process of creating the annual Slingshot guide including managing relationships with evaluators, ensuring the integrity of the evaluation process and writing and distributing the guide and all supplements.

• Foster opportunities to deepen the connections between organizations listed in the guide.

• Develop creative ways to promote the organizations in the guide to funders and program participants.

• Promote the value of innovation in Jewish life in the larger Jewish community.

Additional Job Functions

• Develop and find support for new programs across the country.

• Ideal candidate will participate in conversations about Slingshot’s overall strategic planning, communications, board development and fundraising, as well as help implement select projects.

• Participate in oversight of website redesign and social media strategy as well as support ongoing maintenance and upkeep of Slingshotfund.org

• Support other aspects of Slingshot’s work as needed such as planning Slingshot Day and other events.

The ideal candidate will meet the following criteria:

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Strong convener and connector who brings passion to working with the Jewish Community

• Comfortable working with funders

• Exceptional writing skills

• Experience planning and executing events and programs

• Ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines

• Ability to succeed in a small, entrepreneurial environment

• Communicate effectively with donors, prospects, leads and Board members, both verbally and in writing

• Interest in working in the Jewish community

• Excellent attention to quality and detail

Suggested qualifications

• An awareness of/interest in cutting edge innovations in technology and culture

• Aptitude for fundraising required

• Experience working with innovative Jewish projects is preferred

• Knowledge of generations X and Y valuable

• Occasional travel is required

• Must be willing to participate in occasional meetings in the evening and on weekends

Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with experience. Additional details available upon interview.

Please send a brief cover letter and a resume to [email protected].