About The Karsh Family Social Service Center
The Karsh Family Social Service Centeris located in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles and provides critical social services to individuals and families across the region, with a particular focus on vulnerable and underserved communities.
Guided by Jewish values and a commitment to dignity and inclusion, the Karsh Center connects individuals and families with essential resources including food assistance, legal services, health care, and community support. Through direct services and collaboration with trusted community partners, the Center works to strengthen stability, health, and opportunity for its neighbors.
The Karsh Center is a 501(c)(3) non-religious organization that serves as both a service provider and a community hub, bringing together volunteers, partner organizations, and local leaders to respond to evolving community needs. In the past year alone, the Center distributed more than 10,000 meals and provided legal assistance to hundreds of families.
In spring 2024, the Karsh Tikkun Olam Social Service Center (“Karsh West”) at Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Resnick Family Campus in Brentwood opened as an extension of the Karsh Center on the Westside. Karsh West does not currently provide direct client-facing on-site services but serves as a hub for volunteers and tikkun olam (repair the world), connecting a network of collaborators, organizations, and communities on the Westside and at the Karsh Center in Koreatown.
Mission
Guided by Jewish values, the Karsh Family Social Service Center improves the lives of the underserved by providing critical and accessible social services through direct service or collaboration with other providers, while also integrating significant volunteer opportunities to create a uniquely powerful way to help repair the world.
Vision
The Karsh Center believes that, by assessing community need, collaborating with other mission-aligned service providers, providing direct services, promoting volunteerism, and analyzing results against our goals, they will systematically create and support a safety net for individuals and families who are often marginalized in society, so that they may stand with dignity and build a future in which they grow and thrive.
Core Values
Community. The Karsh Center fosters a vibrant community by connecting clients, volunteers, and collaborators. Its goal is to create meaningful fellowship among everyone involved. Through accessible support programs, they empower clients, engage volunteers, and work closely with community partners, all with a commitment to shared growth and mutual understanding. Together, they’re building a supportive network that enhances each person’s experience and contributes to a resilient, unified community.
Innovation. The Karsh Center is committed to creating transformative solutions for complex community challenges. By embracing innovative methods and creative ideas, it strives to develop impactful approaches that not only address immediate needs but also foster long-term positive change. Karsh’s focus on innovation allows the organization to evolve as an organization, continually improving its services to better serve the community.
Service. The Karsh Center is devoted to making a positive impact by fostering opportunities for meaningful volunteer engagement. Through committed action and community support, Karsh works together to create a future where individuals can grow and thrive. Its mission is to help repair the world by empowering people to contribute in ways that make a lasting difference in its shared community.
Respect for the Individual. The Karsh Center honors and respects the individuality of every person by recognizing and appreciating their feelings, wishes, rights, and cultural diversity. Karsh Center’s commitment to respect fosters an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and understood, strengthening community connections.
Programs
The Karsh Family Social Service Center provides integrated social services designed to support the stability, health, and long-term well-being of individuals and families across Los Angeles, with a particular focus on the Koreatown community. Its work is organized across four primary areas:
Child and Parent Well-Being
Food and Nutritional Security
Health and Wellness
Community Services
Through these initiatives, the Center provides direct assistance such as food distribution, case management, legal consultations, and access to health services, while also connecting community members to educational programs, language learning opportunities, and other resources that strengthen long-term stability and opportunity.
Karsh Center works in partnership with a network of nonprofit collaborators, healthcare providers, and educational institutions to ensure that services remain accessible and responsive to community needs.
Detailed descriptions of programs and services can be found at: https://karshcenter.org/about-us/programs/.
Volunteer Engagement
Volunteer engagement is an important component of the Karsh Center’s work. Each year, hundreds of volunteers support the organization’s programs through activities such as food distribution, meal preparation, care kit assembly, and logistical support for community initiatives.
Volunteers also contribute professional expertise through partnerships that provide services such as legal consultations, health screenings, and educational workshops. These contributions expand the Center’s capacity to serve the community while strengthening connections between volunteers and the individuals and families the Center supports.
Karsh West: Tikkun Olam Social Service Center
Karsh West, located at Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Resnick Family Campus in Brentwood, extends the mission of the Karsh Family Social Service Center by creating opportunities for volunteer engagement and community participation.
Through service projects, educational gatherings, and partnerships with local organizations, Karsh West connects Temple members and community volunteers with initiatives addressing issues such as food insecurity, homelessness, and community well-being. These activities complement the direct services provided at the Koreatown campus and broaden the Center’s reach across Los Angeles.
Position Summary
The Director of Development serves as the senior fundraising leader for the Karsh Family Social Service Center and is responsible for designing and executing the organization’s overall development strategy.
Working in close partnership with the Executive Director and volunteer leadership, the Director of Development leads all philanthropic efforts supporting the Center’s $3.6 million operating budget and annual fundraising goal of approximately $1.9 million. The role oversees individual giving, institutional fundraising, events, and development communications while managing a small development team and engaging closely with volunteer leadership, including the Development Committee and Associate Board.
The Director of Development will play a central role in deepening relationships with donors, foundations, and community partners while strengthening a culture of philanthropy across the organization. This leader will translate the impact of the Karsh Center’s work into compelling opportunities for philanthropic partnership and ensure that fundraising strategies align with the Center’s mission and long-term priorities.
Because many of the Karsh Center’s philanthropic relationships are rooted in the Jewish community, experience working within Jewish nonprofit or communal organizations and raising funds in Jewish philanthropic networks will be important to the successful candidate’s onboarding and long-term success in the role.
Essential Job Functions
Individual Giving
Identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospects and donors.
Design and manage annual giving campaigns and appeals.
Develop and coordinate stewardship strategies that deepen engagement and increase donor retention.
Institutional Giving
Lead strategy for foundation, corporate, and institutional funding.
Oversee the preparation of grant proposals and reports.
Build relationships with institutional funders and coordinate site visits.
Event Management
Lead strategy and execution for fundraising and stewardship events.
Recruit and manage event committees and volunteer leadership.
Communications
Partner with leadership to ensure compelling donor communications that highlight program outcomes and community impact.
Administration + Management
Create and execute the annual development strategy in alignment with the Karsh Center’s fundraising goals.
Supervise a full-time Development Associate, a part-time Grants Manager, and development interns as appropriate.
Manage and support the Development Committee and co-lead Karsh Center’s Associate Board.
Monitor fundraising progress and prepare financial and narrative reports for leadership and volunteer stakeholders.
Oversee the tracking and documentation of all gifts in Raiser’s Edge.
Coordinate with the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Advancement Committee regarding fundraising initiatives and donor engagement strategies involving Temple members.
Qualifications
Required Skills + Abilities
Bachelor’s Degree required.
At least five to seven years of progressive fundraising experience, including experience with major gifts and annual campaigns.
Knowledge of communications and fundraising best practices.
Excellent computer skills, including knowledge of Raiser's Edge, Excel, and electronic communications (email, listserv, e-newsletters, MailChimp etc.).
Excellent emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and written and verbal communication skills.
Management and supervisory experience.
Experience working with volunteer leadership, especially Boards of Trustees.
Experience working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with an ability to handle multiple concurrent assignments and meet deadlines.
Preferred Skills + Abilities
Event coordinating experience.
Exposure to the Jewish non-profit community.
Knowledge of the workings of other social service providers.
Familiarity with the grant process: research, drafting, submission, and reporting.
Experience with WordPress, Double the Donation, GiveSmart, and Hatch AI.
Reporting Relationships
The Development Director serves as a member of the leadership team and reports to the Executive Director. This role supervises a full-time Development Associate and a part-time Grants Manager, as well as occasional development interns.
Location
This position is based in Los Angeles, CA,and offers a hybrid schedule. The successful candidate must live within a reasonable driving distance of the office located at 3750 West 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90020.
Compensation + Benefits
The salary range for this position is $130,000-$140,000. The Karsh Center offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
Medical/Rx, dental, and vision benefits
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Life and disability
403 (b) Retirement Savings Plan
Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and more…
Complete details on the benefits package will be provided to candidates upon request.
The Karsh Center actively reflects diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in its organizational governance, volunteer structure, clientele, and staffing, valuing all backgrounds, roles, voices, and contributions. That includes a continuous internal dialogue and understanding among leadership and staff for what equity work means in the context of the Karsh Center and the community in which we work.
As a reflection of Cooper Coleman’s commitment to equity and equal pay for all, we require that salary ranges or salary starting points be published for every search we conduct. The practice of not posting salaries perpetuates the gender and racial wage gap and discriminates against women, people of color, and other historically excluded populations by causing individuals to negotiate from a disadvantaged starting point.
Submission Instructions (read carefully)
To apply, click the apply now button and complete the brief application. All expressions of interest must be made through this link.
Cooper Coleman LLC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or identity, age, ability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.
Background Checks + Credentials Verification
Before sending your resume for this position, please read it over for accuracy. Cooper Coleman verifies its candidates' employment and academic credentials at the time of offer, and our clients frequently conduct background checks before finalizing an offer.