The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development
Washington, D.C. | Full-time, On-site
About The Jerusalem Fund
Established in 1977 by Dr. Hisham Sharabi and colleagues, The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Washington, DC. Through its three core programs—The Palestine Center (policy and public education), The Humanitarian Link (humanitarian and medical support), and Gallery Al-Quds (arts and culture)—the Fund works to:
- Foster greater awareness about Palestine, past and present, in the United States and abroad;
- Support Palestinian educational, cultural, and humanitarian initiatives in Palestine and the diaspora;
- Preserve and amplify Palestinian stories, memory, and culture at a pivotal moment for Palestine.
Position Summary
The Finance, Grants & Development Program Manager is a key full-time staff position that brings together financial operations, grants administration, donor stewardship, and development systems under one role.
Working under the supervision of the Executive Director, this position owns the Fund’s day-to-day finance and accounting functions, supports budgeting and financial reporting, manages the grants cycle for the Humanitarian Link and related initiatives, and helps strengthen donor stewardship and development operations across the institution.
This is a role for someone who is comfortable moving between numbers, systems, relationships, and mission-driven work: maintaining accurate books in QuickBooks, preparing grants materials with strong due diligence, processing gifts carefully, supporting donor communications, and helping the organization operate with professionalism and integrity in a small-team environment.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, good with numbers, deeply committed to Palestine, and able to work across functions when needed. The role also requires sound judgment in handling sensitive financial and donor information, strong written communication, and a serious interest in how responsible AI tools can strengthen nonprofit work without replacing human judgment.
Reports to: Executive Director
Works closely with: Executive Director; Program & Communications Manager; Administrative & Operations Assistant; Board Treasurer and relevant Board committees; interns and volunteers
Supervises: Interns, volunteers, and occasional contractors as assigned
Key Responsibilities
1. Finance, Accounting & Financial Operations
- Own the Fund’s day-to-day financial and accounting functions under the supervision of the Executive Director.
- Maintain accurate financial records in Intuit QuickBooks, including coding income and expenses to the appropriate funds, programs, and accounts.
- Record, organize, and reconcile transactions across the Fund’s financial systems, ensuring clear documentation and audit readiness.
- Prepare regular financial reports and internal summaries for the Executive Director, Treasurer, Executive Committee, Board, and auditors, including budget-to-actual tracking and other financial snapshots as needed.
- Help monitor cash flow, restricted and unrestricted funds, and program allocations, and flag issues promptly to the Executive Director.
- Support the annual budget process by preparing background materials, projections, and financial tracking documents in coordination with the Executive Director.
- Review invoices, reimbursement materials, receipts, and supporting documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and proper filing.
- Support payroll administration through ADP, including timekeeping review, payroll preparation support, and maintenance of related records in coordination with the Executive Director.
- Maintain organized digital and physical financial files for audits, Form 990 preparation, state registrations, and other compliance needs.
- Help strengthen and document internal financial procedures, controls, and workflows so that finance operations remain clear, consistent, and resilient.
2. Grants Administration, Due Diligence & Partner Relations
- Manage the full grants cycle for The Humanitarian Link and related grantmaking activities.
- Maintain the grants calendar, track deadlines, and help prepare materials for grants review and committee processes.
- Review grant applications for completeness, clarity, fit, and institutional quality.
- Conduct due diligence on applicant organizations, including review of registration materials, websites or public profiles, governance information, and sanctions screening procedures as required by the Fund’s practices.
- Prepare staff short forms, internal summaries, recommendation materials, and eliminated lists for committee review in a clear, practical, and consistent format.
- Draft grant-related communications, including award letters, decline messages, grant terms, and follow-up correspondence.
- Track grant disbursements, reporting deadlines, final reports, and supporting documentation in coordination with the Executive Director.
- Maintain accurate grant files and records for internal reporting, donor communication, institutional memory, and audit purposes.
- Serve as an organized and professional point of contact for partner organizations and applicants, especially in relation to documentation, deadlines, and reporting requirements.
- Help translate grant outcomes into usable institutional knowledge and donor-facing impact narratives where appropriate.
3. Development Operations & Donor Stewardship
- Process incoming gifts accurately and promptly, including checks, online donations, wires, and other contributions, ensuring they are coded correctly by fund, campaign, and program.
- Coordinate deposit preparation and maintain accurate gift records in the Fund’s donor management system.
- Prepare and track donor acknowledgements, tax receipts, annual giving summaries, and other stewardship communications in a timely and professional manner.
- Maintain the integrity of donor records through regular data review, clean-up, updates, and documentation.
- Work with donor management systems effectively and help strengthen the Fund’s development operations, whether by managing current systems well or learning new systems quickly as institutional needs evolve.
- Respond to donor inquiries with professionalism, warmth, discretion, and attention to detail.
- Support donor stewardship strategy by helping identify lapsed donors, recurring-giving opportunities, donor segments, and follow-up needs.
- Assist with development-related reporting for leadership and Board review.
- Support annual appeals, emergency fundraising efforts, donor events, and campaign tracking in coordination with the Executive Director and Program & Communications Manager.
- Help ensure that donor intent is respected and that contributions are documented and handled in line with organizational policies and nonprofit best practice.
4. Reporting, Compliance & Institutional Systems
- Prepare clear, well-organized internal reports related to finance, development, and grants for the Executive Director, Treasurer, Executive Committee, Board, and relevant committees.
- Support compliance with nonprofit financial, grantmaking, and donor stewardship requirements, including documentation needed for audits, annual filings, and state registrations.
- Maintain strong internal records and standard operating procedures for finance, development, and grants workflows.
- Help ensure continuity of institutional knowledge by documenting processes, timelines, and responsibilities in a usable way.
- Work carefully with confidential financial, donor, personnel, and partner information, maintaining a high standard of discretion and professionalism.
5. AI, Digital Tools & Continuous Improvement
- Use generative AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and NotebookLM responsibly and effectively for tasks such as first-draft writing, summarization, workflow support, data review, and internal analysis.
- Apply strong human judgment, editing, verification, and ethical review to all AI-assisted work, especially where donor data, financial information, grant materials, or politically sensitive content are involved.
- Help identify practical, mission-aligned uses of AI in nonprofit administration, development operations, grants processing, financial reporting support, and institutional workflow improvement.
- Stay current on AI literacy and emerging tools relevant to nonprofit work, including values-driven approaches to adoption and governance.
6. Teamwork, Cross-Coverage & Institutional Life
- Contribute to a professional, mission-driven, and collaborative office culture.
- Provide reasonable cross-coverage across core organizational functions during staff absences, vacations, peak periods, and major events, as directed by the Executive Director.
- Maintain at least a working familiarity with adjacent institutional functions so that essential operations can continue smoothly when coverage is needed.
- Support interns, volunteers, and junior staff assigned to finance, development, grants, or administrative tasks.
- Assist with occasional evening or weekend events and related operational needs when required.
- Uphold all Board-approved policies and internal expectations related to attendance, confidentiality, professionalism, and institutional conduct.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, International Development, Middle East Studies, Palestine Studies, or a related discipline.
- 3+ years of relevant professional experience across several of the following areas: nonprofit finance and accounting, grants administration, donor relations, development operations, CRM/database management, or similar mission-driven organizational work.
- Demonstrated ability to own day-to-day financial operations with care and accuracy under senior supervision.
- Experience using Intuit QuickBooks for nonprofit or small-organization financial work, including financial recordkeeping, coding, and reconciliation.
- Experience supporting payroll, budget tracking, reporting, audits, or related financial operations.
- Experience processing gifts, preparing donor acknowledgements or tax receipts, and maintaining accurate development records.
- Experience working with donor management systems, databases, or CRMs, or a clear demonstrated ability to learn new systems quickly and well.
- Experience handling grants administration, proposal review, due diligence, reporting, or related work.
- Strong numerical ability, attention to detail, and comfort working with spreadsheets, records, financial documentation, and multi-step workflows.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Demonstrated knowledge of Palestine and the broader Middle East, including historical context and current developments.
- Strong organizational judgment, discretion, and professionalism in handling sensitive financial and donor information.
- Ability to work full-time, in person, in Washington, DC, and to contribute to a small-team environment where flexibility and cross-coverage matter.
- Legally authorized to work full-time in the United States for any employer. The Jerusalem Fund is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.
Preferred Experience, Skills & Competencies
- Professional proficiency in Arabic (written and/or spoken), especially for communication with Palestinian partner organizations and engagement with regional materials.
- Advanced study or graduate-level work in Middle East Studies, Palestine Studies, International Affairs, Nonprofit Management, Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- Experience in a small, mission-driven nonprofit, think tank, cultural institution, or humanitarian organization where staff work across multiple functions.
- Familiarity with nonprofit financial controls, audits, Form 990 preparation support, and state charitable registration processes.
- Experience with international or cross-border grantmaking, including documentation, due diligence, sanctions screening, and partner follow-up.
- Familiarity with donor segmentation, fundraising reporting, campaign tracking, and development operations strategy.
- Experience collaborating on donor-facing materials, annual appeals, stewardship pieces, or development communications.
- Familiarity with email marketing tools and basic digital systems used in nonprofit operations.
- Interest in responsible AI use in nonprofit settings, including Anthropic’s AI for Nonprofits certification and related AI fluency frameworks.
- Ability to move comfortably between accounting detail, institutional process, and mission-centered communication.
Work Schedule, Compensation & Benefits
- Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, on-site in Washington, DC, typically Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., with occasional evening or weekend hours for events or time-sensitive needs.
- Compensation: Low 60s. Salary commensurate with experience.
- Benefits: Benefits are provided in accordance with organizational policies for full-time staff and include health insurance, paid holidays, and leave benefits.
- Professional Development: This position offers room for growth in nonprofit finance, grants management, development operations, AI-enabled workflow improvement, and Palestine-focused institutional leadership.
How to Apply
Please submit your application below no later than May 1, 2026.
Applications should be uploaded as one single document containing:
- Cover letter
- Résumé
- List of three professional references/recommenders
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews may be scheduled before the deadline for candidates whose backgrounds are a strong fit.
If you have questions or have trouble filling the form, please send your application to info@thejerusalemfund.org
