Chief Development Officer
The Society of St. Edmund, Edmundite Southern Missions
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Position Summary

Located in Selma, Alabama, the Society of St. Edmund's Southern Missions is a highly respected non-profit organization nationally known for responding to the absolute human needs of poor and marginalized Blacks across the Southern Black Belt for more than 70 years.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Chief Development Officer will be responsible for creating, directing and implementing effective national direct mail and donor-centered fundraising strategies, tactics and initiatives to effectively link low, mid-level, and major gift prospects and donors to the Edmundite mission in meaningful ways. This highly visible leadership position will lead an integrated fund development program and team of 10 to identify and target direct mail donors and prospects; nurture and cultivate donor relationships, solicit major gifts, and create and implement stewardship plans to raise $7 to $10 million to bring help and hope to poor Blacks through food, clothing, shelter and education ministries across four rural counties in the South.

Qualifications and Attributes

The Chief Development Officer will be an articulate and visionary leader with the ability to guide and continue to build a successful, national direct mail program, while creating and implementing innovative donor-centered strategies to educate, motivate, inform and inspire donors to make a difference in the lives of poor and marginalized Blacks in the Deep South. The ideal candidate will grasp the Southern Black experience intuitively and critically to articulate mission, values, vision and compelling cases to multiple audiences, one-on-one and through formal proposals and presentations.

Seven to 10 years of experience leading fund development teams to higher levels of success is essential and direct mail expertise is vital. CFRE is preferred.

Position Description

The Chief Development Officer will be an imaginative, dynamic, development professional with a passion for mission that is capable of leveraging fundraising experience to design, build and implement a successful, comprehensive fund development strategy. This individual will create, execute, and supervise a donor-centered annual plan and case for support to inspire and lead the fund development staff to maintain and sustain the Edmundite Missions legacy in the South. To that end, responsibilities include:

• Design, establish, and maintain an organizational structure and staffing to effectively accomplish the organization's goals and objectives
• Facilitate the strategic design, organization, and implementation of both short- and long-term development plans to strengthen the organization's financial resources
• Work closely and effectively with the Executive Director, Director of Marketing and Communications, Programs Director and the Board to develop budgets, identify funding priorities, outline programs and ministries, and achieve consensus on appropriate funding initiatives
• Develop and manage annual development budgets for the organization and perform periodic cost and productivity analyses
• Direct all aspects of fund development including annual giving, major and planned giving, on-line/web-based giving, capital efforts as necessary, and administration and reporting of department efforts
   
• In tandem with the Executive Director:
  • Strategically design, organize, and implement short- and long-term development plans to strengthen the financial resources of the Southern Missions
  • Prepare and implement the annual fund plan and long-range plan
  • Create and share a compelling case for support with prospects and donors, highlighting ministries in the South
  • Maintain and sustain donor relationships through effective and highly specialized stewardship initiatives
  • Create and ensure synergy between direct mail appeals, program funding and donor development
• Lead and manage the planned giving program to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospects and donors
• Lead and manage all aspects of the major gifts program to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects and donors of $1,000 and above
• Develop prospect lists for annual fund gifts, endowment, and planned gifts
• Maintain active efforts to evaluate prospects identified through fieldwork, screening, rating, and research
• Effectively engage the Executive Director, Programs Director and Outreach Ministry Directors in the major gift and planned giving solicitation process
• Identify, maintain and sustain a portfolio of major gift prospects (100-200)
• Create a personalized stewardship plan for Top 100-200 prospective donors with high capacity for new and upgraded gifts
• Develop detailed timelines and next move gift strategies to ensure systematic, direct contact and follow up with major gift prospects and donors in person, in writing, and by telephone
• Conduct major donor research, including use of donor database for accurate tracking of contacts, pledges and gifts for the major gifts program
• Work with Executive Director to document development progress and provide timely development progress reports to the Board
• Effectively promote development efforts and educate the internal and external communities and the constituency at large
• Conduct staff meetings to inspire, motivate and coordinate all fundraising efforts
• Work closely with national consultants to further expand all fundraising efforts
• Willingness to travel as needed

Southern Missions offers a competitive salary and benefit package, including relocation. Please send cover letter, resume, references, salary requirements and three writing samples to: Ms. Sandra G. Ehrlich, CFRE, Director, Fund Development Services, Zielinski Companies, 2150 Hampton Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, 63139 or Email: sehrlich@zielinskico.com

For more information about the Society of St. Edmund's Southern Missions, please log on to: www.edmunditemissions.org

Mission Statement: "Rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Edmundite Southern Missions stands with poor Black children, families and elders as we feed the poor, clothe the needy, shelter the homeless and educate God's people to break the yoke of poverty in the Deep South."

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