What are the responsibilities and job description for the Mission Advocate position at The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod?
Mission Advocate
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Organization Profile
In grateful response to God’s grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities and the world.
The Mission Advancement unit of the LCMS works closely with Synod’s Communications unit to support the mission and ministry efforts of the Office of National Mission, the Office of International Mission, and Pastoral Education which all report to the Chief Mission Officer. The Chief Mission Officer, on behalf of the President, shall supervise fundraising activity of the national office according to the policies established by the Board of Directors of the Synod.
Reporting Relationships
In grateful response to God’s grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities and the world.
The Mission Advancement unit of the LCMS works closely with Synod’s Communications unit to support the mission and ministry efforts of the Office of National Mission, the Office of International Mission, and Pastoral Education which all report to the Chief Mission Officer. The Chief Mission Officer, on behalf of the President, shall supervise fundraising activity of the national office according to the policies established by the Board of Directors of the Synod.
Reporting Relationships
- Reports to the Associate Executive Director – Transformative Giving
Essential Job Functions
As an integral part of the Mission Advancement team the Mission Advocate:
- Designs and carries out intentional strategies to connect with, understand, and meet the philanthropic needs of household and organizational contributors giving annual gifts to the LCMS in the upper one-third of all contributors, typically $5,000 per year or more.
- Works other Advancement staff members to position other contributors for incorporation into his or her assigned portfolio, with a goal of managing 80-100 qualified relationships (based on recency, frequency, and total dollar value of contributions) on a recurring basis. This number will be fewer if the total financial capacity of the portfolio is higher; higher if the total financial capacity is low(er).
- Personally visit in person or by telephone with contributors and constituents for the purpose of qualifying major gift potential and timelines, encourage significant and meaningful charitable gifts, and capture relevant contributor information that may impact their charitable giving decisions.
- Accurately record all plans, interactions, actions and the results of conversations in the database system for future analysis and planning.
- Work with Prospect Researches to capture, validate and integrate accurate information on prospects and active contributor portfolio management.
- Work with and utilizes LCMS programmatic staff and leaders to help contributors and other constituents reach clarity about Synod’s mission, impact, prioritized and budgeted fundraising goals, special initiatives and special campaigns; and, upon reaching clarity, determine their personal role and stake in Synod’s mission.
- Give presentations in response to inquiries from LCMS congregations or organizations who are considering funding national and international work.
- Participate in the creation, evaluation, and necessary revisions of case statements and gift proposal formats based on donor feedback and performance data.
- Adhere to Synod policies and procedures, the Donor Bill of Rights and the Code of Ethical Principles for the performance of these duties and the expenditure of budgeted resources in carrying out these duties. Promptly submits accurate expense reports and documentation for charges incurred in the performance of these duties.
- Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Education and Experience
- Bachelors Degree
- One to three years’ experience in successful major gifts fund-raising is preferred
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Interest in developing professional relationships with contributors able to consider five-figure and higher direct gifts.
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills.
- Committed to the highest level of professional ethics, accountability and transparency.
- Knowledge and understanding of the LCMS and its stakeholder groups.
- Proficient using Microsoft Office suite products
- Comfortable using CRM/donor relations software to track work effort (Blackbaud experience preferred).
- Pleasant and confident phone skills, excellent computer, written and verbal skills and detail oriented.
- Able to carry on simultaneous, sustained work in a situation defined by deadlines and multiple assignments.
- Ability to work with minimal immediate supervision, make business-critical decisions and protect confidential information.
- Open to pursuing professional education and certification in the profession of contributor relations
- Comfortable working with a donor’s legal and financial advisors.
- Ability and willingness to travel extensively, 50% of the time.
- Ability and willingness to travel internationally to develop relationships with LCMS regional mission field staff and to gather firsthand impact stories from the mission field to share with internal and external partners.
- Able to accept and integrate coaching recommendations from senior staff into daily work patterns.
Supervisory Responsibility
None
None
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