The Development Lead is responsible for developing, supporting, and leading the Development Department as they meet and exceed the expanding revenue goals of YFC USA. The Development Lead works to manage the donor development function of YFC USA with operational excellence while providing accountability and oversight to all vendor partnerships.
The successful candidate is a seasoned development professional with demonstrated success in leading a high-performing team towards their goals. S/he should be deeply motivated by YFC's mission to reach young people for Christ and be motivated to grow the Church by reaching young people who are far from the Church.
Essential Functions:
- Executes the vision of the President and VP of Mission Investment with and through the Development Department.
- Works in partnership with Office of the President, as assigned.
- Always through the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, s/he is responsible for growing and sustaining the NSC’s giving partner base/operating funds, through the efforts of the Development and marketing team.
- Personally develops and maintains a portfolio of major giving partner relationships
- Leads team to faithfully execute each stage of the fundraising and communication cycles to initiate contact with potential and existing major donors; contributes to the development of suitable cultivation strategies; moves prospects and donors in an appropriate and timely fashion toward invitation; make invitations; and maintain stewardship and appreciation tactics
- Oversees all faithful development activities defined by YFC USA’s Development model (as advised and aligned across the movement by the National Mission Investment VP)
- Meets or exceeds measurable targets to acquire new partners and ensure all existing partners are faithfully cultivated.
- Serve and guide the team as they execute faithful activities reaching goals in the areas of:
- President’s circle relationships
- Key relationships/major giving partners for the national mission
- Conducting research of our wider partner base/general list for major giving potential
- Monthly partners within the “circle of influence” of fully engaged NSC staff, or that emerge as leads from external marketing strategies provided by the YFC Marketing team
- Acquiring and maintaining key foundation/grants relationships
- Manage national development events
- Regularly assessing and reporting the progress towards agreed-upon goals and benchmarks.
- Maintains records and reports of all development activity in Salesforce -- YFC’s Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) software for all operations (appointment logging, giving partner information and insights, research, pledge tracking, gift designations).
- With team input, designs quarterly Roadmaps that determine the trajectory of the Development Department and lists strategic goals and activities
- Aids in determining the allocation of department needs in annual budgeting process
- Assists the Gift Processing team in clarifying giving partner intent/designation where necessary, or by refining established policies from time-to-time in coordination with the Finance Department.
- Works with the NSC staff to implement capital campaigns, as designed and requested by the executive team.
- Collaborates and coordinates with staff in all departments to maximize donor relationships and philanthropic giving
- Speaks knowledgeably about Youth for Christ and serves as an ambassador in the community.
- Participates in projects as assigned.
- After the foundational and sustaining fundraising goals of the NSC have been secured, this position will lead the efforts to provide field facing training and support for chapter financial sustainability efforts.
Spiritual Responsibilities:
Because the overriding religious purpose and mission of Youth for Christ USA is to communicate and introduce the Gospel of Jesus Christ to young people and their families, and in that regard to make, educate and encourage life-long disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is very important that you as an employee in the movement of Youth for Christ be recognized as an associate minister of the Gospel.
As an employee of Youth for Christ and an associate minister of the Gospel, YFC expects all employees to:
- Seek God’s guidance and wisdom, through prayer and meditation, for the organization as a whole as well as for specific ministry initiatives.
- Participate and lead regular times of prayer, devotion and worship as a regular aspect of your role within YFC.
- Teach and preach from the Holy Bible at YFC staff meetings, conferences, camps and events.
- Model empathy, humility and care for all people. This includes promoting equity and inclusion in word and in the practice of faith expression.
Additionally, YFC employees will have an opportunity to be commissioned or licensed as a minister of the Gospel through the established Youth for Christ process, and/or ordained by an outside body recognized by Youth for Christ USA.
Fundraising Responsibilities:
All YFC employees are expected to regularly and actively participate in faithful activities that advance the stewardship functions of YFC/USA. These activities will include—but are not limited to— extending invitations to fund raising events, recruiting personal circle of influence/YFC donor contacts, sending letters, handwritten notes, personal calls, and personally ministering to donor contacts.
Budget Responsibilities:
A Budget Manager is responsible to align all financial resources to the YFC/USA strategic plan in accordance with the delegation and direction of the Division Head. The Budget Manager is responsible for coding, approval and financial decision-making for their assigned Division, Department and/or Action Plan budget. When a budget is overfunded or underfunded, the Budget Manager is responsible to course correct though the MCCR process.
Position Requirements
Knowledge & Skills:
- A proven track record in fundraising results, with experience in annually growing and managing a $300K major gift portfolio.
- Expertise in Kingdom fundraising philosophies and principles.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to make decisions and exercise good judgment in a changing environment with ability to anticipate future needs.
- Must have a strong customer service orientation, earning trust of giving partners and team members alike.
- Ability to inspire a team to execute a vision
- Ability to operationalize all the goals of the division
- Relational and mission-oriented person. Driven by the need to resource a critically important mission of reaching kids, while respecting the stewardship priorities of all our giving partners.
- Ministerial – able to minister to giving partner’s personal needs and to help disciple their walk with Christ, especially as it relates to generosity in God’s Kingdom.
- Seeks authentic Christ-Centered relationships with people of various backgrounds, fosters an inviting environment and empowers historically marginalized groups and indigenous populations (within the local context), through active listening, inclusion, advocacy for those who are vulnerable and respect of others’ experiences. (Kingdom Inspired Diversity).
- Ability to humbly serve and honor others even in difficult situations with prayer, consistency, transparency, and resilience. (Enduring Humility).
- Demonstrates proper reliance on God, others, and self through generous giving of time and skills, by collaboratively incorporating others’ ideas, welcoming candid input, recognizing others’ need for grace and extending forgiveness and empathy. (Relentless Trust).
- Prioritizes others’ needs for a missional outcome, characterized by joy, with active listening and problem-solving skills, while encouraging and empowering fellow believers. (Joyful Camaraderie).
- Trusts God with new approaches and changes, and communicates needs and limits with emotional intelligence, while seeking confidence and wisdom in Christ. (Courageous Faithfulness)
Credentials Required & Preferred Education:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred
- 5-7 years’ experience in fund development, sales management, or donor relations, ideally in an in-house leadership role within a complex nonprofit entity
Physical Requirements:
Ability to communicate orally with giving partners, vendors, management, and other co-workers is crucial. Regular use of the telephone and e-mail for communication is essential. Sitting for extended periods is common. Hearing and vision within normal ranges is essential for day-to-day conversations, to receive ordinary information, and to prepare or inspect documents. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Activities require the ability to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time, occasionally move about inside the office to access files or office equipment, operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, hand held devices, copy machine, and computer printer.
No heavy lifting is expected, though occasional exertion of up to 10 lbs. of force may be required. Good manual dexterity required for the use of computers, mobile devices, and other productivity technologies.
The job is performed indoors in a traditional office setting. Extended periods of sitting and extensive work at a computer and phone are normal.
Travel Requirements:
30-40 travel days per year anticipated, primarily to meet with giving partners across the nation, but also to participate in key YFC events.
EEO Statement
Youth For Christ (YFC) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, handicap, marital status, or other unlawful discriminatory characteristics in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
YFC is classified as an Association of Churches and as such our hiring practices reflect that designation. As a religious nonprofit organization, YFC incorporates within each leader role, the requirement to model, teach, share and live the faith. The relationship between YFC’s mission and each of its leaders is its lifeblood and as such does at all times and in all instances reserve the right to make employment decisions based upon a person’s religious beliefs, personal character and lifestyle consistent with our understanding of the Bible or with our overall goals and requirements for Christian ministry.
We seek to create a workplace that is intentional about Kingdom Inspired Diversity. Our commitment to our employees extends to their opportunities for growth, development, promotion, training and compensation.
We will make reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with known disabilities, unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to the organization.