Planned and Principal Gifts - 2025400

Planned And Principal Gifts

Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten? Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor?

If you answered 'yes', to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.

At this pivotal moment in time, we are rapidly expanding and growing our team to meet the increasing needs of our world. We are looking for people who want to use their gifts and talents to make a real and tangible difference in our world and the lives of the suffering.

If you're looking for a purpose-driven career in which you can grow your talents, while also standing up for the rights of the vulnerable, we want you to join us today.

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world's greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish.

Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy.

The Director of Principal and Planned Gifts will be a seasoned, strategic, and collaborative fundraising professional who plays a critical role in advancing the organization's philanthropic goals. Reporting to the Vice President of Strategic Engagement, this individual will develop and execute strategies to build long-term relationships with donors capable of making transformational contributionsboth through immediate principal gifts and future-oriented planned gifts.

In their principal gifts capacity, the Director will serve as a visible, front-line major gifts officer, managing a portfolio of approximately 3550 high-net-worth prospects and partners. The Director will lead the full donor engagement cycleidentifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals capable of making million- and multi-million-dollar investments in support of the organization's mission. In their planned giving capacity, the Director will also identify and cultivate donors with the potential and interest to make legacy and other planned gifts, including bequests, charitable gift annuities, trusts, and other complex giving instruments. The Director will provide guidance and technical expertise to prospects, as well as collaborate across teams to integrate planned giving strategies into the broader fundraising efforts. This dual role requires a deep understanding of donor motivations, gift vehicles, and tax-advantaged philanthropic planning. The Director will partner with legal, finance, and external advisors as needed to craft customized giving plans. Additionally, the Director may offer coaching and thought partnership to colleagues across the Strategic Engagement Team, particularly with the team of Strategic Partnership Directors, to elevate and expand the organization's capacity to close both current-use and planned gifts at the highest levels.

Role & Responsibilities :

• Actively maintains a portfolio of 3550 principal gift-level prospects with an associated annual revenue goal, inclusive of both current and planned giving potential.
• Serves the Strategic Partnership Directors team with planned giving resources, counsel and sales process support in closing planned gifts.
• Stewards each relationship according to established performance standards and metrics reflected by annual Lead Indicators, while also incorporating planned giving engagement benchmarks where appropriate.
• Develops and grows relationships within the assigned portfolio through creating complex, customized fundraising plans that align donor passions with organizational prioritiesincluding both outright and deferred gift strategies.
• Strategically leads prospects through the qualifying, pitching, and closing stages of the donor engagement cycle, resulting in million and multi-million dollar gifts, including blended gifts (combining current and planned giving components).
• Promotes and integrates planned and asset-based giving into conversations with donors and prospects, identifying opportunities for charitable bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable trusts, gift annuities, and other planned giving vehicles.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of financial planning, tax and charitable gift laws, and the strategic role of planned giving in supporting visionary or transformational gifts.
• Oversees the preparation of funding proposals, pitch decks, talking points, briefings, engagement opportunities, gift agreements, endowments, and stewardship reports for assigned prospectsincluding documentation and illustration of planned giving options when appropriate.
• Collaborates with legal, finance, and external advisors as needed to structure complex or deferred gifts in a manner that fulfills donor intent and aligns with organizational policies.
• Ensures that all internal and external stakeholders are involved in key efforts focused on specific prospects, especially when navigating multi-faceted or long-term planned giving strategies.
• Identifies and facilitates strategic opportunities for Principal Gift and Planned Giving prospects to interact with World Relief leaders, including the CEO, VP SED, board members, and administrators.
• Provides spiritual leadership and pastoral care for all partners and prospects consistent with a deep commitment to faithfulness, day-by-day radical dependency on God, and trusting Him for fruitfulnessincluding sensitive discussions around legacy and end-of-life giving.
• Embraces and develops values and practices of Principal and Planned Gifts consistent with World Relief's overall fundraising values as reflected in Henri Nouwen's The Spirituality of Fundraising.
• Travels as necessary to meet with donors / prospects and execute strategic moves, including long-term cultivation and stewardship of legacy donors.
• Represents World Relief at donor, community, and special events as necessary, including those focused on legacy giving, estate planning, or visionary philanthropy.

Job Requirements :

Preferred Qualifications :