Director of Strategic Engagement

POSITION SUMMARY:

World Relief seeks a Director of Strategic Engagement for the Chicagoland U.S. Office that will guide local office fundraising strategy while ensuring alignment and collaboration with World Relief’s corporate-wide initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in fundraising, a history of compelling communications, a collaborative leadership approach, and a strong results orientation.
This position has a hybrid schedule of 3 onsite days and 2 remote days each week, with some evening and weekends required.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strategic Leadership
• Provide internal missional and fundraising thought leadership for local fundraising staff and externally facing staff
• Work alongside Executive Director & Leadership Team to establish both annual and multi-year fundraising goals
• Lead the local Development Team to create and execute the annual fundraising and communications plans to reach financial goals, including long-term goals and multiple short-term projects with clear timelines, responsibilities, and accountabilities
• Actively serve on Chicagoland’s Leadership Team, providing leadership input into regional vision and strategy, and aligning local direction with World Relief’s overall strategy
• Team Leadership
• Create metrics for success across all fundraising activities, using results to adapt strategy throughout the year. Proactively review metrics as well as feedback from stakeholders to determine what is working and what can be improved for all initiatives, including events, campaigns, and products
• Provide coaching and supervision to local fundraising staff and volunteers, investing in the development of both individual and team performance
• Ensure team utilization of Raiser’s Edge NXT for recording donor communications and information
• Foster an environment where all team members can bring their ideas to the table, ensuring the best solutions to challenges
• Strategic Donor Engagement and Growth
• Drive new lead generation focused on major and midlevel donors
• Grow and manage a portfolio of major donors
• Foster long-term, trust-based relationships by ensuring donors feel valued through personalized engagement, consistent communication, and meaningful recognition of their impact
• Partner with positions that report nationally, including Strategic Partnerships Officer (Mid-level Giving) and Strategic Partnership Director (Major Giving) to ensure coordinated relationship management and cultivation
• Collaborate with program teams and communications staff to connect donors with mission outcomes, and create opportunities for shared learning and deeper partnership in advancing organizational goals
• Communications
• Oversee the planning and implementation of a communications plan and calendar for World Relief Chicagoland
• Coach Communications Team to ensure alignment, branding, messaging, tone, and voice are consistent with World Relief’s values and posture
• Ensure alignment across external channels of World Relief Chicagoland including Church Mobilization and Volunteer Mobilization
• Represent World Relief Chicagoland in news, radio, and newspaper interviews and oversee quality representation among expertise of staff
• Oversee the cultivation of stories to ensure impactful and ethical storytelling
• Advisory Board Development
• Work alongside Executive Director to develop and launch an advisory board for World Relief Chicagoland
• Work with Executive Director to strategically engage advisory board members to increase the effectiveness and reach of World Relief Chicagoland
• Collaboration
• Partner with World Relief’s Marketing Team and Annual Fund Team to align local with international fundraising and communications strategy
• Work closely with Program Directors and Executive Director on strategies for designated funding requests
• Collaboratively strategize with Church Mobilization Director, Volunteer Director, and Executive Director for alignment of external cultivation and mobilization strategies
• Participate in cross functional and matrixed teams as needed
• Coordinate with Home Office staff and other US Office staff when appropriate
• Other duties as assigned
• SUPERVISORY DUTIES:
• This role is responsible for supervising others and includes responsibilities consistent with supervising employees including but not limited to monitoring daily work activities, tracking and approving timesheets including approving time off, monitoring performance including entering goals, progress check-ins, and weekly or bi-weekly check-ins, documenting performance concerns, entering staff promotions, transitions, and separations in HRIS within required time frame. Managers at World Relief are also considered spiritual leaders and are expected to lead staff in a manner consistent with our Christian values including but not limited to praying with staff, leading devotionals, and fostering a Christian environment in interactions with staff throughout World Relief.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Mature and personal Christian faith
• Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
• Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
• Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs , , and
• Bachelor’s degree with minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including 3-5 years managing major donor portfolios
• Demonstrated ability to build trust-based, collaborative relationships with donors, partners and cross-functional teams
• Strong background in strategic communications and ethical storytelling; skilled at coaching teams to ensure consistent messaging and representing the organization effectively in digital communications platforms and media
• Ability to use with fluency all Microsoft programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to articulate a personal philosophy of giving and stewardship
• Strong results orientation with a proven history of increasing giving
• Strategic acumen and an ability to shape plans and activities to align with strategic goals
• Empathetic communicator and relationship-builder, skilled at listening, fostering trust, and engaging donors, partners and staff with care and authenticity
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, leverage personal influence to reach goals, and foster strong collaboration
• Well organized with the ability to navigate competing priorities and meet concurrent objectives
• Familiarity with CRM (Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred) and Project Management Tools
• Strong familiarity with digital communications platforms (social media, web, email)
• Excellent problem-solving abilities with an ability to “think outside the box” on a frequent basis
• Demonstrated resilience and leadership in the face of frequent change
• Experience in faith-based, international or community development organizations, with sensitivity to diverse cultural contexts
• Advanced education or training, or experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, communications, or a related field

$95,000 - $110,000 a yearWorld Relief offers a competitive benefits package and employee discount program for full-time, Regular, employees.World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Gold-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health.***Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.