Director of Annual Giving

Elk Grove Village, IL

Director of Annual Giving

Reports to Executive Development Director

Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a nonprofit global media apostolate that supports the work of Bishop Robert Barron and reaches millions of people to draw them into—or back to—the Catholic faith.

The Director of Annual Giving will be responsible for creating and implementing a strategy for Word on Fire’s major public-facing development campaigns. The Director of Annual Giving will lead a team and work collaboratively with other departments to achieve the development department’s annual strategic and financial goals.

Location: Elk Grove Village, IL

Employment Type: Full-time

Responsibilities

  • Assist the Executive Development Director with the development of an annual development plan, which will increase revenues to support the Word on Fire mission

  • Plan, budget, and oversee all aspects of the annual fund including direct mail/email campaigns, new donor acquisition, year-end, recapturing lapsed donors, and special appeals; working with other development team members as appropriate

  • Create and implement a comprehensive strategy to increase Word on Fire’s recurring donor base (Ignite)

  • Identify, cultivate and solicit prospects for gifts from $1,000 to $5,000 with emphasis on retaining/upgrading existing donors, reengaging past donors, and securing new donors

  • Develop annual strategic and tactical plans aimed at mid-level donor growth, retention, and increased giving

  • Qualify prospects for potential major gift/planned giving capacity and interest, providing appropriate background on prospects to be assigned to major gift or planned giving portfolios and partner with the solicitation team as appropriate

  • Interview, hire, train, and manage a team of development professionals

  • Utilize donor databases to document prospect activity as well as provide reporting of annual giving progress toward strategic goals

  • Assist with overseeing management of donor base records and gift entry

  • Assist with overseeing fulfillment of donor tax letters and donor gifts

  • Conduct ongoing analysis of all fundraising campaigns

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

  • 7 years of experience in development and fundraising

  • Experience managing direct reports

  • Exceptional computer skills

  • Strong attention to detail, especially with textual content

  • Expert writing skills

  • Highly creative and driven to explore new trends and ideas

  • Ability to quickly learn new technical skills

  • Ability to travel approximately once a quarter

Preferred Qualifications

  • Familiarity with the work of Bishop Barron and Word on Fire

  • Experience in digital marketing

  • Ability build basic web pages and use word press

  • Ability to work on a team

    • Communicative

    • Team-player

    • Gets along well with others

    • Amiable

Compensation and Benefits

The estimated base pay range for this position is $115,000 - $145,000 annually. Word on Fire determines individual compensation on several factors, including but not limited to, experience, skills, alignment with the role’s responsibilities, and geographic location. This role may be eligible for annual merit increases based on individual performance.

Word on Fire also offers its team members a robust benefits package that includes:

  • Work-from-home Wednesdays and up to 20 additional work-from-home days throughout the year

  • Several 100% Word on Fire-paid insurance benefits: life, short-term disability, and long-term disability

  • Other insurance benefits: medical, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity

  • A retirement plan with a 3% target employer contribution

  • Generous paid time off and paid holidays

  • Paid parental leaves at 100% of base salary

  • Access to Word on Fire’s incredible wealth of content and resources and more!

Word on Fire is founded upon and intent on prioritizing its Catholic religious mission and principles above all else. Word on Fire's religious mission may therefore require that it make employment decisions based on an individual's religion and adherence to the principles of the Catholic Church.