Director of Appeals

Job Description

The mission of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is to spread the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. In the faithful pursuit of this mission, the Archdiocese is seeking a Director of Appeals. This role will plan and implement the Annual Catholic Services Appeal as well as targeted annual fund campaigns.
Reporting to the Secretary of Stewardship, the Director of Appeals is responsible for planning and implementing a multi-faceted annual fund comprised of parish-based initiatives, coordinated direct marketing, year-long cultivation, and donor stewardship. This position includes working with a Priest Advisory Committee, pastors, lay volunteers, and stakeholder groups. The Director of Appeals will coordinate with internal and external partners to ensure all aspects of the Appeal are synchronized and executed effectively.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Prepares and implements an annual plan for unrestricted Archdiocesan philanthropy, including strategies for specific stakeholder groups (acquisition, repeat donors, major gift prospects, clergy, employees, etc.)
• Supports the development of the Case for Support for Annual fundraising as well as the rebranding of the Appeal, informed by the six goals of the Archdiocese of Washington.
• Cultivate and steward stakeholder relations, requiring travel regionally when necessary.
• Plans donor stewardship activities, including Giving Society recognition mailings and events, as well as Advent and Lenten companion mailings.
• Prepares annual campaign activities, manages data, coordinates mailings (print and digital), parish communications, gift processing, and fulfillment.
• Implements measurable strategies for donor acquisition, retention, and upgrading as well as the renewal of lapsed donors.
• Provides pastors and parish teams with resources and guidelines on essential tasks they will implement to help achieve the parish's Annual Appeal goal through briefing meetings and kick-off celebrations throughout the year.

• Collaborates with other members of the Secretariat for Stewardship, ministry teams and stakeholder groups including clergy, vendors employees to assure a sequential cultivation, solicitation, reporting, and stewardship process.
• Tracks, analyzes and reports campaign progress to the Secretary for Stewardship as requested by the Moderator of the Curia.
• As needed, contacts donors regarding declined and expired credit cards, as well as pledge delinquencies.
Requirements
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Practicing Catholic who supports the teachings of the Catholic Church.
• Effective team player with strong interpersonal, communication and customer service skills.
• A true collaborator with a strong ability to help align donor interest with the mission of the Archdiocese.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks under time sensitive deadlines.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
Education and Experience
• Bachelor's Degree in fundraising, nonprofit management, communications, business administration, finance, or related field.
• Professional fundraising certifications/designations such as CFRE a plus.
• A minimum of eight years professional and successful management of annual fund campaigns utilizing an integrated marketing channel approach within an arch/diocese or a chapter-based not-for-profit environment.
• Ability to think strategically in all phases of the Appeal, from planning to execution, to keep pace with changes in donors and the local environment.
• Demonstrated understanding and proven success in managing multi-channel fundraising campaigns.
• Experience working with clergy and volunteers in a parish setting.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Knowledge and proficiency in the Amergent Portfolio relational database or a comparable nonprofit CRM system.
• Spanish language written and verbal fluency a plus.
• Reliable transportation for extensive travel throughout the Archdiocese.
Work Environment
• This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• This job requires business travel throughout the geographic area of the Archdiocese of Washington, up to 20% of the time. Must be willing to work occasional nights and weekends when necessary for special events or donor meetings.
Physical Demands
• The physical demands required are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this position. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to handle documents and type on a keyboard; and reach with hands and arms.
• Extensive local travel (20% or more per month) to parishes, schools and ministry sites in the Archdiocese of Washington.

About the Employer

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