Faith and Community Engagement Manager

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest is a non-profit organization with Corporate Offices in Phoenix and Tucson and additional offices throughout Arizona.

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest administers programs and services to help build collaborative Community Partnerships and strengthen individuals, families, and communities.

Working for our organization is a positive, challenging and rewarding experience with opportunities for personal and professional development.

Exempt: Exempt Base Wage: $47,000 - $60,000 DEOReports to: Director of DevelopmentDepartment: Fund DevelopmentProgram: Fund DevelopmentLocation: PhoenixPosition Type: RegularDate Reviewed: March 2024

General Description:

The Faith and Community Engagement Manager will work as part of the Fund Development Team to advance the mission of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) with donors, volunteers, congregations, and other partners throughout the Phoenix metro area. The Faith and Community Engagement Manager executes donor acquisition, cultivation, and stewardship activities for annual and mid-level donors (those giving under $5,000 a year.) They also maintain relationships with key congregational partners, to increase engagement across volunteer, in-kind, and financial giving.

The ideal candidate is a natural networker who enjoys making connections between people and building community. A detail-oriented people-person who likes working with volunteers, talking on the phone, has strong public speaking skills and enjoys crafting presentations for a variety of audiences will excel. They should enjoy engaging houses of worship and feel comfortable navigating churches of various sizes, denominations, and cultures.

While you will be involved in multiple facets of our operations, please note that responsibility for each area is shared among team members, allowing for collaboration and support as we work together to achieve our goals. The Faith and Community Engagement Manager will part of a team with multiple dedicated fundraising staff. The breadth of this job description isn't to cram two jobs into one, but to recognize that our fundraising strategies are interconnected.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

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Fundraising pipeline In collaboration with the Donor Relations Manager and Communications Specialist, create opportunities for current and prospective donors to learn about the mission of LSS-SW

- Serve as Tour Guide for monthly virtual Come and See tour, and other tours as hosted by champions

- Respond to invitations to present and table at congregations, businesses, civic groups, and other community organizations, as fits within fundraising strategy

- Design engaging and relevant topical presentations to the community

- Maintain community engagement calendar of opportunities to engage current and prospective donors in our work

- Chair and organize team of regional "Connectors" volunteers that help promote LSS-SW in their community

- Recruit and nurture 20 Table Captain volunteers at regional Building Foundations Luncheon (every other year.)

- Identify prospective donors for Building Foundations Luncheon invitation, bi-annual giving days, and 1:1 solicitation.

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Church Engagement Create opportunities for church partners to learn about and participate in our work

• Manage portfolio of top 20 churches that engage with LSS-SW. Meet annually with each congregation, and construct tailored engagement plan, that is comprised of presentations, group volunteering, in-kind drives, and financial giving.
• Author content for website, congregational newsletter, and other communications materials that will help congregations spread the word about LSS-SW
• Solicit financial gifts from congregations
• Recruit congregational volunteers to serve on "Connectors" team
• Research prospective church partners, and identify venues for making contact with them (conferences, networking group, etc.)

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Donor Relations

Retain and upgrade current and prospective mid level ($1,000-$5,000/year) donors

• Manage portfolio of approximately 50 current and prospective mid-level donors
• Create individual cultivation and solicitation plan for each donor in your portfolio, including 2 annual meaningful interactions and quarterly stewardship activities
• Log all donor relations activities into donor database, Virtuous
• Call donors to thank them for gifts made under $1,000, within 48 hours of gift being received
• Participate in Giving Days, Building Foundations Luncheon, and other giving campaigns, by soliciting and thanking annual donors
• Coordinate quarterly small group donor gatherings ("CEO Golden Hours")

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Corporate giving

• Raise $30,000 annually in corporate giving, through Building Foundations Luncheon, and other sponsorable program projects

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Utilize effective communication and listening skills, among a wide variety of audiences.
• Ability to understand LSS-SW operations, programs, goals, and initiatives.
• Ability to work in a team environment, and collaborate on projects across the fund development team. (For example, referring volunteers, accepting in-kind donations, and supporting pipeline initiatives)
• Sensitivity to Lutheran church culture, values, and theology. Willingness to embrace and learn about faith-based identity.
• Experience in Microsoft Teams environment, including ability to sync files in Microsoft OneDrive, host Microsoft Teams meetings, and create and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
• Experience logging donor contact information, notes, and engagement in a donor database, such as Virtuous. Ability to maintain donor records with minimal assistance.

Other Requirements:

• Knowledge of fund development discipline, and 5 or more years experience in fundraising or sales
• Possess a valid Arizona Driver's license, carry automobile insurance, and good driving record
• Possess or attain a Fingerprint Clearance card

Work Environment and Conditions:

• Work will be focused in the Phoenix metro area, but LSS-SW has many mid-level donors throughout the valley, making local travel frequent.
• Duties can be performed remotely from home office, with frequent donor engagements at the LSS office, at donor's homes, at local congregations and public places. Will be expected to work from office about 1-2 days per week, to maintain relationship with colleagues across departments, and assist with shared team duties, such as accepting in-kind donations. Other work can be done remotely, with frequent in-person donor meetings.
• Able to work frequent evenings and weekends, especially during season of October-April. In such instances, schedule will be flexed to not exceed 40 hours per week.
• Must be able to sit at desk or in meetings for long periods of time. Work includes a lot of time on telephone and email.

All positions at Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest require a background check.

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