United States onlyAre 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.
ORGANIZATION SUMMARY
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.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The National Director of Principal Gifts is a senior‑level fundraising leader responsible for securing transformational philanthropic investments—typically $1 million and above—from ultra‑high‑net‑worth partners nationwide. Reporting to the Vice President of Strategic Engagement, this role plays a critical part in advancing World Relief’s mission by cultivating deep, trust‑based relationships with donors who feel called to invest significantly in God’s work in the world’s greatest crises. This role serves as both a front‑line principal gifts officer and a strategic partner to executive leadership, collaborating closely with the CEO, senior leaders, and board members. The National Director invites partners into bold expressions of generosity by faithfully stewarding relationships, articulating compelling opportunities for impact, and grounding fundraising practice in a distinctly Christian theology of generosity.
ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Manage a national portfolio of 25-40 ultra‑high‑net‑worth donors and prospects with the capacity to make seven‑figure gifts.
- Lead partners through the full principal gift engagement cycle—qualification, cultivation, solicitation, commitment, and stewardship—resulting in transformational philanthropy.
- Design and execute customized, donor‑centric strategies that align partner passions with World Relief’s mission, strategies, and funding priorities.
- Secure principal‑level outright gifts that advance national, global, and programmatic initiatives through accountability to lead indicator targets and revenue goals.
- Integrate personal faith in Jesus Christ into donor relationships with authenticity, humility, and pastoral sensitivity.
- Engage partners spiritually as appropriate, recognizing philanthropy as both a calling and an invitation into faithful Kingdom participation.
- Demonstrate pastoral care and spiritual leadership in conversations with partners, particularly as they discern significant generosity.
- Embrace and model World Relief’s fundraising values, including those articulated in Henri Nouwen’s The Spirituality of Fundraising, treating donors as partners—not means to an end.
- Partner closely with the CEO, VP SED, and senior leaders in developing cultivation and solicitation strategies for top‑tier partners.
- Prepare and deliver high‑impact proposals, briefings, cases for support, and stewardship reports appropriate for a principal gift audience.
- Facilitate authentic, purpose‑driven interactions between partners and senior leaders that strengthen long‑term commitment.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on principal gift strategy, donor discernment, and philanthropic engagement.
- Identify, qualify, and cultivate new principal gift prospects through national networks, referrals, peer fundraisers, board connections, and strategic events.
- Build and manage a robust principal gifts pipeline with clear strategies, projections, and next steps.
- Collaborate with prospect research and peer fundraisers to prioritize high‑capacity opportunities across regions and portfolios.
- Help support the whole of the Strategic Engagement team through equipping frontline fundraisers to pursue principal gifts in their own portfolios.
- Represent World Relief with excellence at national donor gatherings, small group experiences, and relationship‑building events.
- Steward principal gift partners with integrity, transparency, and gratitude, reinforcing trust and long‑term partnership.
- Maintain accurate donor strategies, records, and activity reports in accordance with organizational and database standards.
- Participate in principal gifts portfolio reviews, forecasting, and goal‑tracking processes.
- Collaborate across the Strategic Engagement Division to ensure donor engagement aligns with enterprise‑wide fundraising priorities and culture.
Principal Gifts Fundraising & Relationship Management
Faith‑Centered Donor Engagement
Strategic Partnership with Leadership & Board
Pipeline Development & National Reach
Stewardship, Accountability & Collaboration
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
- Ability to affirm and actively live out World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Association of Evangelicals' For the Health of The Nation document
- Demonstrated integration of personal faith into professional life with maturity, discernment, and grace.
- Bachelor’s degree required
- 7–10+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, with a proven track record securing $1M+ gifts.
- Experience engaging ultra‑high‑net‑worth individuals and partnering with senior executives and boards.
- Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and storytelling skills.
- Strategic and relational thinker with the ability to navigate complex donor journeys and long cultivation cycles.
- Collaborative spirit with experience operating effectively in national or matrixed fundraising environments.
- Proficiency with fundraising systems and tools (e.g., Raiser’s Edge NXT, Microsoft applications).
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Advanced degree preferred
- Additional participation in philanthropic societies and advanced industry training in principal gifts
World 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.
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Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.
For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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