World Relief exists to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises, in partnership with the Church. The ministry envisions thriving, welcoming communities where families flourish, and people experience restorative relationships with God, their neighbors, themselves, and all of creation. The organization has grown to $40.5 million in private revenue and employs 166 people at its home office in Baltimore, MD; 696 internationally; and 730 in US offices.
The Director of Principal and Planned Gifts is a new role, created to build on the ministry’s significant growth in private (nongovernmental) giving. This role will play a key part in the ministry’s aim to grow private funding to $60M in three years and will pioneer programs focused on $1M+ gifts. In addition, it will strengthen World Relief's expertise in arranging and closing gifts of all sizes. This is a remote role that requires up to 30% travel, mostly within the United States.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The organization was founded in World War II’s aftermath to respond to war-torn Europe’s urgent humanitarian needs. Since then, for over 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to help families thrive and communities flourish.
Today, despite reductions in government funding, private funding has increased dramatically. The organization is healthy and expanding its team to achieve its new mission and vision. Meanwhile, programming continues to focus on humanitarian and disaster response, as well as community strengthening and resilience. In particular, World Relief (1) responds to urgent and immediate needs, (2) strengthens communities and builds resilience, and (3) rebuilds lives and restores a hopeful path to flourishing, even in fragile contexts.
The organization is noted for its deep commitment to working alongside the local church, a commitment they hope will never change and count among its top three strengths. In addition, these strengths include program expertise and brand identity. In addition, many partners have supported the organization for decades, demonstrating strong loyalty. Supporters know World Relief for many things, notably its work with and through the local church, with refugees and in disaster relief, and its engagement with vulnerable communities in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s most significant crises in partnership with the church. What distinguishes World Relief is found in its mission statement–they go to places like Darfur (where they are the largest Christian humanitarian organization), Chad (which is the world’s fourth poorest nation i), and Gaza, to name a few. In the US, they are present, helping those affected by immigration (ICE) raids, not shying away from the most challenging situations affecting refugees and other crises in our nation.
They are well-positioned for today’s givers, as progress on economic and sustainable development since the Millennium Development Goals 15 years ago has been significant (with far fewer people living on less than $2 a day or dying of preventable diseases, for example). At the same time, global conflicts and challenges rage on. A typical World Relief giver is frustrated with government solutions to humanitarian challenges and prefers to support a Christian humanitarian organization working with local churches in the most challenging situations our world faces. Put simply, World Relief could say to givers, “If you want to tackle the hardest challenges (and engage the Church), then we’re for you.”
They measure their impact by the depth of their relational engagement, especially with local churches, and donors have noted they are “large enough to have impact at scale and small enough to have relational connection.” Even donors to other global Christian humanitarian organizations report that when they give to World Relief, they can clearly see the impact of their gift and its connection to people on the ground. World Relief uses an impact framework aligned with their theory of change, which includes measuring the scale of humanitarian response, people’s resilience, and the long-term developmental impact on communities served. The organization emphasizes that it does more than “just” relief, and does not wait until a context is stable before sharing restoration and love. They call this promoting “flourishing amid fragility.”
In 2024, World Relief recruited nearly 27,000 volunteers to serve as Jesus’ hands and feet, mobilized 4,500+ churches to love their neighbor, and served more than 44,000 people who immigrated to the U.S.
LEADERSHIP, STAFF & STRUCTURE
President & Chief Executive Officer Myal Greene has served with the organization for 18 years, and took his current role in 2021 after 14 years. While living in Rwanda for eight years, he developed World Relief’s innovative church-based programming model, now used in nine countries. He also spent six years in leadership roles within the international programs division. He has previous experience working with the U.S. Government. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and an M.A. in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. World Relief’s board of directors operates using a governance model.
The role reports to the Vice President of Strategic Engagement, but the organization’s editorial calendar provides regular opportunities for this role to engage donors with the CEO. The CEO values development professionals having a clear vision for how to use his time well. The ideal candidate will excel at considering, “Who needs to have a relationship with the CEO?” In addition, they will be a fundraising leader who prepares Mr. Greene well, ensuring he understands and can support the purpose of a donor meeting, whether to develop a relationship or make an ask. In addition, he comments that the organization does really well at moving people through the donor pipeline, and now the opportunity is to bring in thought leadership–not just to handle a portfolio but on how to engage donors together, offer more intimate connection to the work, and to teach and come alongside others in the organization.
Read more about the organization’s leadership here.
OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES
Every role in every organization has both opportunities and challenges. We profile these here, based on interviews with those who work closely with this role, to help candidates assess whether these opportunities and challenges are suit them best.
CHALLENGES
The primary challenge is to build on growth in private funding by engaging new sources. Overall, World Relief’s top challenges include:
Reduced US support for the refugee resettlement program.
Lessened public funding.
Building a team to continue to grow private funding.
Bridging divisions and challenges in some local churches and reduced commitment to work with refugees.
OPPORTUNITIES
The opportunities include building on factors that have contributed to private funding growth:
Providing “best-in-class” donor care.
Investing in the fundraising capacity of the 17 US offices.
Expanding the number of individuals who work with “depth” (major giving) portfolios.
Creating a well-defined partner development process supported by an effective content and storywriting team
Pursuing aggressively a goal to move from $40.5M last year to $60M in three years.
The new role will provide opportunities to build new relationships and establish a principal-gift focus, while expanding the use and impact of planned giving. In the first 90 days, this individual’s success will be measured by how well they understand World Relief’s mission, vision, and culture, and how effectively they identify key opportunities. In the first year, “success” will be measured by meeting lead indicators and closing $1M in gifts.
The opportunities to achieve this are expected to come as the new director:
Demonstrates listening expertise
Builds great trust
Accesses ultra-high-net-worth networks
Demonstrates radical dependency on God combined with buoyancy and boldness
Uses technical knowledge of working with principal and planned gifts
Is “faithful to do the work and trust God for the outcomes.”
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Director of Principal and Planned Gifts is a new role that plays a critical role in growing the organization’s revenue and building its principal and planned giving capabilities. This role is well-suited to a seasoned, strategic, and collaborative fundraising professional who develops and executes strategies to build long-term relationships with donors capable of making transformational gifts. These gifts will come both through immediate principal gifts of $1M or more and through future-oriented planned gifts. The ideal candidate may be serving in a similar role in the same sphere as World Relief, in faith-based nonprofits, and especially relief and development.
In their principal gifts capacity, which is expected to account for around 70% of the role’s focus, the director will grow existing relationships into a portfolio of approximately 35 to 50 high-net-worth prospects and partners. The individual will lead the full engagement cycle–identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individuals who can make million- and multi-million dollar investments to support World Relief’s mission.
In planned giving, which accounts for about 30% of the role’s focus, the director will identify and cultivate donors who can make legacy and other planned gifts, including bequests, charitable gift annuities, trusts, and other complex instruments. The director will provide guidance and technical expertise to prospects and collaborate across teams to integrate planned giving strategies into World Relief’s broader fundraising efforts.
This dual role requires a deep understanding of donor motivations, gift vehicles, and tax-advantage philanthropic planning. The director will partner with legal, finance, and external planned gift advisors to craft customized giving plans. In addition, the director may offer coaching and thought partnership to colleagues across the Strategic Engagement Team, particularly to the major gift officers (“Strategic Partnership Directors”), to deepen capacity to close current and planned-giving commitments.
The ideal candidate will be highly relational, attuned, and strategic and demonstrate the qualities of Patrick Lencioni’s ideal team player: “Hungry, humble, and smart.” Of all the gifts this individual may bring, the most important are being a “servant, relational, and a fundraiser.” That is, this individual will demonstrate the ability to joyfully invite others to contribute resources to advance a cause.
POSITION PROFILE
Job Title: Director of Principal and Planned Gifts
Reports to: Vice President of Strategic Engagement
Location: Remote
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Actively maintains a portfolio of 35 to 50 principal gift prospects to achieve an annual revenue goal that includes both current and planned contributions.
Serves the Strategic Partnership Director team with planned giving resources, counsel, and sales process support in closing planned gifts.
Stewards each relationship according to established performance standards and metrics reflected by annual Lead Indicators, while incorporating planned giving engagement benchmarks where appropriate.
Develops and grows relationships within the assigned portfolio through creating complex, customized fundraising plans that align donor passions with organizational priorities–including current and deferred gift strategies.
Leads prospects through qualifying, pitching, and closing stages of the donor engagement cycle, resulting in million- and multi-million dollar gifts, including blended gifts (combining current and planned giving components).
Promotes and integrates planned and other asset-based giving into conversations with donors and prospects, identifying opportunities for charitable bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable trusts, gift annuities, and other planned giving vehicles.
Demonstrates a strong understanding of financial planning, tax, and charitable gift laws and the strategic role of planned giving in supporting visionary or transformational gifts.
Oversees preparing funding proposals, pitch decks, talking points, briefings, engagement opportunities, gift agreements, endowments, and stewardship reports for assigned prospects–including documenting and illustrating planned giving options when appropriate.
Collaborates with legal, finance, and external advisors as needed to structure complex or deferred gifts in a way that fulfills donor intent and aligns with organizational policies.
Ensures that all internal and external stakeholders engage with key efforts focused on specific prospects, especially when navigating multifaceted or long-term planned-giving strategies.
Identifies and facilitates strategic opportunities for principal and planned-giving prospects to engage with World Relief leaders, including the CEO, the VP of the Strategic Engagement Department, and board members.
Provides spiritual leadership and pastoral care for all partners and prospects, consistent with a deep commitment to faithfulness and day-to-day radical dependence on and trust in God. This includes demonstrating these in sensitive discussions around legacy and end-of-life giving.
Embraces and develops values and practices of principal and planned gifts consistent with World Relief’s fundraising values, as reflected in Henri Nouwen’s The Spirituality of Fundraising.
Travels as needed to meet with donors and prospects and execute strategic moves, including long-term cultivation and stewardship of legacy donors.
Represents World Relief at donor, community, and special events as necessary, including those focused on visionary philanthropy, estate planning, and legacy giving.
QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Affirms World Relief’s core organizational beliefs, including “For the Health of the Nation” and “Towards a Fresh Embrace of our Christian Identity.”
Has worked directly with the senior levels of an organization.
Can research complex and technical gift transactions
History of demonstrating pastoral care and spiritual leadership gifts
Able to integrate personal faith in Jesus Christ into all aspects of this role
Proven track record of working well with healthy, diverse, and high-performing teams
Strong leadership, team building, and culture-cultivating skills
A participative and collaborative leadership style
5 to 7 years of experience working with principal gifts and planned giving vehicles, including gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, lead trusts, and testamentary provisions
Bachelor’s degree required, master's degree preferred
Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
Strong strategic and sequential thinking skills
Robust presenting and storytelling skills with the ability to relate to an audience and connect with people one-on-one
Persuasive personality and ability to share the blessing of financially supporting God’s work through World Relief
Desire to serve and empower the Church to uplift vulnerable communities
Strong commitment to World Relief’s mission, vision, and values
Detail-oriented, flexible, creative, discreet, professional, and resourceful
Strong computer skills, including knowledge of CRMs and the Microsoft Suite of programs, including Word and PowerPoint.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations
The ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of 10 to 15 pounds
Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand, and finger dexterity, including the ability to grasp and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment, and read application information
The employee frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, talk, and hear.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
General office setting
Great lengths of time working on a computer, reading from a computer screen, entering information, standing at a copier or other machines, and time on the phone or in video and other online meetings
Physical, emotional, and intellectual demands
Equipment used: Employee computer (desktop or laptop), printer, and copier
All of the above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills, and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform any other job-related instructions as requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position description is not all-inclusive and is always under review. World Relief is proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. The organization maintains a drug-free workplace and may perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. For World Relief staff, a 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. Legal Background in the United States: World Relief is both an equal opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. This means the organization conducts hiring without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, marital status, parental status, membership in any labor organization, political ideology, or disability of an otherwise qualified individual. World Relief's status as an equal opportunity employer does not prevent the organization from hiring staff based on their religious beliefs, so that all staff share the same religious commitment. Pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 702 (42 U.S.C. 1(a)), World Relief has the right to, and does, hire only candidates who agree with World Relief’s Statement of Faith. See the Strategic Engagement Team's Guidebook here.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
Salary: Commensurate with responsibilities and experience, $120,000 to $140,000
Benefits: View World Relief’s Benefits Summary here.
Job Status: Full-time, exempt
Vacation: Two weeks, plus the week between Christmas and New Years
Travel: This role requires up to 30% travel, approximately 10-20% of which is international.
The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements.
To learn more about World Relief, please visit their website at www.worldrelief.org. For World Relief’s most recent annual report, go to www.worldrelief.org/annual-report-2024.
After prayerfully reviewing this information, if you believe this position could be a good fit for you, please click the APPLY NOW button below. Or if you know someone who may be interested and a fit, please share this opportunity using the social media and email buttons at the top of this page.