Director of Mission Advancement
Terch & Associates - HR Consulting, Duluth, Minnesota, United States, 55806
Job Description
Director of Mission Advancement Job Description
Status:
Exempt
Reports To:
Executive Director
Salary Level:
$70,000 - $80,000
About Chum:
Chum is a non-profit 501 (C)3 organization that serves about 8,000 low-income, homeless, hungry, isolated, and otherwise marginalized community members each year. More than 40 faith-based congregations in Duluth are part of Chum and support our core mission: people of faith working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community.
Chum operates an Emergency Shelter, Family Shelter, a Drop-in Center with a Health and Wellness Clinic, Winter Warming Center, Food Shelf, as well as offers Street Outreach, and supportive services for people living at the Steve O'Neil Apartments and the St. Francis Apartments who were previously homeless. Chum's advocacy focuses on policy and systems changes to help improve the lives of people who turn to Chum for services. Chum also provides leadership to Stepping On Up (a collaboration of service agencies) that is working to change Duluth's response to homelessness. We are committed to providing services in a manner that is informed by historic and contemporary forms of marginalization (such as racism, homophobia, and patriarchy) and relevant to the current issues of increasing mental illness and substance misuse. The Director of Mission Advancement must be attuned to these struggles and able to understand, articulate, and synthesize Chum's response to these issues.
Position Summary:
The Director of Mission Advancement provides strategic leadership for Chum's fundraising, donor engagement, communications, advocacy, and congregational outreach efforts. This role supports Chum's mission by strengthening relationships, advancing philanthropic support, and ensuring consistent, values-driven communication with donors, partners, and the broader community.
This position reports directly to and works with the Executive Director and works closely with the Board of Directors to develop and implement the organization's annual advancement plan. The Director serves as a key member of Chum's leadership team and provides oversight and direction to the Mission Advancement Team, ensuring alignment with Chum's strategic priorities and long-term sustainability.
This position is ideal for an experienced development professional with strong relationship-building and communication skills, a collaborative leadership style, and a deep commitment to equity, justice, and serving marginalized populations. The successful candidate will be able to clearly articulate Chum's mission, vision, and impact while fostering a culture of generosity, professionalism, and accountability across staff, board members, and supporters.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Planning
Develops, implements, and evaluates Chum's Board-approved annual mission advancement plan to support organizational sustainability, budget goals, and the Strategic Plan. Works closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to align fundraising, communications, and engagement strategies with Chum's mission, vision, and values. Establishes clear priorities, measurable goals, and accountability structures to guide advancement initiatives and assess progress. Fund Development & Donor Engagement
Leads comprehensive fundraising efforts including annual giving, major gifts, grants, special events, planned giving, and capital campaigns. Identifies, researches, cultivates, solicits, and stewards individual donors, foundations, congregations, and community partners. Maintains and actively manages a portfolio of major donors, ensuring meaningful engagement, stewardship, and long-term relationship building. Fosters a culture of generosity and professionalism among staff, board members, volunteers, and supporters. Team Leadership & Capacity Building
Provides leadership and oversight to the Mission Advancement Team, including staff working in donor engagement, communications and marketing, volunteer engagement, advocacy, congregational outreach, and data management. Supports team members in developing annual strategies, prioritizing workload, tracking progress, and achieving goals within their functional areas. Builds a collaborative, respectful, and mission-centered team culture grounded in trust, accountability, and continuous improvement. Communications, Advocacy & Organizational Growth
Ensures Chum's mission, vision, and impact are communicated clearly and consistently to donors, congregations, community partners, and the broader public. Represents Chum at civic, congregational, and community events, maintaining visibility and accessibility for donor and partner engagement. Supports advocacy efforts and systems-level change related to homelessness, poverty, and marginalization. Provides leadership and strategic support for capital campaigns and major fundraising initiatives in partnership with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and Campaign Committee. Financial Oversight & Data Integrity
Oversees reconciliation of revenue generated through fundraising activities with financial reports, working collaboratively with finance staff. Ensures the accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, and timeliness of donor records, acknowledgments, and reports. Maintains compliance with organizational policies, ethical fundraising standards, and reporting requirements for grants and fundraising initiatives. Physical Demands: This position requires the ability to remain stationary for extended periods and to move throughout office and program spaces to access materials and engage with staff and community members. Regular use of a computer and other standard office equipment is required. Occasional physical activity includes ascending and descending stairs, positioning oneself to maintain files or obtain supplies, and lifting or moving materials weighing up to 25 pounds. The role requires the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, observe details at close range, and respond to a variety of practical work-related situations
Work Environment:
The Director of Mission Advancement primarily works from an established office location, with regular travel to congregational, donor, and community sites. Occasional remote work may be available with supervisory approval. The work environment is generally moderate in noise level, with occasional periods of increased activity related to events, meetings, or community engagement. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
Requirements
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred. Minimum of ten years of experience preferred. Previous experience in fund development or mission advancement, including major gift cultivation and stewardship, is required. Demonstrated experience in fundraising activities such as annual giving, special events, grant writing, planned giving, and capital campaigns. Proven ability to engage community leaders and inspire financial and volunteer support across diverse audiences. Experience working collaboratively with boards, executive leadership, committees, and volunteers. Strong commitment to equity, justice, and serving marginalized populations, with an understanding of historic and contemporary forms of marginalization Required Skills:
Language Skills:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret professional periodicals and governmental regulations. Ability to write proposals, reports and general business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from funders. Mathematical Skills:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret graphs for reports. Proficiency in Excel. Ability to construct budgets and financial reports required for institutional fundraising. Reasoning Ability:
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Other Skills and Abilities:
Self-motivation; must be flexible, adaptable and resourceful. Benefits
Benefits:
Paid Time Off (PTO) Paid Holidays + 2 Floating Holidays Bereavement Leave (3 days) Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Financial Support of Job-Related Educational Opportunities 403b Retirement Account Dental, Life, and Health Insurance Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance Health Savings Account (HSA) Mandatory Benefits as defined by law
Status:
Exempt
Reports To:
Executive Director
Salary Level:
$70,000 - $80,000
About Chum:
Chum is a non-profit 501 (C)3 organization that serves about 8,000 low-income, homeless, hungry, isolated, and otherwise marginalized community members each year. More than 40 faith-based congregations in Duluth are part of Chum and support our core mission: people of faith working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community.
Chum operates an Emergency Shelter, Family Shelter, a Drop-in Center with a Health and Wellness Clinic, Winter Warming Center, Food Shelf, as well as offers Street Outreach, and supportive services for people living at the Steve O'Neil Apartments and the St. Francis Apartments who were previously homeless. Chum's advocacy focuses on policy and systems changes to help improve the lives of people who turn to Chum for services. Chum also provides leadership to Stepping On Up (a collaboration of service agencies) that is working to change Duluth's response to homelessness. We are committed to providing services in a manner that is informed by historic and contemporary forms of marginalization (such as racism, homophobia, and patriarchy) and relevant to the current issues of increasing mental illness and substance misuse. The Director of Mission Advancement must be attuned to these struggles and able to understand, articulate, and synthesize Chum's response to these issues.
Position Summary:
The Director of Mission Advancement provides strategic leadership for Chum's fundraising, donor engagement, communications, advocacy, and congregational outreach efforts. This role supports Chum's mission by strengthening relationships, advancing philanthropic support, and ensuring consistent, values-driven communication with donors, partners, and the broader community.
This position reports directly to and works with the Executive Director and works closely with the Board of Directors to develop and implement the organization's annual advancement plan. The Director serves as a key member of Chum's leadership team and provides oversight and direction to the Mission Advancement Team, ensuring alignment with Chum's strategic priorities and long-term sustainability.
This position is ideal for an experienced development professional with strong relationship-building and communication skills, a collaborative leadership style, and a deep commitment to equity, justice, and serving marginalized populations. The successful candidate will be able to clearly articulate Chum's mission, vision, and impact while fostering a culture of generosity, professionalism, and accountability across staff, board members, and supporters.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Planning
Develops, implements, and evaluates Chum's Board-approved annual mission advancement plan to support organizational sustainability, budget goals, and the Strategic Plan. Works closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to align fundraising, communications, and engagement strategies with Chum's mission, vision, and values. Establishes clear priorities, measurable goals, and accountability structures to guide advancement initiatives and assess progress. Fund Development & Donor Engagement
Leads comprehensive fundraising efforts including annual giving, major gifts, grants, special events, planned giving, and capital campaigns. Identifies, researches, cultivates, solicits, and stewards individual donors, foundations, congregations, and community partners. Maintains and actively manages a portfolio of major donors, ensuring meaningful engagement, stewardship, and long-term relationship building. Fosters a culture of generosity and professionalism among staff, board members, volunteers, and supporters. Team Leadership & Capacity Building
Provides leadership and oversight to the Mission Advancement Team, including staff working in donor engagement, communications and marketing, volunteer engagement, advocacy, congregational outreach, and data management. Supports team members in developing annual strategies, prioritizing workload, tracking progress, and achieving goals within their functional areas. Builds a collaborative, respectful, and mission-centered team culture grounded in trust, accountability, and continuous improvement. Communications, Advocacy & Organizational Growth
Ensures Chum's mission, vision, and impact are communicated clearly and consistently to donors, congregations, community partners, and the broader public. Represents Chum at civic, congregational, and community events, maintaining visibility and accessibility for donor and partner engagement. Supports advocacy efforts and systems-level change related to homelessness, poverty, and marginalization. Provides leadership and strategic support for capital campaigns and major fundraising initiatives in partnership with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and Campaign Committee. Financial Oversight & Data Integrity
Oversees reconciliation of revenue generated through fundraising activities with financial reports, working collaboratively with finance staff. Ensures the accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, and timeliness of donor records, acknowledgments, and reports. Maintains compliance with organizational policies, ethical fundraising standards, and reporting requirements for grants and fundraising initiatives. Physical Demands: This position requires the ability to remain stationary for extended periods and to move throughout office and program spaces to access materials and engage with staff and community members. Regular use of a computer and other standard office equipment is required. Occasional physical activity includes ascending and descending stairs, positioning oneself to maintain files or obtain supplies, and lifting or moving materials weighing up to 25 pounds. The role requires the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, observe details at close range, and respond to a variety of practical work-related situations
Work Environment:
The Director of Mission Advancement primarily works from an established office location, with regular travel to congregational, donor, and community sites. Occasional remote work may be available with supervisory approval. The work environment is generally moderate in noise level, with occasional periods of increased activity related to events, meetings, or community engagement. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
Requirements
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred. Minimum of ten years of experience preferred. Previous experience in fund development or mission advancement, including major gift cultivation and stewardship, is required. Demonstrated experience in fundraising activities such as annual giving, special events, grant writing, planned giving, and capital campaigns. Proven ability to engage community leaders and inspire financial and volunteer support across diverse audiences. Experience working collaboratively with boards, executive leadership, committees, and volunteers. Strong commitment to equity, justice, and serving marginalized populations, with an understanding of historic and contemporary forms of marginalization Required Skills:
Language Skills:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret professional periodicals and governmental regulations. Ability to write proposals, reports and general business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from funders. Mathematical Skills:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret graphs for reports. Proficiency in Excel. Ability to construct budgets and financial reports required for institutional fundraising. Reasoning Ability:
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Other Skills and Abilities:
Self-motivation; must be flexible, adaptable and resourceful. Benefits
Benefits:
Paid Time Off (PTO) Paid Holidays + 2 Floating Holidays Bereavement Leave (3 days) Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Financial Support of Job-Related Educational Opportunities 403b Retirement Account Dental, Life, and Health Insurance Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance Health Savings Account (HSA) Mandatory Benefits as defined by law