Chief Advancement Officer

Job Summary:

SIL is seeking an entrepreneurial leader responsible for leading a startup fundraising team with clear revenue and relationship targets. This leader will see the challenge of introducing donors to a relatively unknown category of nonprofit work (language solutions) as an exciting opportunity. The candidate most likely to thrive will have a strategic bent and a love for listening to people and responding to their needs with intentional solutions. This leader should have a strong background in areas such as sales, marketing or fundraising (5 years or more). We seek someone who will bring an eagerness to approach the work through a spiritual lens where outcomes integrate revenue targets, donor transformation and ministry impact. It will be important for the candidate to have a global perspective, notable cross-cultural experience and being multilingual would be a benefit. Finally, the candidate we seek will love people and be known as a servant leader.

Brings a heart for people, an outcomes-oriented mind and an entrepreneurial spirit to the task of building the Advancement effort within SIL and providing leadership to the start-up capability. Fosters a culture of philanthropy within the organization. Assures that the organization’s corporate culture, systems and procedures support SIL’s fundraising philosophy and make it possible for staff and volunteers to institutionalize philanthropy and fund development within the organization.

Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes:

Leadership that is:

• Collaborative
• Relational
• Influence rather than power/authority
• Able to work with a wide range of stakeholders
• Strategic posture
• Plans, coordinates and assures implementation of strategies
• Assures development and maintenance of appropriate systems
• Maintains accountability and compliance standards for donors and funding sources
• Excellent problem solving skills
• Seeks diverse perspectives and inputs to complex problems
• Able to identify multiple possible solutions and evaluate and decide on the best one
• High tolerance for ambiguity and entrepreneurial posture
• Committed to investing in and developing staff, donors and partners
• Communication skills
• Inspirational
• Comfortable interacting with staff at all levels of the organization
• Skill in translating organizational outcomes into compelling ministry impact understood by external stakeholders

High degree of emotional intelligence and ability to establish a generosity and fundraising culture within the SIL community. Sensitivity to current organizational culture, and a humble learner mindset.

KEY RESULTS AREAS:

KRA #1:

Integral Leadership
This KRA will be fulfilled when:

• Spiritual Leadership is demonstrated
• A clear theology of the spirituality of fundraising that values the role of faith and discipleship in giving is evident to the team, the wider SIL organization, donors and potential donors.
• A commitment to dependence on God in prayer together with staff and donors is affirmed as the team seeks His direction for the ministry.
• Organizational Leadership is demonstrated
• When SIL Fundraising fulfills its appropriate role within SIL's overall resourcing strategies.
• The Fundraising structures and processes are developed in consultation with key stakeholders in order to serve both internal and external constituencies
• A culture of generosity and philanthropy is increasingly evident across the organization

KRA#2: Deepening Donor Experience
This KRA will be fulfilled when:

• The donor experience is representative of SIL’s commitment to human flourishing
• Donors are affirmed in their passions and interests
• Donors are challenged to better understand the needs of people striving to flourish with their languages
• Donors are generously giving to the work of SIL and growing personally as they engage in the cause.
• An increasing number of donors are able to articulate SIL’s cause, participate in it, engage others proactively and take ownership of advancing the cause on behalf of the organization in a transformative way.
• Donors with a faith motivation report that their relationships with SIL have supported their personal journey towards spiritual growth and generosity.
• Donors who do not share SIL’s faith motivation report that their relationships with SIL have given them a growing appreciation for SIL’s cause that has produced a direct impact on their personal growth and development.

KRA#3: Commitment to Collaboration
This KRA will be fulfilled when:

• Networking, partnership and co-creation are the means by which all work is accomplished.
• A fruitful and open working relationship is maintained between SIL and institutional funding organizations like the Wycliffe Global Alliance, Seed Company and similarly aligned organizations
• Healthy collaboration with GRO leaders responsible for other value streams is prioritized (professional services, product sales, and IP licensing)
• Opportunities are surfaced through fundraising activities that lead to opportunities for other value streams
• Collaboration and cultivation with major alliances and networks (ETEN/IllumiNations, Micah Global, WEA, Lausanne, Global Reading Network, All Children Reading, etc) are deepend, advancing SIL’s mission, vision and differentiation.

KRA#4: Oversight of a Clear Strategy and Revenue Objectives
This KRA will be fulfilled when:

• An Outcome Oriented focus is fostered:
• The Team understands and strives to meet the established revenue goals and SIL strategy outcomes.
• A Strategy is identified for growing existing income streams and developing new income streams
• A global focus is pursued:
• The strategy is designed to focus significant attention on fundraising opportunities outside of traditional donor segments.
• A posture of humble learning is present; allowing the team to understand cross-cultural dynamics in fundraising and program implementation.
• The Advancement team engages effectively with SIL leaders:
• The Case for Support is compelling and representative of the organization’s cause
• Staff are willing to utilize and encourage fundraising best practice standards
• A growing number of staff are included in the fundraising strategy and grow to believe that funding can come from anywhere with the help of anyone.
• There is an intentional effort to harmonize the missionary donor funding model and the organizational donor funding model to increase sustainability.

KRA#5: Personal and Professional Development
This KRA will be fulfilled when:

• Leader and staff maintain a strong commitment to Personal and Professional Development
• Leader and staff maintain regular spiritual disciplines.
• Leader and staff maintain a good physical fitness level.
• Leader and staff spend at least two weeks of the yearly allowed annual holiday away from the SIL work.
• Leader and staff regularly read books on leadership, management, cross-cultural issues, missions, Christian growth, communication, etc. and attend appropriate leadership and management training events.
• Leader monitors progress being made towards the objectives in this PRD at least quarterly and will review them with the Associate Executive Director during their annual review.