Job Opening

International Development Officer – Southwest Region

Status: Full time, Exempt

Department: Development

Reports to: Director of Development

Location: Live remote, located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, or Phoenix areas, Travel 5-10 days per month within southwestern states of TX, CA, AZ (possibly others as needed); 1 week (2-4 times per year) to Cross HQ in South Florida; Central America, the Caribbean, and/or Africa 1-3 times per year.

Position Summary:

If you have a passion to serve many of the world’s most vulnerable children, families, and communities, to see God’s love in action, and to engage those with financial resources to join us in this ministry-work, this position may be a perfect fit for you and us! If so, your work will have an immense influence on Cross International’s growth and impact with many of the world’s impoverished people over the coming years.

As the International Development Officer (IDO) – Southwest Region, you are energized to reach into your network of contacts and beyond to develop new major donors (donors who give at least $5,000 annually), and steward and grow a portfolio of current major donors and some mid-level donors ($1500-$999 annually), with a goal to add at least 100 new major donors and $750,000 in additional annual funding to the existing portfolio over the next five years.

The ability to cultivate the interest of busy people with a wide range of perspectives will be critical for success. The key objectives are to maximize the giving of all and develop strong relationships between donors and CI.

You love to network and meet in-person and motivate people to support an incredible mission. This role requires that you be an experienced, energetic person of Christian faith with vibrant people skills as you engage donors via phone, video, email, personal visits, and mail to build relationships and foster support for Cross International. The portfolio will be comprised of donors who live in the region and come from all walks of life; nearly all are Christian, and the majority are older than 50.

Part of relationship development with donors is inquiring about personal needs. Praying with and for donors is a critical part of this role. It is important that you are comfortable praying with donors and colleagues.

You also enjoy working both alone from a home office and within a remote team environment. You are proactive and love a “how can I create” instead of a “what tasks do you want me to do” mindset and environment. You are intent to meet and exceed goals and are energized to complete tasks on time. You have a passion to serve the world’s most vulnerable populations with compassion and respect. You also have an understanding of the contemporary influences within North American evangelical churches and the worldwide Church at large.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required/Preferred:

  • A person of committed Christian faith;
  • Exude a courteous, Christ-like attitude when interacting with people within and outside of Cross International and faithfully uphold CI’s ministry in prayer;
  • Entrepreneurial and initiative-taking, loves challenges and can handle multiple tasks with precision while meeting deadlines
  • Superior oral and written communication skills, as well as interpersonal, organizational, and motivational skills;
  • Demonstrated successes in major gift fundraising (or high-level sales), comfortable in approaching and engaging with mid and high net-worth individuals and securing five and six-figure gifts;
  • Proven success at new business development, as this is core to this position;
  • Success in growing revenue significantly, year over year
  • A sound working knowledge of fundraising principles or sales processes, planned giving experience or knowledge a plus;
  • Love working on your own and being part of a team;
  • Solving problems with initiative and creativity;
  • Ability to interact with tact and confidence in gift discussions with individuals, couples, and groups;
  • Ability to comprehend and effectively communicate the CI mission to donors;
  • Knowledge of or interest in international affairs, including Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa;
  • Advocates to raise awareness of poverty, and the rights and protections of children in developing country cultures;
  • Database management skills and proficiency with Word, Excel and PowerPoint, CRM: Give Effect, or Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce a plus, along with ability to learn new software and navigate common business use IT issues;
  • Economical and efficient skill in business travel;
  • Ability to accompany donors on international vision trips.

Essential Responsibilities:

  • Meet and exceed the financials goals of the position to fuel the ministry-work of Cross International;
  • Manage and grow to a portfolio of 150-200 qualified relationships, asking for support and closing five and six-figure gifts;
  • A strong emphasis on identifying and cultivating new major donor prospects (personal contacts, networking, etc.) for Cross;
  • Be active in the community. Attend networking events and other business functions with the goal of bringing in new donors;
  • Analyze and predict a donor’s propensity, capacity, and enthusiasm to give. Gather pertinent data to determine the best candidates for the major gifts program;
  • Cultivate major gift prospects, investing the necessary time and energy to build relationships designed to understand the donor/prospect goals with the expressed purpose of alignment with Cross International’s mission and objectives;
  • Solicit major gift prospects. Moving prospective major donors along the donor pipeline ready to receive an appropriate ask based upon donor intent and interest;
  • Steward major gift donors. Develop stewardship strategies and benchmarks that continue the major gift relationship for future gifts and planned giving opportunities;
  • Communicate with all donors on a timely basis, ensuring proposals, reports on donations, and other communications are provided to donors 100% on time;
  • Organize small group donor cultivation gatherings with volunteer assistance;
  • Travel frequently to visit donors and accompany them on vision trips as needed (as current CI travel policy allows);
  • Document all interactions with donors in the Cross CRM database;
  • Interface with International Projects department to utilize their expertise to cultivate major gifts;
  • Identify potential foundations, corporations, and churches for cultivation and solicitation;
  • Adhere to the highest ethical standards; demonstrate empathetic disposition, and perseverance; reflect optimistic and cheerful outlook, and convey sensitivity to the needs of the donors;
  • Execute and report on monthly/quarterly/annual fundraising plans, donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts;
  • Work collaboratively with the development staff and under the direction of the Director of Development;

Education or Certification Requirements:

  • A minimum of a bachelor’s degree and 8+ years in fundraising or sales
  • CFRE preferred

General Requirements:

  • A person of Christian faith and active member/attender of a local Christian church and is a contributing part of a local body of believers
  • Has a deep desire, a calling, to serve the world’s most vulnerable people;
  • Thrives and can perform in a changing organizational environment;
  • High energy and passion for the CI mission is essential, in order to motivate donors;
  • Is a person who has a sense of humor and enjoys co-workers;
  • Ability to effectively work remotely from a home office. Will live in either the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, or Phoenix areas, Travel 5-10 days per month within the southwestern states of TX, CA, AZ (possibly others as needed); 1 week (1-4 times per year) to Cross HQ in South Florida; some international travel to project sites may be required (Central America, the Caribbean, and/or Africa) 1-3 times per year, as current CI travel policy and office conditions allow.

Please apply using the form below.  Include your resume, cover letter, and any other documentation you feel appropriate. We will set up an initial interview should your qualifications align with our goals.

Employment Application: International Development Officer

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Equality of Opportunity Statement

Cross International, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any type with regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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In developed countries, basic medical supplies such as gauze, wraps, bandages, and syringes are commonplace. Unfortunately, that is often not the case in the developing world. Christian doctors and volunteers in developing countries frequently run low on these supplies, and they also lack the funds to keep large inventories on hand.

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