Advancement Officer for Parishes

The Catholic Center; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Catholic Community Foundation of the Diocese of Richmond is seeking an Advancement Officer for Parishes to support offertory, planned giving, donor stewardship, and capital campaigns across Virginia (excluding Northern Virginia). This role aims to maximize parish impact and mission by partnering with pastors, volunteers, and donors.

Responsibilities include capital campaign planning, annual offertory growth, donor relations, and travel to parishes to provide leadership and guidance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; 5+ years of professional fund development experience preferred.
• Fluency in English and Spanish preferred.
• Outstanding organizational, multi-tasking and communication skills required.
• Experience with Donor/CRM systems and MS Office suite strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Director of Development on capital campaign fundraising and parish-level operations, including feasibility studies, pre-planning, solicitation, and post‑campaign communications.
• Consult with parishes to grow annual offertory and year‑round stewardship and educate donors on impact.
• Lead planned giving initiatives across parishes of various sizes.
• Assist parishes in major gift opportunities and donor research to assess capacity.
• Support parishes' Annual Diocesan Appeal efforts and provide on‑site guidance as needed.
• Travel to parishes to offer leadership and philanthropic support and attend regional/national fundraising conferences.

Skills

Fundraising expertise

Public speaking

Bilingual: English/Spanish

Storytelling

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Raiser's Edge

Job description

Description

The Catholic Community Foundation of the Diocese of Richmond is seeking an Advancement Officer for Parishes. The Advancement Officer for Parishes is a dynamic fundraising professional who works closely with parishes on offertory support, planned giving, donor stewardship, and capital campaigns. This role serves to maximize the short‑term and long‑term philanthropic potential of parishes to realize greater impact in parish life and the communities in which they minister. Serving in multiple regions throughout the territory of the Diocese of Richmond (the state of Virginia except Northern Virginia), this position offers the opportunity to make an incredible impact on mission in partnership with pastors, volunteers, and donors while utilizing and growing personal leadership skills.

Responsibilities and Tasks

• Works with the Director of Development and Operations on all aspects of capital campaign fundraising and operations at the parish level including feasibility studies, campaign pre‑planning, solicitation, and post‑campaign communications.
• Consults with parishes to increase annual offertory as well as year‑round stewardship efforts aimed at recognition and educating parishioners about the impact of their donations. Works with parishes on collections aimed at building parish capacity for special projects (such as building maintenance or ministry enhancement).
• Conducts a planned giving program in parishes of various sizes to educate parishioners about the ways they can support their parishes through planned giving as well as the impact planned gifts can have for generations to come.
• Assists parishes in major gift opportunities for short‑term or long‑term needs which could include soliciting individuals in partnership with the pastor and/or conducting donor research to determine prospect capacity.
• Works with specific parishes on ensuring successful Annual Diocesan Appeal efforts as requested.
• Travels to parishes to provide on‑site leadership, guidance, and support regarding philanthropic matters as requested.
• Attends regional and national conferences to advance understanding of fundraising/stewardship best practices.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements/Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of demonstrated experience in the field of professional fund development are required (experience working on capital campaigns is preferred).
• Fluency in English and Spanish is preferred.
• Outstanding organizational skills, ability to adapt quickly to new and varied professional environments, and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously are required.
• A comprehensive knowledge of computer software applications including the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) is required. Experience with Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge database solution is preferred but not required. Strong computer skills are required.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with all levels of staff, volunteers, donors, and prospective donors are required.
• Extremely strong communication skills (including storytelling ability and public speaking skills), strong work ethic, and high integrity are necessary.
• Must be able to travel frequently, serve in a full‑time capacity, and be available as needed during occasional nights and weekends.
• A background in and appreciation of the Catholic Church and its teachings is preferred

Working Conditions

The position of Advancement Officer for Parishes is a full‑time position. The standard office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, with an hour for lunch anytime between noon and 2:00 pm. Frequent travel throughout the State of Virginia (except Northern Virginia) should be expected.

Physical Requirements

Light physical effort required. Regularly required to sit for extended periods, stand, walk, reach, bend, lift, listen, talk and perform computer keyboarding. May need to transport campaign materials. Prolonged periods of car traveling.