Director of Planned Giving & Legacy Stewardship

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health premiums for employees

HSA with employer contribution

Life insurance

403b retirement plan

17 paid holidays

Generous paid time-off

Job summary

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is seeking a Senior Planned Giving Lead to develop and manage a comprehensive planned giving program for the churchwide organization. You will oversee a portfolio of significant donors, collaborate with the ELCA Foundation, and serve on the Development leadership team to shape strategy.

Responsibilities include elevating gift planning, coordinating with Annual and Institutional giving, and building robust metrics to demonstrate growth.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional fundraising experience developing gifts, incl. planned gifts.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; advanced gift planning/CFRE-type certification preferred.
• Proven ability to build relationships across diverse constituencies and departments.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; able to engage donors and advisors.
• Experience with CRM and donor management systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive planned giving program for ELCA churchwide priorities.
• Manage a portfolio of 50–100 active prospects for cultivation and stewardship.
• Support mid and major gift officers in planning and documenting new gifts.
• Coordinate with ELCA Foundation to promote and steward planned gifts.
• Lead the Development leadership team in fundraising strategy.
• Develop metrics to track progress using actuarial projections.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Fundraising

Planned gifts

Donor relations

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Fundraising certification (CAP, CSPG, CFRE, CFP, or AEP)

Tools

CRM/donor management system

Job description

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is seeking a Senior Planned Giving Lead to develop and manage a comprehensive planned giving program for the churchwide organization. You will oversee a portfolio of significant donors, collaborate with the ELCA Foundation, and serve on the Development leadership team to shape strategy.

Responsibilities include elevating gift planning, coordinating with Annual and Institutional giving, and building robust metrics to demonstrate growth.