PRESENTS

Senior Development Officer

Christ in Youth - CIY

Joplin, MO or Remote

Mission

We call youth to Christ and into lives of Kingdom work through the church.

Beliefs

Rooted in the Gospel.

Made for Kingdom work.

Connected to the Church.

Senior Development Officer Purpose

To lead strategy and execution of CIY’s fundraising efforts. The Senior Development Officer will primarily be tasked with creating a culture of philanthropy in CIY’s network through the development of relationships with donors, churches, and foundations. 

Missional Alignment

Connected to the Church is a CIY core value.

This leader will work alongside all levels of CIY leadership to bring individuals and churches into the work of CIY’s mission.

YESTERDAY & TODAY

SINCE 1968

Founded in 1968, CIY has been creating moments that inspire young people to Kingdom work for generations. CIY is an independent 501c3 organization, not tied to a particular denomination. During the majority of CIY's history, we have been known as an events ministry. MOVE, our largest and flagship event, hosts over half of the 80,000 young people who attend CIY events every year.

Yet, the pandemic has shed light on emerging needs and new opportunities. CIY will continue to invest in events but is currently exploring ways to serve churches through film and mobile technology. The methods have changed throughout the years and could change in the future but our mission remains the same: to call young people to Christ and into lives of Kingdom work through the church.

Read more about the complete history of CIY.

TODAY

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Christ in Youth (CIY) is a $23 million nonprofit organization that has called students and leaders to boldly live for Christ through the hope of the Gospel message and a call to Kingdom action. Through its 50+ full-time employees, CIY currently reaches 80,000 students a year with its innovative programs.

CIY is in the business of moments. Using events, trips, and resources, CIY partners with local churches to call young people to Kingdom work. CIY’s age-intentional conferences (preteen – high school) utilize completely original content and programming, touring them in venues of various sizes across the US and Canada. CIY’s trips, which paint a picture of what Kingdom work looks like around the globe, focus on holistic mission principles. And finally, CIY builds resources that equip the local church. Currently, CIY is exploring digital resources that are designed to spark Kingdom worker conversations in small group settings.


LEADERSHIP, COVID & LOCATION

LEADERSHIP


CIY operates in a matrix-style org system. Each program is guided by a director (latitude leader) but the organization is led by an org team (longitude) of a President and five Vice-Presidents, each overseeing an area or discipline. Jayson French, CIY's fifth President, has a long track record of leadership in the organization. Andy Hansen, CIY's former President, is still on staff (full-time) in a fundraising/church networking role. Eric Epperson, a sixteen-year veteran of CIY, serves as the VP of Story and works with a team to accomplish fundraising, marketing, and sales goals.


I (Eric Epperson) work with a high trust leadership style. I'd like to believe that we hire good people, pros at what they do, who are capable of problem-solving and innovating. I approach everything with a "Yes, And mentality." I believe in conversation and contribution and I don't think I have all the answers. I want a team of people, who are willing to bring both their brilliance and bad ideas to find solutions we couldn't create alone. I want people to work hard and have fun. I hope that my teammates laugh and fail at least once a day.

CIY strives to employ a servant leadership style and workflow. We believe in self-leadership, that people are intrinsically motivated. We believe that people are made in the image of God and therefore their value is based on more than just what they produce. We believe that the entire organization is connected and therefore collaboration is the only way to grow.

THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM

The Development Team is a part of the Story team, consisting of Development and Church Relations. Stronger than ever. Really. Development has been shaky in the last 10-15 years. Tough decisions were made, teams were realigned. We invested in training and equipping. There is now a renewed energy and focus on development. Our messaging is in step with the organization. An inexperienced but talented team is in place. Systems have improved.

Eric Epperson is the VP of Story. This role would report directly to him, alongside Titus Weece, Director of Church Relations. Sonja Tapper, who is currently managing the day to day of development would report to the SDO. She is a proven leader and has a lot of respect in the organization. Andy Hansen, former President, also reports to the SDO. Chloe Davenport, who manages the backend and appreciation processes, reports to Sonja Tapper.

COVID IMPLICATIONS

Rebounding, retooling, and moving forward. The COVID-19 pandemic did a number on us. Overnight, CIY lost all event revenue, a $23M loss. Summer 2020 events were canceled, our primary window of ministry and income. We were forced to release 33% of our staff in May 2020. It is not an overstatement, 2020 was the hardest challenge CIY has faced in its history. Despite the challenges, our reputation and focus on the mission has never been stronger. CIY leaned hard on serving churches throughout the pandemic. We gave away resources, built digital events, and invested in relationships. And churches and donors had our backs through donations and registrations for 2021. Halfway through 2021, events have returned, we have not taken on any pandemic-related debt, and we are poised for growth. That growth involves new initiatives in technology and film. We are in the midst of a study on the viability of creating a curriculum and we are piloting digital production techniques that rival any film studio on the coasts. We have been through a storm. There is still work to be done but we are excited about the future.

LOCATION

Joplin is a small city at the crossroads of MO/AR/OK/KS. An hour+ north of Rogers, AR (home of Walmart) and two hours south of KC. Joplin has big-city attractions within a short drive in all directions. The city itself is growing and expanding. It's been exciting to see young creatives and business owners stick around and create stuff. A new performing arts center is being built downtown, the local food scene sneaks up on you, and the schools and hospitals are competitive. Plus: Ozark Christian College and several dynamic churches provide plenty of local ministry networks. It has been rated as one of the most affordable places to live in the USA, with the median home price of $140,000.


WHAT THEY DO


SuperStart is a two-day interactive program designed specifically for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Each weekend engages the growing minds and hearts of preteens to teach them more about themselves and the Bible.

Believe is a high-energy weekend event for junior high students only. It is structured specifically for junior high students and is packed with powerful worship and teaching from God’s Word.

MIX is a four-day summer conference event for sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students. Each week is designed to address the unique spiritual, cognitive and developmental needs of middle schoolers in a summer conference setting.

MOVE is a five-day program for high school students to experience God. Each week includes daily devotional times, nightly worship celebrations, community discipleship, and challenging messages.

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Engage trains groups and engage trains groups and individuals for a life of kingdom work through experiencing what God is doing in cultures different than their own.


THE OPPORTUNITY


CIY is poised for growth with a chance for new and exciting things post-pandemic. They have a global footprint and are expanding in Europe. CIY people are connected with church leaders across the country. There are new contacts to be made through an already-devoted audience of CIY participants, both past and current. There are resources to create compelling stories (film and design). This leader will have a chance, years from now, to look back on the upcoming chapter and say, "I was there when..."

There will be pressure associated with the role from leadership. The board will be paying attention. Travel expectations of up to 80 days a year will be a key component to be upheld. Knowledge of the church world, especially the Christian church world. Development will move (in coming years) from underwriting on-going operations (only 10% in non-COVID years) to only funding new initiatives.

An organization with 53 years of rich history, a strong reputation, and credibility places CIY postured for further financially invested stakeholder growth; through partnerships, individuals, churches, and deeper cultivated connections that already exist. The next SDO will be stepping into an already well-known, well-loved, well-established organization that has invested in providing excellence through their staff and in their strong programmatic experiences. The rapport that exists affords them leverage and strengthens their ability to be postured well to move forward and continue to grow financially, both in cultivating what exists and in creating new relationships.

There is a deep sense that it is a pivotal time to build on the incredible foundation of 'what was' and adjust to 'what could be' within the Development Team. This has been an evolving crew, shaped by the inherited needs and the people who have moved into these key roles. The SDO would have a key part in designing, shaping and mobilizing the strategy behind this. The next SDO will have leverage and resources to create a strategy, and have oversight of the strategy, but CIY is looking for people with a bias for will over resources.

The CIY team is highly creative and collaborative, with an enterprising mentality in all corners of the organization. They are young, talented, fun, and highly relational. There is a deep love for their CIY community, many of which have grown up and navigated their own faith formation throughout this special place. Demanding travel, rigorous production, and honest dialog and feedback at every turn, the CIY standard is professional and excellent. In order to be a functional part of this team, you will need to have plenty of self-initiative.

In the development arena, there is huge potential, being one of two revenue producers (the vast majority being brought in through camp revenue). In 2020, during a vastly different season in which camp simply did not happen, the Development Team leveraged their strong relational connections in order to keep CIY afloat amidst COVID. The table has been set to dive deep into new ideas, complimenting a stable (and growing) infrastructure, and ultimately landing on a solid strategy moving forward.

FIRST YEAR WINS

  • Get to know and integrate with CIY culture, and get familiarized with key stakeholders.
  • Assess, take stock, and determine the 'point A to point B' game plan.
  • Invest heavily in team dynamics and understanding the ins and outs of CIY during the first 9-12 months.
  • Hit the mark of the communicated development budget.

THE NEXT SEASON OF LEADERSHIP


The ideal candidate should possess:


  • A strong, emboldened spirit cultivated through their own faith in Jesus;
  • a deep understanding of giving & building relational capacity;
  • inspire an empowered, unified collaborative team; and
  • have the skills, knowledge and expertise to create & execute a development strategy.

S/he will have the utmost and highest of integrity, morality, and ethics. Secure and grounded in who they are, as a child of God.

Great value is placed on someone who can be a bridge-builder, and understand the unique nuances of leading (and building) a relatively younger team. They must be team-driven and collaborative, but boldly and concisely able to make decisions, being both competent and confident; but willing to learn, offering an energizing and fresh perspective.

S/he will be willing to sustain and withstand the tension that comes with the expectations of both creating and executing a development strategy, targeted goals & building a sustainable infrastructure to support them. Terms like innovative, strategically creative, highly relational, passionate and articulate are best used in describing this leader.

The next SDO must be energized by relationships, as they will have external exposure with potentially high visibility alongside Jayson French, CIY's President. They will nurture old relationships and foster new. This person will need to offer confidence AND approachability, someone who can easily toggle between audiences, demonstrating high emotional intelligence.

S/he will be willing to understand and sustain the tension that comes with the seasonality of camp life and travel. They will need to be strong stewards of their time, and maintain healthy boundaries to model to their team.

This leader will be a visionary, and an operationally strong administrator who can cultivate & encourage, while laying down solid pathways that bring out the best in their team to move forward in a clear, unified direction.

The Senior Development Officer will be someone that sees relationship as an art-form and can resource the Development Team to build the strategy and infrastructure to support it.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Senior Development Officer

Reports to:  Eric Epperson, VP Story

Classification: Full Time, Salary, Exempt

Direct Reports: Sonja Tapper, Andy Hansen

Location: CIY is open to remote work but would prefer this role to be based out of the US office in Joplin, MO.

POSITION OVERVIEW

To lead strategy and execution of CIY’s fundraising efforts. The Senior Development Officer will primarily be tasked with creating a culture of philanthropy in CIY’s network through the development of relationships with donors, churches, and foundations. 

SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS

  • Ensure CIY’s development strategy is carried out by leading the team through strategy development, regular evalutions, and accountability measures.
  • Work alongside President and VP of Story to foster relationships with high-capacity givers and align the development strategy with organizational goals and mission.
  • Identify and cultivate relationships with key donors and organizations, maintain a portfolio of high-capacity partners
  • Lead the development team, investing in the individuals professionally and personally. 
  • Effectively implement a variety of fundraising activities, including personal solicitations, preparation of high-quality proposals, grant reports and donor communications, execution of fundraising events, donor stewardship, and implementation of regular fund appeals.
  • Steward and manage the revenue and expense budgets for fundraising efforts.
  • Work with Story longitude leadership (church relations and marketing) to develop fundraising materials, events, and outreach activities, maintaining a constant branding image throughout. 
  • Partner with the President to create deeper and new relationships with high-giving capacity constituents.
  • Create and execute a strategy for a large, sustained base of annual individual donors.

REQUIRED ATTRIBUTES

  • A genuine and deep love of Christ
  • Growth mindset
  • Passion for the mission
  • Cultural fit

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Must be committed to the mission of Christ In Youth. 
  • Must be a servant leader who works best while collaborating under pressure, making everyone better along the way.
  • Excellent storyteller with a passion for fun ideas.
  • Bachelor’s degree in PR, communications, or related field preferred but not required.
  • Progressive track record of cultivating, managing and leading major gift campaigns, managing and forging relationships with multiple donor sources, and demonstrated ability to solicit and secure significant major gifts.
  • Minimum five years experience in fundraising required.
  • Familiarity and experience with Non-profit CRM tools. Experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT is a plus.
  • Must live in submission to CIY’s Culture Statement (see Cultural Expectations).

TIME & LOCATION

  • 40 hours/week
  • Up to eighty (80) days of travel per year expected
  • Salary, non-exempt position

CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS

In order to honor Christ in our work and ministry culture, we commit ourselves to live by the values listed below. We unite in all of these things to amplify the call of Christ in a student’s life to be a Kingdom worker. We will work together daily to cultivate a healthy environment, founded upon biblical standards from which creativity and excellence flow. By signing below, we agree to be held accountable to live by these standards.

1.     I will set an example of TRUTH by being honest in word and deed.

2.     I will carry a spirit of LOVE towards all staff, our families, the local church, and the people with whom I interact.

3.     I will have the heart of a SERVANT to the CIY family, to my local church, and to the world around me.

4.     I will promote UNITY and make every effort to live in peace with all people.

5.     I will be a good STEWARD of people, time, finances, and resources.

6.     I will reflect EXCELLENCE in my work ethic and seek to continually improve the efficiency and effectiveness of events, trips, and resources.

7.     I will continually PRAY for my team, leaders, and endeavors.

8.     I will contribute to an environment that is FUN and creative.

9.     I will speak the truth in love and will maintain a POSITIVE ATTITUDE while dealing with difficult circumstances or people.  

CONTACT

Ready to take the next step?

To find out more, visit CIY's website.

If, after prayerfully reviewing this information, you sense this role and organization could be a good fit for you, please contact Brooke.

bhodnefield@slingshotgroup.org

913.951.7511