Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Vice President Of Institutional Advancement

Baptist Search Partners is excited to partner with Georgia Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries to find their next Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

Georgia Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries (GBCH&FM) is entering one of the most consequential seasons in its 150-plus-year history. The ministry's financial position is strong, its leadership team is stable, and its three-year strategic plan is already in motion. Now is the time to build something new: a comprehensive, intentional institutional advancement strategy capable of expanding the ministry's gospel-centered mission for the next generation.

To accomplish this goal, the Vice President of Institutional Advancement will design and deploy a unified advancement strategy spanning principal and major gift development, church and denominational relationships, corporate partnerships, and brand strategy.

For more than 150 years, GBCH&FM has cared for Georgia's most vulnerable children and families. Founded in Atlanta in 1872 as a home for orphaned and abandoned children, the GBCH&FM now operates administrative headquarters and residential services on a 400-acre property in Palmetto, Georgia, alongside active campuses in Meansville and Baxley. The ministry's outreach also encompasses Camp Hawkins in Mt. Airy and a dedicated property in Warm Springs currently transitioning into a retreat and education center.

The ministry's mission has stayed constant as "a Christian caring ministry of services designed to promote the spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of children, youth, and families." Its vision of "Hope Restored, Lives Transformed," points toward a future in which trauma-informed, Christ-centered care leads to lasting healing.

Today, GBCH&FM serves children and youth in foster care, at-risk mothers and children through its Family Care program, teens in specialized residential settings, and individuals with developmental disabilities, guided by core values of Christ-centered faith, servant leadership, excellence, integrity and accountability, communication, hope, and stewardship. In its most recent fiscal year, the ministry cared for 577 total clients, provided more than 57,000 days of care, and raised nearly $19.5 million in financial support, directing 89 cents of every dollar spent straight to children and family ministries.

GBCH&FM is also now executing a three-year strategic plan built around leadership development, expanding community-based services, enhancing facilities, and growing visibility and awareness. Governed by a Board of Trustees drawn from across Georgia Baptist life, GBCH&FM remains historically and relationally rooted in the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and its statewide network of cooperating churches.

Reporting directly to President and CEO, Dr. Brian Hawkins, and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the incoming VP will lead two distinct but complementary teams, Resource Development and Brand & Marketing, and unify them around a shared strategy. Because this is a newly reimagined executive role, the right leader will have real input into shaping the team's identity, initiatives, priorities, and culture.

Largely remote, but with the requirement to be based in Georgia, this person directly leads the Senior Director of Resource Development and the Director of Brand & Marketing, both based at the Central Office in Palmetto, GA. He or she will also relate more broadly to the wider Institutional Development team.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with principal and major gift donors, foundations, and corporate partners across Georgia
• Provide executive leadership for the institutional advancement program, setting strategic priorities and aligning fundraising, marketing, communications, and church relations around shared goals
• Build and strengthen relationships with churches, Baptist associations, community leaders, and business partners across Georgia to expand the ministry's visibility and support
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President/CEO on philanthropy, external relationships, and organizational reputation
• Ensure donor relationships and advancement activities are stewarded with integrity, compliance, and financial accountability

Requirements:

• A deep, authentic commitment to GBCH&FM's Christian mission and a willingness to understand and support the Sanctuary Model of trauma-responsive care
• 8+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising and executive leadership experience, including a proven, verifiable track record of cultivating and closing six and seven-figure principal gifts
• Exceptional executive presence, media relations acumen, and the relational skill to build partnerships with donors, churches, and business leaders across the state
• A collaborative, adaptable, team-first leadership style with a willingness to learn and grow
• Bachelor's degree required (business administration, nonprofit management,…