Strategic Partnerships Director, Southeast - 2025626

Overview

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish.

Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy.

World Relief is seeking a Strategic Partnership Director, who serves as a key front-line fundraiser responsible for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors within a designated U.S. region. This role will manage a dynamic portfolio of high-capacity individuals, building meaningful relationships that lead to transformational investment in World Relief’s mission. Through strategic in-person engagement, donor-centered communication, and intentional stewardship, the Strategic Partnership Director will drive regional fundraising goals, strengthen partnerships, and invite others into the redemptive work of justice and compassion around the world.

• The Strategic Partnership Director will be responsible for:
• Meeting or exceeding an annual regional income goal through the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major donors and church partners.
• Driving revenue growth by consistently achieving monthly lead indicator objectives aligned with individual and team performance standards.
• Ensuring the retention and growth of existing major donors through intentional relationship management and compelling impact reporting.
• Leading efforts to identify and acquire new donors with a focus on expanding the regional philanthropic footprint.
• Planning and executing high-impact regional events that engage current partners and attract new audiences to the mission of World Relief.
• Collaborating closely with local offices and national teams to align regional fundraising strategies with World Relief’s broader U.S. ministry goals.
• Developing, coordinating, and managing a defined portfolio of approximately 100-125 major donors and prospects, with individualized engagement strategies for each.
• Conducting in-person meetings and site visits, traveling as necessary to cultivate deep relationships and advance giving conversations.
• Participating in the creation and refinement of annual donor journey strategies for each partner, ensuring alignment with giving capacity, interests, and World Relief’s mission priorities.
• Collaborating with colleagues and volunteer leaders to facilitate donor engagement experiences— including curated special events and intimate gatherings that inspire and activate generosity.
• Participating in international vision trips and ministry trips that allow partners to see and experience the impact of their support firsthand, when appropriate and aligned with donor interest.
• Tracking all fundraising activity and moves management milestones using World Relief’s preferred donor database system, ensuring timely follow-up, high-quality data integrity, and strategic documentation.
• Expertly qualifying, pitching, and closing gifts in alignment with World Relief’s consultative and mission-driven fundraising model.
• Designing and delivering tailored partner care and growth strategies that cultivate trust, express gratitude, and deepen partner investment—both relationally and financially.
• Overseeing a timely and personalized stewardship process, including major donor acknowledgements with input from leadership and program staff, ensuring response within a 3-day turnaround.
• Maintaining accurate and current donor records, capturing both hard and soft touchpoints, in compliance with best practices and organizational standards.
• Proactively identifying new high-potential leads, cultivating them into prospects, and advancing them through the giving journey toward long-term partnership.
• Protecting the confidentiality of all donor-related information, ensuring the…