Development Officer Job Description

PRAYER FOR PRISONERS INTERNATIONAL

Development Officer Duties

PFPI Development Officer will insure the ministry work can continue into the future. By seeking out sustainable sources of funding, the officer will contribute in many important and often direct ways to the work of the ministry.

I.  Skills Required:

1. Research abilities
2. Strong interpersonal skills
3. The capacity to envision long-term financial plans for the PFPI mission

II.  Finding  Funding

• Because PFPI does not make money, the role of the development officer is a crucial one.
  The most important skill required for such a position is the ability to find funding sources from individual champions, businesses and corporations, churches and other
  sources. As a result, the PFPI development officer will need to be a skilled researcher, able to investigate all possible resources in order to find potential champions and grants.
• Primary in this process will be to locate foundations, which will benefit by using PFPI mission outreach to accomplish the goals for which the foundation was established, thereby reaching those in need regarding what both entities wish to provide.  It will also empower individuals and churches to use their resources in productive mission outreach with eternal rewards.  In the process of fundraising, the development officer must implement transitional giving techniques in order to empower the champions to grow and flourish in their God-given gifts and talents.

III.     Managing Campaigns

• The PFPI development officer may be required to manage or help organize donation campaigns, create incentive programs and track champions and donation patterns. This will require strong administrative and organizational skills, as well as creativity.  The PFPI development officer should create innovative methods of publicizing the cause and encouraging others to contribute financially.  The officer  will also be able to manage databases of those who have already donated, ensuring that such contributions are acknowledged, and ensure that receipts are distributed for tax purposes.
• Campaigns would include special fundraising events such as concerts, auctions, banquets and more.

IV.     Establishing and Maintaining Champion Relationships

• PFPI relies heavily on repeat donations in order to operate.  For this reason, the development officer will ensure that champions feel a connection to the cause by receiving updates on the organization’s progress through regular contact and by making clear to champions exactly where their money is going.  The development officer will also need to be good at networking, able to relate to different populations, and create the connections that will ensure a broad group of future champions.

V.      Creating Regular Appeal Letters for Mailing Lists

• The PFPI development officer will create and mail appeal letters, which will inform
  champions of ministry needs and how donations are being used.

VI.     Writing Grants

• A crucial skill for the PFPI development officer to have is the ability to write grants–larger donations that are usually administered by a business, government office, or foundation through an often-competitive application process.  A good grant proposal–a formalized application for such funding–will be concise, clear, and persuasive and will make a clear case for a PFPI’s merit without resorting to hyperbole.  The development officer may be required to write such proposals frequently and tailor them to the interests of each foundation, often under time constraints.  The officer needs to be familiar with the various formats used for grant-writing and be able to craft a compelling proposal of any length, citing specifics and statistics from the organization’s work where applicable.