Major Gift Officer - Church Portfolio

Awana

4d•$80,000 - $85,000•Remote

About The Position

At Awana, we believe true change happens in the communities when children and youth are transformed by the gospel and engaged in Biblical discipleship in the presence of a caring adult. We believe that kids can come to know, love and serve Jesus, following Him for a lifetime. This is why, for 75+ years, Awana has been working with leaders in local churches in the US and around the world, providing solutions that equip these women and men to make disciples in children and youth. Today, God is using Awana to reach over 10 million kids in 140 countries around the world. With over 500,000 equipped leaders in 91,000 clubs/churches, Awana is able to play a vital role in global evangelism and discipleship of children and youth. If you are passionate about being integral to reaching kids with the gospel, join us, and become a part of our global cause. Summary At our ministry, we are passionate about forming lasting faith in every child, everywhere! As the Major Gift Officer - Church Portfolio, you will play an important role in furthering our vision for worldwide child discipleship through your outreach to the local church and helping connect their missions objective to the global disciple-making work of Awana. This role focuses on engaging pastors, missions leaders, and key church stakeholders in understanding, embracing, and investing in global child discipleship through strategic missional and financial partnership with Awana. The ideal candidate understands the blessing of the “ask”, is gifted in soliciting donations for ministry purposes, is a seasoned ministry veteran with substantive Christian ministry experience resulting in easily-established credibility with church leaders and a strong evangelical theology and missional foundation. In this role you will collaborate with team members across the ministry including Development, Global Ministries, and US Ministries teams to ensure integrated partnership strategies and consistent messaging. You’ll thrive in this role if you can successfully combine your consultative relationship-building, biblical maturity and cultural intelligence with donor development abilities while having a heart for mission work that directly impacts the lives of children and youth around the world. We’re seeking someone who views ministry advancement work not just as fundraising, but as vital ministry work with eternal value. This position requires extensive US-based travel (approx. 40% per month) to meet in-person with prospective and existing church partners as well as to attend conferences/events representing Awana, and to attend occasional meetings within the organization. Travel may occasionally include international travel as ministry needs would indicate. Hiring Range for this position is: $80,000 - $85,000

Requirements

Minimum 15+ years experience in Christian evangelical ministry which encompasses missional fund-raising, global focus, travel, and church relationship building across denominational lines.
Strong understanding of church organizational structures and community engagement practices.
Solid understanding of the Bible and the Christian Church in its various expressions preferred.
Current working knowledge of Awana Club, curriculum, resources, & solutions required.
Ability to genuinely and persuasively communicate the importance of Christian child discipleship.
Keen discernment, active listening, emotional intelligence, rapport-building, and interpersonal skills all with an overarching zeal to engage others in the Awana vision, mission and philosophy.
Intermediate Google Suite skills required. Experience using a CRM (Customer Relations Management system) desired.
Approximately 40% domestic travel required monthly; international travel may occur occasionally.
Valid State driver’s license required. Valid US Passport a plus.
Eligibility to work in the United States is required; this position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.
Must be a born-again Christian.
Must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Must be in agreement with the Awana Doctrinal Statement.
Must be in fellowship with the body of Christ through a local church.
Regularly engages in reading the Holy Bible as a guide and standard for living.

Nice To Haves

College education with a concentration in global missions, theology, or similar from an accredited college or university, preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Identify, cultivate, and develop missional and financial partnerships with churches, aligning Awana strategic priorities with each church’s vision and ministry focus.
Achieve annual goals of missional engagement and financial partnership development across a portfolio of churches.
Collaborate closely with Development, Global Field, and Church Engagement teams to ensure integrated partnership strategies and consistent messaging.
Track relationship activity, partnership progress, and pipeline health within the Awana CRM, enabling accurate forecasting and stewardship.
Build and steward long-term, trust-based relationships with senior pastors, missions pastors, and key church leaders across an assigned portfolio of churches.
Serve as a primary ambassador for the Awana global mission, articulating how local church ministry connects to and advances global child discipleship efforts.
Facilitate meaningful engagement opportunities for church leaders, including vision briefings, site visits, pastoral gatherings, and curated global exposure experiences.
Provide consultative guidance to church leaders on child discipleship, ministry strategy, and global mission integration, drawing from extensive ministry experience.
Represent Awana at denominational events, pastors’ networks, missions conferences, and other strategic gatherings to expand relational influence as needed.
Encourage churches, pastors, ministry leaders to participate in Awana-sponsored child discipleship events such as Child Discipleship Forum (CDF), and to engage with Awana-sponsored trainings, content and curriculum.
Uphold and demonstrate the Awana cultural values in all internal and external communications and relationships.
Contribute to special projects, initiatives and evolving ministry needs.
Embrace opportunities for professional development in order to hone your craft and expertise.

Benefits

Mission-driven work that changes the lives of children and youth around the world.
Remote-first work environment, allowing you to do the majority of your work from where it is you call "home”. We also have two office locations designed for collaborative work and connection with colleagues in St. Charles, Illinois, and Nashville, Tennessee, that can be used at your convenience.
Workplace culture that prioritizes prayer, a Biblical worldview, intentional connection, flexibility, family, and community engagement.
Benefits package, including a variety of programs you can choose from to meet you and your family’s needs. Some of these include medical, dental & vision health insurance, paid family leave, 401(k) & Roth 401(k) retirement savings plans with employer match, generous paid vacation & holidays, adoption assistance, college scholarship, an employee wellness program, and more!

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