Development Support Services

Purpose

The Development Support Services role reports directly to the Chief Development Officer and plays a critical role in growing and sustaining Forest Home’s donor base through the Mass Donor Program. This position must fully align with Forest Home’s beliefs, including its view on the authority and accuracy of Scripture and its statement of faith. The ideal candidate demonstrates a deep passion for advancing Forest Home’s mission: to inspire people to Encounter Jesus, Experience Transformation, and engage the World for Christ.

Key Responsibilities

Mass Donor Program ($0–$999 Giving Level)

Primary Objective: Increase donor retention, grow recurring giving, and expand entry-level donor volume.

3-Year Targets (by 2028)

·       Grow caseload from 108 to 750 active donors

·       Achieve $187,500 in annual revenue

·       Maintain $250 average annual gift

·       Reach 40% monthly giving participation

Growth Strategy

• Clean, organize, and segment donor database
• Improve donor retention to 65–70%
• Graduate 15% of donors annually into mid-level giving
• Convert 35–40% of one-time donors into recurring givers (minimum $50/month)
• Expand donor pipeline by adding 395 new donors annually
• Strengthen storytelling through testimonies and impact narratives
• Build automated email journeys for onboarding and retention
• Expand outreach lists (camp families, parents, alumni, counselors, etc…)

Core Responsibilities

Donor Growth & Engagement

• Donor acquisition, stewardship and retention
• Grow Mass Donor Program to 750 donors giving an average of $250 annually
• Send welcome communications to all new donors under $1,000
• Develop and execute seasonal fundraising campaigns (spring, fall, year-end)
• Write and manage automated donor communication journeys
• Create compelling content for donor engagement, including:
  • Testimonial videos
  • Written impact stories
  • Photography and visual assets
• Identify and collect life-changing stories from campers, families, and ministry partners
• Transition qualified donors ($500–$999) to mid-level giving portfolios
• Increase conversion of one-time donors into recurring monthly supporters

Administration & Systems

• Process all donor gifts appropriately, acknowledged within 48-hour standard IRS regulations.
• Maintain accurate and organized CRM data and donor segmentation
• Utilize tools such as Bloomerang-CRM/Fundraising and DonorSearch to track and analyze donor activity.
• Support the development team with reports, printing of materials, case statements, appeals, mailers and supplies needed for donor communications.
• File and track estate planning documents

Required Skills & Qualifications

Professional Skills

• Entrepreneurial, proactive, and growth-oriented mindset
• Exceptional writing and storytelling ability
• Self-motivated professional passionate about educating and inviting donors to join God’s Kingdome work at Forest Home
• Strong follow-through and meeting of deadlines
• Strong ability to turn ideas into clear, actionable strategies
• Proven success in growing donor bases and achieving revenue goals
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Ability to manage high-volume communications effectively
• Solid understanding of fundraising analytics and donor behavior
• Proficiency in CRM systems (Bloomerang, DonorSearch preferred)
• Strong project management and deadline adherence

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in mass donor fundraising or similar role

Core Competencies

• Outstanding interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Ability to design and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies
• Strong collaboration and cross-functional teamwork

Personal Characteristics

• Servant-hearted leader with a Christ-like attitude.
• High integrity, self-motivation, and commitment to excellence.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including weekends as necessary

Expectations

• Actively participate in Forest Home’s spiritual life activities, including weekly all-staff meetings and prayer meetings
• Represent Forest Home with the highest standards of Christian integrity and professionalism in all interactions
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that all fundraising efforts reflect Forest Home’s mission and values
• This role requires on-site presence in the office, Monday through Friday

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with a disability to perform the essential Functions.

While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and requires sufficient hand, arm, and finger dexterity to operate office machines. Requires mild physical work; some lifting, pushing, or pulling of objects over 30 pounds. Requires visual acuity to read words and numbers and speaking and hearing ability sufficient to communicate in person or over the phone.

FOREST HOME EMPLOYMENT STATEMENT: Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. All terms and conditions of employment, duties, and responsibilities are subject to the Forest Home Employee Handbook.

FOREST HOME CORE VALUES 

Surrender to Christ: (Romans 12:1-2)

• Abide with the Lord daily through study of His Word and prayer 
• Surrender to the Lord daily through obedience to His Word Worship the Lord with the Forest Home Community 
• Commit to grow in your faith through regular attendance at a local church 
• Prioritize God, Family, and Work appropriately 
• Be prepared to share your testimony with staff or guests     

 Walk in Biblical purity (1 Timothy 4:12)

• by rejecting one’s sinful nature 

Love: (I Corinthians 13)

• Display the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22) 
• Be respectful to others Demonstrate compassion  

Serve: (Philippians 2:3-11)

• Give generously to God and others through time, talent and treasure 
• Seek to put others’ needs above your own
• Demonstrate humility in both spirit and deed
• Actively look for ways to serve  

 Walk in Integrity: (Titus 2:11-12, Proverbs 4:23-27)

• Show loyalty to others, even when they are not present 
• Do the right thing, even when others are not present 
• Extend trust and seek to believe the best in others
• Ask for forgiveness quickly when necessary
• Be truthful and transparent with others 

  Strive for Excellence: (Colossians 3:23-24)

• Demonstrate accountability with time and resources
• Request and receive training Desire to improve, and challenge others to do the same 
• Commit to exceeding guest expectations
• Refuse mediocrity  

 Engage in Community: (I Thessalonians 5:11-13)

• Seek first to understand before being understood 
• Communicate clearly, empathetically and respectfully Work through conflict Biblically (Matthew 18-15-17)
• Participate in intentional and purposeful community activities
• Partner with teammates for the goal of unity and team effectiveness
• Play and appreciate “campy” fun 
• Faithfully pray for one another   

Innovate: (Ephesians 3:20-21)

• Dream Big Proactively seek solutions Think outside the box 
• Dream, plan and execute new ideas
• Acknowledge and trust that all things are possible through Jesus Christ our Lord (Matthew 19:26)