Development and Stewardship Relations Specialist

Description

The Development and Stewardship Relations Specialist supports the mission of Rock Church by cultivating meaningful relationships with donors, coordinating development initiatives, and fostering a culture of generosity. This role combines donor stewardship, event support, and administrative coordination to ensure that every donor feels valued, connected, and inspired to partner in advancing the mission and vision of Rock Church

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Donor Engagement & Stewardship
  • Build and nurture relationships with low and mid-level donors through personal communication, thank-you calls, notes, and updates.
  • Manage donor acknowledgment processes, ensuring prompt and heartfelt expressions of gratitude.
  • Support giving campaigns by engaging donors with updates, impact stories, and invitations to participate.
• Generosity Development
  • Assist in identifying and cultivating new donors, while deepening connections with existing supporters.
  • Support the Development Team in creating pathways for donors to grow in generosity.
  • Work with a small pipeline of low and mid-level donations leading to invitations of financial support for programs such as; Toys for Joy, Heart for Your House, Military Heroes and Scholarships.
  • Help plan and execute donor appreciation events and small gatherings that reinforce a culture of generosity.
  • Responsibility of creating curated donor appreciation gifts.
• Event & Campaign Support
  • Coordinate logistics for development and generosity-focused events such as; Toys for Joy, Giving Tuesday, or special donor recognition gatherings.
  • Partner with church staff and volunteers to ensure events run smoothly and reflect the church’s mission and values. Participate/oversight of “Day of Event.”
  • Oversight and responsibility for all assets related to annual end of year campaign
• Administrative & Operational Support
  • Maintain donor records in the CRM/database, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality.
  • Provide support in the year end giving statement process.
  • Ensures donor inquiries are addressed accurately, quickly, graciously, and professionally.
  • Assist with campaign progress updates.
  • Provide administrative support to the Development Director and team as needed.

Requirements

  Education, Training, and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred and/or 5+years of equivalent experience
• Experience in donor relations, customer service, or fundraising preferred
• Experience with platforms; Canva, SMS systems and mass email system and donor CRM preferred

Job Skills, Knowledge, Abilities

• Ability to multitask, prioritize assignments, and provide excellent customer service. 
• Read, write, spell, and communicate clearly in English.
• Work productively, both independently and collaboratively with others.
• Follow verbal and written instructions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office for MAC (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Ability to recognize and maintain confidentiality as appropriate.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; able to connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Organizational skills with attention to detail and follow-through.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite/Google Workspace; experience with donor databases a plus.
• Ability to balance administrative work with relational engagement.
• Must be available to work weekends

Organizational and Spiritual Requirements:

• Always demonstrate Christ-centered behavior by treating people with dignity, respect, compassion, and integrity.
• Utilize the principles of Matthew 18 and Ephesians 4:15 to resolve differences of opinion with others. 
• Successful completion of a thorough pre-employment references and background checks, which includes social security verification, Local, State & Federal criminal conviction records search, national security database, and sex offender registry.
• Attendance at all mandatory meetings and events. This includes serving at Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas services as well as the annual volunteer appreciation event.
• Member of the Rock Church (or willing to transfer membership to the Rock Church).
• Regular involvement in Rock Church activities, ministries, and events.
• Signed acknowledgment of the Rock’s Statement of Faith.
• Ability to interpret and adhere to the Rock’s policies, procedures, and employee handbook. 
• Be self-motivated and goal oriented, use good judgment, and be flexible and innovative.
• Professional behavior, outlook, and demeanor.

Physical Requirements:

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions. Must be able to work independently, communicate effectively, and lift up to 25lbs (with or without assistance). This position also may require extended periods of sitting, standing, walking, and hand/eye coordination for keyboard data entry and viewing data on a computer monitor. External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who are or become disabled, as defined under the American with Disabilities Act, must be able to perform the Essential Job Functions either unaided or with assistance of a “reasonable accommodation”, if such is determined, on a case-by-case basis.

Employment At-Will:

Employment at the Rock Church and Academy is “At-Will,” meaning either the Rock or the employee may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without advance notice. 

Nothing contained in this job description or any other communication (written or verbal) the employee received is intended to be, nor should it be, construed as a guarantee that employment or that any benefit will be continued for any period of time. Compensation information provided to an employee, whether stated in hourly, bi-monthly, annual, or other terms, is not intended nor does it constitute an employment contract or agreement for any specific period of time.

No manager, supervisor or employee of the Rock Church and Academy has any authority to enter into any agreement for employment for any specified period of time or to make any agreement for employment other than at will.