Regional Representative, Houston

Do you want to be part of an energetic, inspired, and creative team that is making a huge difference in our world?

Do you have a love for humanity and care about ending poverty? Are you fulfilled by working as a team to support people in discovering their purpose and living into their aspirations? Are you a good listener? What if your God-given gifts could inspire bold generosity? What if you could bridge people's deepest passions with the world’s greatest needs?

If this sounds like you, this position might be just what you are looking for!  As part of a team of fundraisers, a Regional Representative at Plant With Purpose is someone who views fundraising as a partnership with donors and supporters, approaching them from the perspective of building a community of relationships.

A successful Regional Representative is someone who can work both independently and collaboratively to create and execute plans for donor cultivation within their respective regional hub. The role requires creativity, persistence, and a desire to help people use their resources to help transform the lives of the rural poor around the world.

ABOUT US

Plant with Purpose is a global Christian organization that addresses issues of deforestation and climate change, while empowering people to lift their communities out of rural poverty. For more than 30 years, Plant With Purpose has been a leader in operating at the nexus of Environmental Restoration, Economic Development, and Spiritual Impact. We believe that we honor God when we honor people and our planet. Come join our growing team and make a difference at this critical time in human history.

Plant With Purpose Thrive25 Strategy Statement: Inspired by the impact of our work in service to rural communities around the world, we feel compelled to grow our programs to help address the rising need. By 2025, we plan to work in 10 countries, 60 watersheds, and with over 100,000 families. Our revenue will exceed $10 million as we seek to become the premier organization operating at the nexus of environmental restoration and poverty alleviation.

OUR NEED

On July 1, 2020 we launched a new strategic period where we plan to grow 80% over the next 5 years. Our previous strategic period focused heavily on building a fundraising infrastructure to grow major gifts. The Regional Representative, Houston cares for the family of supporters that we’ve built in the Houston region and helps to build the Plant With Purpose name in Texas. 

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

As a Regional Representative, you are the critical link in initiating and cultivating relationships with potential major donors (individuals, corporations, churches, and foundations) who have the capability of making significant financial contributions to the mission of Plant With Purpose. You will work collaboratively with the fundraising team to build an effective development strategy in Texas, with a strong emphasis on major gifts, which includes identifying new prospective donors throughout Texas; building and maintaining strong relationships with existing Plant With Purpose churches, major donors, and foundations in Houston; and professionally and effectively asking for financial gifts to further the mission and program of Plant With Purpose.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

As a member of the fundraising team, you will report to the Director of Development and Marketing. Your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Donor cultivation and stewardship. As a regional representative, you will manage a portfolio of donor relationships for major gift identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. By following the Plant With Purpose donor stewardship process, you will be expected to retain 80%+ of major donors and 65% of other relationships in your region, as well as to raise an additional $250,000 in your first three years at Plant With Purpose. As part of your fundraising role, you will also need to work with the development and marketing teams to prepare written proposals and reports. Your donor cultivation responsibility will also require you to occasionally travel domestically, up to 4 trips per year.
• Lead donor Vision Trips to our international programs*. As part of cultivating donor relationships and church partnerships, you will be expected to lead up to 2-3 international trips per year to our projects sites. On these trips, you will need to interpret cross cultural differences and help trip participants build a vision for how they can uniquely impact communities by partnering with Plant With Purpose.  
• Build the Plant With Purpose reputation within the greater Houston area. You will leverage Plant With Purpose’s Houston friends and supporters to be effective ambassadors for Plant With Purpose. You will need to articulate your personal walk with Jesus Christ and relate it to the ministry of Plant With Purpose in conversations with individual donors and churches. You will generate speaking opportunities, implement marketing strategies, and execute outreach strategies in the greater Houston area, which also includes developing partnerships with local churches and host events as needed.
• Cultivate new donors. Succeeding in this position will require you to build and leverage a professional network to strategically open doors for new opportunities. As part of this, you will need to conduct research on prospect individuals, business partners, and foundations in partnership with the grants team and the broader development team.

*Please note that  due to COVID-19, international travel has been cancelled for the time being. Once travel restrictions are released, then both domestic trips and international vision trips will resume.

WHAT WE'LL LOVE ABOUT YOU

• You have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• You have at least 2 years of experience in fundraising and development
• You are diplomatic and respectful of others, which is seen in your ability to build effective working relationships with donors, board members, and US and foreign colleagues
• You maintain persistence and sensitivity in building donor relationships that lead to major gifts
• You have outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• You have a keen ability to adapt communication techniques to different audiences
• You are able to listen, synthesize, and develop ideas and information
• You have an acute attention to detail and organization, which is visible in your ability to meet deadlines
• You have the ability to initiate, self start, work independently, and seek out solutions
• You are innovative and willing to take risks
• You approach team-based work as a servant leader
• You have been described by others as having cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity
• You are enthusiastic about traveling domestically and internationally, and willing to occasionally work overtime and at events on weekends, as needed
• You are eligible to work legally in the United States without employer sponsorship
• You are fluent in the use of Mac operating systems, Microsoft Office Products (Excel, Word, Powerpoint) and Google Suite products (GDrive, GDocs, GSheets). 

Bonus Points:

• You have experience living or working in a developing country or cross-cultural setting
• You are competent in using Bloomerang or other donor database systems (CRMs)
• You have demonstrated experience in seeking and securing major gifts 

COMPETENCIES

We are a collaborative, interdependent team that relies on relating and supporting each other to achieve our goals. Through the way we live within and shape our culture, we seek to build community and a sense of belonging in our local, national, and global families. Being a member of the Plant With Purpose team as the Regional Representative for Houston will require you to be a relator, a learner, a servant leader, and an includer in the following ways:

• You deeply resonate with the holistic mission of Plant With Purpose and the diverse communities we seek to empower
• You have a personal alignment with our organizational core values of faith, collaboration, empowerment, innovation, stewardship, and sustainability
• You have a love for humanity, including those who live in poverty, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or culture
• You intentionally build community and a team mentality by pursuing the "we" over the "me"
• You understand the priority of relationships in getting work done
• You feel most successful as a team member when each person on the team succeeds
• You reflexively express gratitude and growth-oriented feedback
• You accept feedback with a growth mindset
• You listen with an intent to understand by asking clarifying questions 
• You seek out learning and development opportunities for yourself 
• You strive to be an inclusive person by being aware of the existence and impact of your unconscious biases, and working daily to check them

 COMPENSATION

Dependent on geographical location, experience, and skillset. Range is available upon request.

BENEFITS

• Health, dental, and vision insurances
• Group life insurance
• 401k match, up to 8%, after 6 months of employment
• 15 paid vacation days
• 8 paid sick days
• 11 paid holidays

START DATE: Ideally between January 11 - February 1, 2021

This position is a remote position based in Houston, Texas.

 APPLY BY:  December 14, 2020

Does this sound like you? If so, please apply on our website at plantwithpurpose.org/careers.  Please include a Cover Letter with your application that shows us how you are a great fit for this position, the organization, and our culture. Even though we are in the middle of COVID-19 and office closures, we are conducting virtual interviews in order to keep our candidates and employees safe. 

 Plant With Purpose is an EEO/AA employer by choice.

If you need reasonable accommodation in order to complete the application, please email Human Resources at careers@plantwithpurpose.org. No phone calls please.