Director of Development

At Inspire, we exist to cultivate confidence in God's Word through transformational, Christ-centered experiences. Every experience we create is designed to leave Guests biblically literate, historically informed, and spiritually engaged — not just inspired for a moment, but moving forward with new momentum in their faith. None of that happens by accident, and none of it happens on earned revenue alone. It is sustained by people who believe in this mission enough to invest in it.

The Development Officer is the person who carries that invitation to the donors and partners whose generosity fuels Inspire's mission. You are the one who sits across the table, hears someone's story, and helps them see how their gift becomes part of something eternal. Where a Guest experiences transformation on a tour, a donor experiences it through the relationship you build with them — the calls, the visits, the moments where you connect their heart to the mission and invite them to participate in the Great Commission.

This is a founding role. You are not stepping into an existing machine — you are building it. The systems, the donor relationships, and the rhythms that carry Inspire's development program for years to come will bear your fingerprints. Inspire's ability to expand its reach and deepen its impact depends, in real measure, on the relationships you build and the gifts you invite — and that is your primary responsibility.

HOW YOU FIT INTO THE PROCESS Inspire's donor journey involves a number of moving parts and handoffs. Here is where you live in that process:

A prospective donor is identified. You research their capacity and connection to Inspire, build the record in HubSpot, and determine the right first point of contact.

A first conversation happens. You listen for their story, their heart, and their capacity — then translate what you heard into a cultivation plan with a clear next step and a realistic timeline.

The relationship deepens. You are the one keeping it warm — sending the right resource, making the follow-up call, inviting them to an experience, connecting them to leadership when the moment calls for it.

The ask is made. You have done the work to know it is the right ask, at the right time, for the right amount — and you walk into that conversation prepared, because you have never left a donor guessing about the impact of their gift.

The gift is given. You close the loop: it is acknowledged promptly and personally, the CRM record reflects reality, and the donor's next touchpoint is already on the calendar.

Every week, you review your portfolio with leadership. You come with data on where each relationship stands, what moved, what stalled, and what you need to move it forward.

Every month, you deliver a picture of the pipeline: gifts secured, gifts in motion, and the next 90 days of donor activity leadership can plan around.

This role will be fully remote (ideally in OKC or D.C.) and will expect to travel 25% of the time.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Build and manage a portfolio of major donor and prospect relationships, each with a clear stage, a next action, and a realistic ask timeline. A donor without a plan is a relationship at risk.

Identify and qualify new major-gift prospects through research, referrals, and Guest relationships — turning interest into a defined cultivation plan.

Move every donor relationship through the stages of cultivation with intention: from first contact, to discovery, to a well-timed ask, to a gift, to ongoing stewardship.

Track every relationship in HubSpot with the same discipline Inspire brings to its Guest pipeline — clear stages, complete properties, and no relationship left to memory.

Major Gifts, Giving, and Grants

Personally cultivate and solicit major gifts from individual donors, translating Inspire's mission into a compelling, Christ-centered case for partnership.

Research, write, and manage grant relationships with foundations and institutional partners, from proposal through report.

Build and grow Inspire's annual fund — the broader base of donors whose recurring generosity sustains the ministry between major gifts.

Introduce and grow planned giving conversations, helping donors see how a legacy gift becomes part of Inspire's story for generations to come.

Plan and host donor cultivation and stewardship events that deepen a donor's connection to the mission and to the Guests whose lives it changes.

CRM, Reporting, & Forecasting

Own the accuracy of every donor record you touch — gift history, capacity, interests, and next steps should always reflect reality.

Build and maintain the dashboards and reports that give leadership a clear view of what has been raised, what is in motion, and what the next 90 days look like.

Deliver a monthly development report: gifts secured, pipeline by stage, and a rolling forecast leadership can plan around.

Build ad hoc reports when leadership needs a specific view — gifts by source, donor retention, campaign performance, or portfolio health.

Stewardship and Development Rhythms

Acknowledge every gift promptly and personally — a thank-you is the first step of the next relationship, not the last step of this one.

Prepare for and bring data to your weekly check-in with leadership: what moved, what's stalled, and what you need to move your top relationships forward.

Draft and distribute clear agendas and notes for every donor-facing meeting and internal review, with action items that have an owner and a due date.

Track every commitment — yours and Inspire's — made to a donor through to completion.

STANDARD PROTOCOLS The following rhythms are expected of every Development Officer as part of how Inspire keeps its pipeline healthy and moving:

Monthly Development Report By the first business day of each month, deliver a summary of gifts secured, pipeline by stage, donor retention, and a 90-day fundraising forecast.

Gift Acknowledgement & Stewardship Within 48 hours of every gift, complete the acknowledgment checklist: personal thank-you sent, gift recorded accurately in HubSpot, and the donor's next touchpoint scheduled. No gift goes unacknowledged.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Mission Alignment

A sincere, growing faith in Jesus Christ, and the ability to talk about it naturally and warmly — because you will be the face of Inspire's mission in front of donors.

An understanding that a gift is never just a transaction. It is an invitation to participate in the Great Commission, and you are the person who helps a donor see that.

A builder's posture. You are not stepping into a fully built machine — you are constructing it, and you take genuine ownership of that because you understand how much the mission depends on what you build.

Proven Track Record

A track record of major gift fundraising, grant writing, or donor relations — you know how to move a relationship from first conversation to a confident ask.

Genuine comfort asking for gifts on behalf of a mission you believe in. You know how to make the ask clearly, warmly, and without apology.

Proficiency with HubSpot CRM (or a comparable CRM) — not just as a daily user, but as someone who can help build and maintain the systems a growing development program needs.

Comfort with data: you can pull a report, read what it's telling you, and communicate what it means for the mission in plain language.

Meeting and Communication Skills

Experience preparing for and leading donor conversations and internal meetings, with real follow-through afterward.

A natural communicator whose emails, proposals, and conversations are warm, specific, and easy to say yes to.

Comfortable initiating and leading conversations about giving — the ask is not the awkward part of the relationship, it is the natural next step of it.

Someone who over-communicates proactively and under-communicates reactively. If a donor relationship needs attention, leadership hears about it before it becomes a problem.

Detail Orientation and Follow-Through

An instinct for catching what others miss — an unanswered follow-up, an approaching pledge deadline, a donor who has gone quiet.

A track record of completing things without being managed. Commitments made to donors and to leadership do not fall through the cracks.

Ability to hold a full portfolio of relationships simultaneously without losing the thread on any of them.

A NOTE FROM US The Development Officer role exists because we believe Inspire's mission is sustained by people who give generously out of love for what God is doing through it — and that every one of those gifts begins with a relationship worth investing in.

You are the person who helps a donor move from curiosity to conviction, from a first gift to a lifetime of partnership. You are the one building, from the ground up, the program that will carry Inspire's mission forward for the next generation of Guests who have not yet boarded a plane.

If you find deep joy in building relationships that matter, if you believe fundraising is ministry and not just a means to a budget, and if you want your gift for connecting people to a cause to matter in work that is actually changing lives — this might be exactly the role you have been looking for.

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