Vice President of Institutional Advancement

 Baptist Search Partners is excited to partner with Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries to find their next Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

 

About the Vision

Georgia Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries (GBCH&FM) is entering one of the most consequential seasons in its 150-plus-year history. The ministry's financial position is strong, its leadership team is stable, and its three-year strategic plan is already in motion. Now is the time to build something new: a comprehensive, intentional institutional advancement strategy capable of expanding the ministry's gospel-centered mission for the next generation. To accomplish this goal, the Vice President of Institutional Advancement will design and deploy a unified advancement strategy spanning principal and major gift development, church and denominational relationships, corporate partnerships, and brand strategy.

About the Organization

For more than 150 years, GBCH&FM has cared for Georgia's most vulnerable children and families. Founded in Atlanta in 1872 as a home for orphaned and abandoned children, the GBCH&FM now operates administrative headquarters and residential services on a 400-acre property in Palmetto, Georgia, alongside active campuses in Meansville and Baxley. The ministry's outreach also encompasses Camp Hawkins in Mt. Airy and a dedicated property in Warm Springs currently transitioning into a retreat and education center.

The ministry's mission has stayed constant as “a Christian caring ministry of services designed to promote the spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of children, youth, and families.” Its vision of “Hope Restored, Lives Transformed,” points toward a future in which trauma-informed, Christ-centered care leads to lasting healing.

Today, GBCH&FM serves children and youth in foster care, at-risk mothers and children through its Family Care program, teens in specialized residential settings, and individuals with developmental disabilities, guided by core values of Christ-centered faith, servant leadership, excellence, integrity and accountability, communication, hope, and stewardship. In its most recent fiscal year, the ministry cared for 577 total clients, provided more than 57,000 days of care, and raised nearly $19.5 million in financial support, directing 89 cents of every dollar spent straight to children and family ministries. GBCH&FM is also now executing a three-year strategic plan built around leadership development, expanding community-based services, enhancing facilities, and growing visibility and awareness. Governed by a Board of Trustees drawn from across Georgia Baptist life, GBCH&FM remains historically and relationally rooted in the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and its statewide network of cooperating churches.

About the Opportunity

A more detailed job description will be provided during the interview process

Reporting directly to President and CEO, Dr. Brian Hawkins, and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the incoming VP will lead two distinct but complementary teams, Resource Development and Brand & Marketing, and unify them around a shared strategy. Because this is a newly reimagined executive role, the right leader will have real input into shaping the team's identity, initiatives, priorities, and culture.

Largely remote, but with the requirement to be based in Georgia, this person directly leads the Senior Director of Resource Development and the Director of Brand & Marketing, both based at the Central Office in Palmetto, GA. He or she will also relate more broadly to the wider Institutional Development team.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with principal and major gift donors, foundations, and corporate partners across Georgia
• Provide executive leadership for the institutional advancement program, setting strategic priorities and aligning fundraising, marketing, communications, and church relations around shared goals
• Build and strengthen relationships with churches, Baptist associations, community leaders, and business partners across Georgia to expand the ministry's visibility and support
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President/CEO on philanthropy, external relationships, and organizational reputation
• Ensure donor relationships and advancement activities are stewarded with integrity, compliance, and financial accountability

Requirements: 

• A deep, authentic commitment to GBCH&FM's Christian mission and a willingness to understand and support the Sanctuary Model of trauma-responsive care
• 8+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising and executive leadership experience, including a proven, verifiable track record of cultivating and closing six and seven-figure principal gifts
• Exceptional executive presence, media relations acumen, and the relational skill to build partnerships with donors, churches, and business leaders across the state
• A collaborative, adaptable, team-first leadership style with a willingness to learn and grow
• Bachelor's degree required (business administration, nonprofit management, communications, marketing, public relations, or related field); master's degree preferred
• Familiarity with traditional Baptist beliefs and a lifestyle that seeks to honor Christ; active membership in a Georgia Baptist church
• Willingness to be based in Georgia full-time and travel frequently across the state, including some evenings and weekends

Preferred: 

• Prior fundraising experience within a faith-based or child-welfare nonprofit
• Existing relationships with major donors, foundations, or corporate partners in Georgia
• Experience leading a multi-million-dollar capital campaign
• Working knowledge of donor databases (such as Raiser's Edge NXT) and modern digital fundraising strategies

About the Community

This is a Georgia-based role, and the state has plenty to offer a leader building a career at this level. Georgia has been named the No. 1 state in the country for business for twelve consecutive years and is home to sixteen Fortune 500 headquarters alongside a deep bench of nonprofits, ministries, and mission-driven organizations. Georgia epicenters are easy to get to and often just a few hours' drive from one another, which means regular travel to donors, churches, and partners across the state presents little challenge.

Georgia's appeal reaches past the financial opportunities, too. Four distinct seasons, more than sixty state parks, and landscapes ranging from the Blue Ridge Mountains to 100 miles of Atlantic coastline offer an unusually wide range of ways to spend a weekend off the road. Georgians enjoy numerous hiking trails, exploring the Golden Isles, attending festivals throughout the year, catching live music at popular venues, and more. Cost of living remains below the national average across much of the state, and the mix of a globally connected city in Atlanta alongside close-knit communities like Savannah, Macon, Athens, Dahlonega, Rome, Columbus, and Peachtree City means a leader, and any family who calls Georgia home too, can find their place in this great state.

GBCH&FM has hired Baptist Search Partners to conduct this search on their behalf. Please do not contact the organization directly as they will direct you to apply with us.