Chief Advancement Officer

Location: 5071 Eden Ave, Edina, MN | Posted: September 22, 2026 | Expires: October 22, 2026 | Organization: Our Lady of Grace | Contact: Steve Bonello, Chief of Staff, stevebonello@olgparish.org

About the role

The Chief Advancement Officer leads and grows a comprehensive, mission-driven philanthropic program for Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church and School (OLG). The role builds a culture of stewardship, oversees all fundraising functions (annual giving/offertory, major and planned gifts, endowment, grants, capital campaigns, and cultivation-focused events), and ensures excellent donor care and advancement operations. Note: This role does not lead or perform Marketing or Communications functions (e.g., branding, media, website, social, parish/school publicity).

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a multi‑year advancement plan aligned to OLG’s mission and priorities (parish and school).
• Set annual goals, KPIs, calendars, and budgets for all fundraising programs.
• Recruit, supervise, and coach advancement staff; provide professional development and clear performance expectations.
• Serve as staff lead to the Pastor and Endowment and Stewardship Committees; prepare agendas, reports, and action plans.
• Maintain and enforce gift acceptance, counting, and recognition policies.
• Design and manage parish offertory enhancement and sustained giving programs.
• Oversee the annual fund for parish and school, including pledge drives, recurring giving, and targeted appeals.
• Coordinate volunteer ambassadors and ministry/parent leaders for peer‑to‑peer outreach and testimony.
• Build and manage a robust major‑gift pipeline (identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, steward).
• Create individualized cultivation plans and visit goals for top prospects and donors.
• Develop and maintain own portfolio of annual giving prospects.
• Partner with Pastor/Head of School on leadership asks; coordinate feasibility studies and—when authorized—capital/endowment campaigns.
• Launch and grow a planned giving program (bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable trusts, etc.).
• Steward and report on endowment and restricted funds in coordination with Finance.
• Grow our legacy society to recognize planned‑gift donors.
• Oversee grants pipeline: prospecting, proposal strategy, compliance, reporting, and renewals.
• Ensure timely, accurate submissions and post‑award stewardship.
• Capital Campaign Management and Complete Work as such.
• Ensure prompt gift processing, acknowledgments, and adherence to donor intent.
• Maintain an accurate CRM/database (gift coding, soft credits, moves management, prospect research).
• Produce dashboards on revenue, pipeline health, retention, and ROI for Pastor, Principal, Finance Council, and Endowment Committee.
• Safeguard donor confidentiality and data integrity; ensure GAAP/IRS and diocesan compliance (letters, receipts, restrictions).
• Plan and execute cultivation and gratitude events (leadership receptions, donor briefings, small salons).