Regional Development Manager, TX and Gulf Coast

Who We Are

Mercy Ships is a global faith-based charity that uses hospital ships to bring life-changing surgeries and transformational medical training to people in some of the most challenging contexts along the African coast. For over 40 years, Mercy Ships has been delivering lasting hope and healing through safe surgical care, while working alongside partners and stakeholders to strengthen local healthcare systems in more than 55 countries. Since the inception of this dream by founders Don and Deyon Stephens in 1978, Mercy Ships has served more than 2.7 million direct beneficiaries without regard for race, gender, or religion.

The Opportunity

Do you have a heart for the mission and a passion for building meaningful relationships that advance life-changing work? The Regional Development Manager plays a critical role in securing major financial support to advance Mercy Ships’ mission by cultivating and stewarding relationships with individual donors, foundations, and partners within an assigned geographic region.

Mercy Ships is seeking a Regional Development Manager responsible for raising major gifts, pledges, and letters of intent (LOI) from individuals, family foundations, and selected corporate partners. This role manages a portfolio of donors and prospects within their territory, and works closely with a team of peers, leadership, board members, and volunteers to advance philanthropic engagement.

Strong preference will be given to candidates located in Texas. Candidates residing near major airports in this territory may also be considered.

How You’ll Contribute

• Responsible for the personalized contact and moves management plans of approximately 150 donors and prospects within an assigned geography, including existing donors and prospective high-net-worth individuals, family foundations, and privately held companies.

• Expected to meet with 10–12 assigned donors and prospects per month.

• Works with senior management, selected board members, and regionally based volunteers to develop and execute cultivation and solicitation strategies.

• Submits required business travel plans for each quarter for supervisory approval.

• Researches new donor prospects and adds appropriate individuals and organizations to the caseload and database.

• Continually updates the donor database with information gathered through interactions and public sources, including giving capacity, interests, relationships, and motivations. The database remains the property of Mercy Ships.

• Prepares reports that reflect the financial goal for each prospect, forecast for the coming quarter, and donor interaction summary and reviews progress with Director regularly.

• Completes contact reports following donor interactions.

• Manages stewardship plans for donors, providing written or personal updates on the use of funds and other relevant information in a professional and timely manner.

• Prepares and maintains an annual expense budget and submits required documentation in a timely manner.

• Sets and pursues personal, spiritual, and professional growth objectives and manages time effectively to meet those goals.

• Maintains alignment with Mercy Ships’ Core Values, Code of Conduct, and organizational policies.

• Follows the model of Jesus and lives out Mercy Ships’ core values by Loving God; Loving and Serving Others; Being a Person of Integrity; and Being a Person of Excellence.

• Other duties as assigned.

The Ideal Candidate

• Supportive of Mercy Ships’ mission and vision and committed to its core values.

• Understands and applies servant leadership, works collaboratively with integrity, and demonstrates accountability.

• An understanding of Mercy Ships’ approach to addressing surgical need and strengthening healthcare capacity in Africa, including the model, message, methods, and metrics by which the mission is accomplished.

• Demonstrates a personal and professional commitment to the mission, programs, and Code of Conduct of Mercy Ships.

• Able to work effectively with paid staff members and volunteers at all levels within the development and governance structure.

• Represents Mercy Ships with professionalism and credibility, reflecting the commitment of leadership, staff, donors, and volunteers.

• Able to establish trust quickly and build long-term, meaningful relationships with donors and colleagues.

• Possesses working knowledge of fundraising methods, including planned giving tools and strategies.

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, and Outlook, and contact management software such as Salesforce.

• Highly motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently without close supervision.

• Willing and able to travel approximately 7–10 days per month, equating to 25–30% of the year, depending on assigned region.

• Maintains a suitable home office/workspace, reliable high-speed internet access, a personal vehicle for regional travel, a valid driver’s license, a current U.S. passport, a home printer and a mobile phone.

• Able to commit to a full-time workload of approximately forty hours per week, with flexibility for evenings and weekends as needed.

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in fundraising or development.

• Continuing education in the development field is strongly preferred.

• Four to six years of progressively responsible development experience, including at least two years working with high-net-worth individuals in major gift work.

• A Bachelor level college degree or equivalent is preferred; graduate-level education is highly desirable.

• Successful completion of Mercy Ships Entry Training is required within the first year of employment.