The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by love for God. Its mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
 
The Salvation Army (the Army) is an International, Evangelical Christian Church dedicated to providing individuals worldwide with spiritual, physical, social and emotional support. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. Its message is based on the Bible and its ministry is motivated by the love of God. William Booth and his wife Catherine founded The Salvation Army in 1865 to serve London’s worst poverty-stricken districts.  Today, nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services: providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, opportunities for underprivileged children, and much more. Eighty-two cents of every dollar the Army spends is directly used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide, and as a branch of the Christian Church, the ultimate goal of all programs is the spiritual regeneration of all people.
 
The USA Western Territory, one of four Salvation Army geographic service areas, is comprised of 10 divisions, serving communities in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Under the leadership of Commissioner James Knaggs, the Territorial Commander, the Western Territorial Headquarters (THQ) is based in Long Beach, California, and its administrative unit encompasses 258 corps. Chaz Watson is the Territorial Executive Director of Development. In addition to direct marketing revenue generation, funding sources raising approximately $323 million annually include government contracts, thrift store sales, and grants (foundations and other), in addition to donations from churches, businesses and individuals. The Salvation Army is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 
 
“The Salvation Army is by far the most effective organization in the U.S. No one even comes close to it with respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication, and putting money to maximum use.” –The late Dr. Peter Drucker, renowned management expert.
 
The Opportunity: Territorial Direct Marketing Director (DMD)
 
The Salvation Army seeks a savvy, direct marketing professional adept at working in a collaborative, high-volume, rapid-movement environment to fill this newly updated role. This position will play an integral part in facilitating an online and offline direct marketing strategy to optimize acquisition, penetration, and retention marketing strategies in alignment with the overarching objectives of the Army’s Western USA Territory’s Community Relations and Development (CRD) Department. Reporting directly to the Territorial Executive Director of Development, the Direct Marketing Director will have a high level of responsibility, requiring exceptional targeted marketing and analytical skills.
 
Employing the most effective best practices in integrated marketing approaches, with consistency across the territory, is an ongoing imperative; the DMD will influence and facilitate interactions with managers from across the Territory’s 10 Divisions (internal), in tandem with vendors (external) that support the myriad direct response initiatives, in order to achieve quarterly and annual goals. Because divisions currently make their own decisions, this will require an ability to establish rapport, to inspire cross-divisional collaboration, and to influence through the DMD’s professional expertise.
 
This first DMD for the Western USA Territory will provide strategic direction and seek to coordinate a more inter-divisional approach to direct response and integrated marketing strategies and campaigns, to achieve more rapid and sustained growth in the net fundraising income and the augmentation of the number of active donors, acquisition of new donors, and sustaining (monthly) donors, minimizing donor attrition and maximizing donor retention, loyalty and long-term donor giving value. This person will need to lead an overarching strategy to achieve steeper annual gains in direct mail income after years of flat growth and decreasing effectiveness with acquisition. While success will be defined primarily through the achievement of these goals through direct mail and other channels, the integration of efforts with the Territorial Director of Digital Strategy, the Territorial Donor Data Management Director, and other function leads will maximize the effectiveness of the digital fundraising and CRD donor engagement approaches that are part of the overall fund raising efforts of the Army’s entire Western USA Territory.
 
Performance Objectives
 
Leadership and Collaborative Planning

• Engage as an active member of an interdisciplinary development team, and be willing to support the goals and objectives of said team with a talent for adapting unique perspectives under one umbrella, while preserving originality.
• Support direct marketing strategies with data analysis and divisional stakeholder input, always keeping focused on resourcing the Army’s mission.
• Work in concert with divisions to orchestrate centrally coordinated, yet localized direct marketing strategies throughout the Territory, developing an understanding of each division’s culture and how to maximize the impact in these areas.
• Encourage inter-divisional dialogue and collaborative planning, serving as a consultant to commands in their design and implementation of their direct marketing programs. Strive for cost-effectiveness, targeted marketing, greatest ROI, net growth in income and donors, and open sharing of information.
• Promote integrated marketing techniques and work with the Territorial Director of Digital Strategy to support the incorporation of effective digital fundraising and engagement approaches into the overall direct marketing efforts of divisions.
• Contribute to the consistent application of the Army’s brand standards, values, messaging and mission to donor communications, while ensuring strong direct response.
• Act as a consultant to commands in establishing, positioning and developing strategic multi-channel (mail, email, phone, peer to peer, etc.) marketing campaigns, providing consultation and coordination, in sync with the Territorial Director of Digital Strategy and the Territorial Donor Data Management Director.
• Distribute and share research findings on new vendors, tools and processes for promoting new direct marketing packages, campaigns and techniques, as well as analysis regarding current vendors and results. Work with divisions to continually pursue the best, most effective options.
• Provide clear guidance and promote coordinated strategies across the divisions for the implementation of effective, statistically meaningful direct marketing testing programs for various channels, vendors, tactics and packages.
• Update and revitalize direct marketing efforts throughout the Western USA Territory, utilizing resources and expertise provided by the Director of Digital Strategy and outside experts and research, and combining your own experience and knowledge to improve current approaches and materials and create new ones.
• Keep commands apprised of outside influences that could or may already be affecting their current direct marketing efforts, including US Postal regulations, “Do Not” lists, Anti-SPAM regulations, the impact of world events and / or national disasters on specific campaigns, etc.
• Generate a series of timely leadership reports to monitor and evaluate the progress of direct marketing efforts across the Territory and make recommendations as needed.
• Offer input on policy and procedure development in direct marketing areas.

 
Data and Financial Management

• Work collaboratively with the Territorial Donor Data Management Director to support a highly efficient and functional territory-wide database in accordance with best practices that optimally supports direct marketing, constituent relationship management and other fundraising functions across the Territory.
• Coordinate data analysis and explore use of “big data” tools with donor data management staff and vendors for optimizing cost-effective direct marketing efforts and segmentation across the Territory.
• Work with Territorial Donor Data Management Director to oversee the development and management of complex analytical processes (e.g., lifetime value, costs per dollar raised, prospect and specific list results, email campaign statistics, ROI, target donor modeling, effectiveness of channels, comparative benchmarking).
• Analyze and make recommendations for new donor acquisition processes, including tactics for effective segmentation, donor conversion, pay-back period, list / source analysis, opt-in strategies, bounce-back, maximizing long-term value and average gift, etc.
• Develop and implement an annual budget for direct marketing strategies, and monitor return on investment.
• Demonstrate fiscal responsibility and efficient use of all organizational resources. Track direct marketing trends and shift appropriations towards industry-tested and data-backed strategies.

 
Training and Outreach

• Monitor and educate colleagues about effective direct marketing trends and the industry. Train cadets, officers and staff on an ongoing basis. Serve as a resource throughout the Territory on best practices in direct marketing.
• Support and participate in the education and training of new divisional employees in direct marketing programs.
• Present education sessions at various development conferences and at the Crestmont College for Officer Training on the concepts of an effective direct and integrated marketing program supported by a strong donor management (data management and customer service) and stewardship communications program (telling donors how they are making a difference).
• Work with the Territorial Donor Data Management Director to provide education and training to command staff regarding the proper method of donor list selection and segmentation based on trend analysis, modeling, etc.
• Assist in leveraging direct marketing tools (mail, email, phone, etc.) to achieve better donor relationship building and stewardship for other disciplines of development.

 
The Qualified Candidate
 
The Salvation Army seeks a passionate and visionary leader, a creative, data-minded direct marketing professional with an outgoing, persuasive and adaptive personality. The successful DMD candidate will bring experience and proven accomplishments in working with complex, enterprise level institutions with robust direct mail/direct response programs (nonprofit and/or for-profit). The DMD will interact on an ongoing basis with divisional and territorial CRD professionals and will serve as an internal consultant across the Territory’s 10 divisions. Opportunity abounds for a direct marketing expert interested in joining a mission-driven team and a faith-based organization with a well-established brand. This new role will participate in the continued advancement of a fundraising vision and strategic plan for all aspects of development, including Direct Marketing (mail, phone, email, inserts, etc.), Digital and Integrated Fundraising, Planned Giving, Major Gifts, Special Events, Foundation and Corporate Grant Proposals, Capital and Endowment Campaigns, Public Relations and Branding, Volunteerism, Social Media, and evaluation and monitoring of performance for vendors in all areas.
 
Specific Requirements Include:

• Passion for The Salvation Army’s mission coupled with a strong commitment to know and understand the Army’s history, mission and structure, as well as its services, policies and procedures.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Business or related field; Advanced degree and continuing education in direct marketing preferred.
• Minimum eight (8) years of progressive direct marketing experience and success in attaining philanthropic goals, including involvement with at least one enterprise level nonprofit as a professional employee and/or vendor.
• In-depth understanding of and experience with constituent management systems and donor data analysis and how to formulate, devise and utilize intensive analytics to ensure direct marketing success and excellent customer service over the long-term to facilitate the important relationship-building process with donors.
• Demonstrated ability to set, achieve or exceed goals and meet deadlines with a natural capability of handling and controlling multiple projects and people. Ability to analyze data and forecast future market trends and develop 3-5 year plans.
• Gifted collaborator, project facilitator and true people person, with the ability to take initiative and create inter-divisional dialogue, manage the collaboration process, and encourage the sharing of ideas across the Territory, serving as a resource to the Army leadership and staff.
• Possess the ability to manage budgets and to audit, monitor and evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of ongoing projects, remaining abreast of how market trends shift given the time of year, state laws and regulations, and other industry standards for direct marketing.
• Excellent listener with superb verbal, written and presentational communications skills and management style that exhibits the principles and culture of the Army, as well as fosters team relationships and effectively communicates information. Bilingual in English and Spanish helpful.
• Self-starter with strong analytic and strategic-thinking skills, with demonstrated ability to create, implement and monitor complex plans, and translate those plans into goals and concrete strategies with an inherent ability to influence and build trust, unifying diverse groups and leaders.
• Willingness and ability to travel (mostly by airplane) on a regular basis to various Divisional Headquarters (estimated at 30-40 percent of time during the first year and 20-25% thereafter with half of the divisional and most of the THQ visits involving overnight trips). Valid Driver’s License and a driving record in good standing required.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Lotus Notes) and user experience with CRM database software (working knowledge of Portfolio a plus), with the generation of reports (Cognos, Crystal Reports, Business Objects, etc.) and savvy regarding online marketing tools.
• Hands-on experience with PC’s and networking, database management, data transfer, system backup, constituent management systems, etc.
• Ability to operate basic office equipment, including a smartphone, office phone, fax machine, photocopier, A/V equipment, computer, etc.

 
The Salvation Army offers a competitive salary and a robust benefits package. The DMD position finalist will be required to submit to a full background and reference checks. Relocation assistance is negotiable.
 
The Salvation Army is committed to offering equal employment opportunity to all applicants and to all employees without regard to race, color, gender, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, genetic predisposition and/or any other lawfully protected classification or occupationally irrelevant criteria. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.
 
To Apply
 
Candidates may apply by clicking the APPLY NOW button below. To assure confidential tracking, no resumes will be accepted via email.  
 
This search is being managed by Heather Eddy, President & CEO of Kistner Eddy Executive Services (KEES). Questions may be addressed to Dylan Tromblay at dtromblay@alfordexecutivesearch.com.
 
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Kistner Eddy Executive Services (KEES) is a retained search firm dedicated to providing recruitment services of exceptional quality and strengthening the nonprofit community through professional staffing solutions.