Lancaster Executive Director

Title: Lancaster Executive Director

Reports to: Bridge of Hope National, Chief Executive Officer

Hours per week: 40 hours/week; flexible schedule, must be available some evenings and weekends and person will manage their own schedule.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required. M.S.W. or Master’s degree in relevant field preferred.
• Experience as an Executive Director and/or experience in working with a board of directors
• Experience or training in management and fundraising
• Experience or training in program administration
• Seven years of experience in homeless services and/or child welfare, etc, including case-management and/or supervisory experience
• Nonprofit board experience is a plus

Qualifications/Skills:

• A passion for and a commitment to the mission of Bridge of Hope: To engage Christian faith communities in ending family homelessness through neighboring relationships that demonstrate Christ’s love.
• Demonstrates personal initiative
• Strong organizational and decision-making skills
• Active member of a Christian faith community that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, with a strong personal faith experience.
• Strong knowledge of churches in the region and ecumenical work across Christian faith traditions.
• Ability to build positive relationships with churches and other Christian faith communities on behalf of Bridge of Hope, fostering their excitement and engagement in the mission of Bridge of Hope, from financial support to Neighboring Volunteer engagement and one-time opportunities.
• Committed to excellence in nonprofit, faith-based services and board work.
• Strong interpersonal and group training skills.
• Strong communication skills, written and oral.
• Ability to build positive, collaborative relationships with community landlords and housing providers to promote housing access for families.
• Proficient in computer technology, including Microsoft Office products, Zoom, and able to work with client tracking database and remote server/VPN.
• Position requires a valid driver’s license and availability of a vehicle.
• Demonstrates experience in living out cultural humility.

Position Summary:

• The Lancaster Executive Director provides leadership and oversight for Bridge of Hope Lancaster County, ensuring program excellence, strategic growth, and strong community engagement. This role includes staff supervision, board development, church engagement, fundraising, housing partnerships, and collaboration with national leadership. Bridge of Hope Lancaster operates as a department within Bridge of Hope National’s structure, under the National CEO, and is governed by Bridge of Hope National, with ambassadorial support of the Lancaster community board.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Leadership and Lancaster Team Development (20% of time).

• Provide program support and leadership for Bridge of Hope Lancaster County.
• Lead in hiring and training all staff, including supporting Program Director in her/his team hiring.
• Provide ongoing program and case-management supervision and support the program director and other staff.
• Provide visionary oversight of program direction, development and implementation across the county.
• Assure consistent application of the Program Standards to achieve excellence in program development and improvement as well as positive family and Neighboring Volunteer outcomes and experiences.
• Foster a national learning lab environment within the county, which includes regular sharing of learnings with national staff and the network, as requested.
• Create strong team collaboration and a positive, fun team environment for all county staff, in which they feel supported and valued.
• Oversee and approve monthly rental assistance for families in both counties.
• Lead KPI and team meetings monthly, assuring the team is tracking to meet annual goals.
• Participate in monthly Director’s Circle, facilitated by the Chief Mission Officer.
• Serve as lead trainer in equipping groups of Neighboring Volunteers using the Strangers to Neighbors© training materials in advance of the Neighborhood Launch.

Community Board Development and Strategic Planning (10% of time)

• Cultivate an engaged and passionate ambassadorial board who help engage the broader community in the work of Bridge of Hope Lancaster
• Work to cultivate, build and equip the Lancaster community board, in tandem with the National CEO, who serves as board chair.
• Work with the National’s CEO to pull together agendas and create a cohesive, working, energized board that serves as effective ambassadors in the county.
• Actively promote and nurture the board members’ fundraising efforts.
• Attend all community board meetings.
• Prepare a bi-monthly report for the board as well as bi-weekly email updates.
• Participate in board member nominations, recruitment, orientation and training.
• Collaborate with the board and National CEO to create and implement the strategic plan.

Lancaster County Church Engagement (30% of time)

• Recruit Christian faith communities for partnership with Bridge of Hope and build a positive brand for Bridge of Hope in the county
• Develop and implement a church engagement annual plan for building stronger links with more Christian faith communities, utilizing community board members and other volunteers as much as possible to build relationships.
• In partnership with the Program Director, work to launch Neighborhoods of Support within less than 60 days of families beginning to receive Bridge of Hope services.
• Assure the readiness of the specified number of new Bridge of Hope groups of Neighboring Volunteers annually, who are ready to begin Neighboring as families enter into the program, with attention to the geographical areas of the county where Neighboring churches are needed.
• Train other staff and board members to give presentations about Bridge of Hope.
• Work with church engagement staff to:
• Create strong, mutually beneficial and collaborative relationships with Christian faith communities.
• Give presentations about Bridge of Hope's program to Christian faith communities through displays and public speaking opportunities.
• Follow-up with potentially interested Christian faith communities, encouraging Christian faith communities to support Bridge of Hope through Neighboring, financial support and other volunteer opportunities.
• Recruit Neighboring Volunteers in advance of serving families in order to most quickly connect families in Neighborhoods of support.
• Develop relationships with key individuals within local congregations for nurturing the future involvement of Christian faith communities with Bridge of Hope.
• Relate to council of churches, ministeriums, and other gatherings of Christian faith community leaders for the purpose of building relationships, presenting Bridge of Hope and building connections with new congregations.
• Utilize Raiser’s Edge NXT databases to record all contacts with churches and use the church engagement system for weekly contacts and outreach.
• Achieve annual goals on church giving, which includes a goal for the number of churches who are giving financially and the total dollars given by churches in the county.

Promote Bridge of Hope across the county and engage new partners in the work of Bridge of Hope (20% of time)

• Write or give oversight/approval to bi-monthly County eNews for supporters and volunteers in the county.
• Work in partnership with the Development Team member(s) and CEO who are working with Major Donors within the county, including participating in donor visits/asks as requested.
• Attend donor related events, i.e. Leader of Hope Gathering, Gala, etc.
• Work with the National Communications Specialist in grant writing, including providing input into and feedback on grant proposals that are sent out to county foundations, church funds, etc.
• Spread the word about Bridge of Hope through presentations in various spheres outside of Christian faith communities as well, such as service clubs, business groups, etc.
• Invite churches and civic groups to financially support the ministry of Bridge of Hope through relational fundraising, adding churches and individuals to the mailing list through church presentations and relationship-building. This includes making thank you calls within several days of receiving church gifts of support or foundations, businesses, individual gifts that the CEO or development team believe would benefit from a call from the Lancaster Executive Director.
• Actively build partnerships with other agencies across the county.

Promote housing partnerships to benefit Bridge of Hope families. (10% of time).

• With housing staff, promote landlord partnerships in all church/civic presentations and identify potential landlord partners in order to decrease the days to house families in the county.
• In partnership with the Program Director, work to house families within less than 60 days of those families beginning to receive Bridge of Hope services.
• Develop relationships with landlords and property management companies.
• Relate to community coalitions regarding housing issues and partner with other area service providers.
• Explore and negotiate utilization of payment plans, lease guarantee and master lease agreements with local landlords.
• Work with CEO, CFO and Property Specialist around property purchase, building, and renovation.
• Work with Property Specialist for hiring of property management firms and/or master-leasing decisions.
• Identify and engage volunteers for housing projects, in conjunction with Property Specialist.

Other Responsibilities to fulfill the mission of Bridge of Hope (10% of time)

• Serve as an ambassador for spreading the word about Bridge of Hope at a state and national level – including speaking well of other locations in the network and working as a team with all staff across the organization to promote growth of the national vision of Bridge of Hope and commitment to Bridge of Hope’s core values.
• Financial oversight of the Lancaster budget, including work on budget draft and monitoring monthly actual vs budget expenditures and income.
• Participate in national staff meetings.
• Serve on National Operations Team.
• Attend annual Bridge of Hope conference each October.
• Participate in network-wide calls and learning opportunities.
• Work within the year-at-a-glance document for this position, referring to it at least monthly and adding to it as necessary.
• 0ther responsibilities as requested by the CEO.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Tuition reimbursement

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $85,000