Northwest UM Foundation growth spurt requires more help

As the Northwest United Methodist Foundation has grown and changed shape over the years, so has the need for additional staff to support churches in the Oregon-Idaho Conference.

The number of churches the Foundation is serving continues to grow as does the value of the investments it oversees. This has prompted the need for a new associate director who Executive Director Thomas Wilson hopes will be working in Oregon to better serve the churches in this region of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area.

“Our desire has always been to provide resources for our local churches,” Wilson said.

In 2009, the Northwest UM Foundation, which previously served only the Pacific Northwest Conference, merged with the Oregon-Idaho Conference’s Foundation and later added the Alaska Conference to its portfolio which now encompasses 500 churches.
The Northwest United Methodist Foundation provides three services. The non-profit organization manages endowment funds for approximately 175 churches across the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area as well as funds for each Conference. In 2017 those managed funds grew by 25 percent from $50 million to $62 million.

The Foundation provides resources to local churches such as workshops on major giving and written resources on things like writing wills. The Foundation also consults with individuals within a church who are looking to create a legacy within their church through endowments and major gifts.

As more churches have partnered with Northwest UMF to help them with everything from endowments to major gifts and consultations with individual donors, the workload has increased. Wilson said it makes good strategic sense to have someone located in Oregon who can assist with these efforts and has experience in resource development and donor relations.

Helping churches and individuals use their time and resources wisely means developing strong relationships.

“Many of them also call for face-to-face interaction,” Wilson said. “I really want this person to do more development work in our churches.”

See the attached job description for the Associate Director of the Northwest United Methodist Church Foundation.