Jodi Harpstead, Vice President, Chief Advancement Officer
So what is this position
called the LSS Chief Advancement Officer?
Generally speaking, the
Advancement Officer focuses on where the organization is headed, not just
where it is. I will be spending my time in three areas. First, I'll be
developing a razor-sharp understanding of where LSS is going and what
resources will be needed to reach those destinations. Second, I will be
leading efforts to secure the resources we will need to achieve
longer-term goals. Third, I will be working to connect LSS with business
and community leaders, government officials, church leaders, other
non-profits, etc.
Advancing any organization
requires mission, vision and money. I believe in the LSS mission and
vision, and that's why I have decided to focus my career and skills on the
advancement of an organization I both admire and support. Knowing that LSS
helps 100,000 people each year so that they can live and work in
communities with dignity, safety, and hope is a daily reminder of LSS'
importance to Minnesota's quality of life.
In the end, it will be
financial resources that allow LSS to prosper and serve others from the
approaches we have developed, and the philosophy and commitment we have
fostered. Financial resources construct the buildings we need and hire the
top-rated staff we have attracted. Getting to this degree of support,
however, requires that we get others to share in our mission and vision.
That's the second part of what
the Chief Advancement Officer does. Advancing the organization requires
that others understand what LSS does and that they develop their own
personal connections with our work and the contributions we offer to our
communities. The challenge is to describe what 2,300 employees do across
the state and neatly package it so our many constituents can relate to it
and be inspired by it. We want to find others who, like you, are reading
about our comprehensive and life-changing work, in this publication, and
who are supporting this mission with their time, special talents and
financial gifts.
We rely on people like you to
be our ambassadors. You are the ones who share our achievements and
opportunities with others. You are the ones who see Christ in what LSS
does every day. You are the ones who value our mission in your lives.
So, my responsibility is both
to you and to those thousands we serve every day. We offer ways to welcome
you into our mission. And by doing so, it is you, along with LSS, who are
expressing the love of Christ for all people through acts of service. I am
eager to contribute to LSS' advancement effort in this position, and I
look forward to meeting with as many of the LSS donors and supporters as
is possible over the next years.
