On June 1st, the Florida United Methodist Foundation welcomed Landon Taylor as its new Development Officer. In his role, Taylor will further the Foundation’s mission by cultivating, nurturing, and inspiring continued and new partnerships.
Taylor brings a wealth of experience to the position, including management of church and donor relations for both the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. In addition to his work in advancing long-term sustainability for these organizations, he has successful experience in cultivating relationships, teaching and training, fundraising, marketing, and strategy development.
“One of the things I’m most excited about is creating strong relationships to not only strengthen the Foundation but to strengthen the United Methodist Church as a whole,” Taylor said. “It’s a really exciting time to be in ministry.”
As the Development Officer, Taylor works closely with Director of Development, Elena Nicholas, who is enthusiastic about the value Taylor adds. “The Foundation is blessed to have Landon Taylor join its Development Team,” she said. “Landon has immense energy, and his experiences including his work at the United Methodist Committee on Relief and his extensive background in Methodism make him the perfect fit.”
That background has afforded Taylor deep insight into the connectional nature of the United Methodist Church, a strength he will lean on in his role. “Understanding the connectional system and the importance of that, how we are all a part of the larger community within the community, helps us understand the identity of who we are moving forward as a Foundation,” he said.
Taylor was drawn to the Foundation in part because of the warm feeling of care and community with which he was met. “I’m excited to be a part of the community and to join in the work that’s already happening,” he said.
Nicholas echoed her excitement for the future. “The Development Team is brightly poised to faithfully fulfill its mission of intentional relationship building and cultivation to help churches and ministries thrive!” she said.