"They (the LHM gift planning department) answered all my questions and were very helpful. I would recommend them to anyone looking for gift planning assistance."

-A donor in Iowa

Harold Melser

Harold Melser serves as the director of Ministry Advancement for Lutheran Hour Ministries, a position he has held since October 2009. In this position, Melser oversees all aspects of ministry fundraising operations, including strategic planning, gift and estate planning, corporate communications, annual support, data entry, and telecare.

Previously, he was associate vice president of development at the Saint Louis Science Center. There, he developed a gift planning program, a comprehensive giving communications plan, introduced the Board Alumni Club, and created an endowment program gift strategy.

Prior to joining the Saint Louis Science Center, Melser served as the executive director of university development as well as the director of planned giving for the Southern Illinois University—Edwardsville Foundation. He also served in various fundraising positions for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and taught at Concordia University—Nebraska and Lutheran High School West in Rocky River, Ohio.

He holds a bachelor's degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and a master's degree in speech communication from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He was recognized by the St. Louis Association of Fundraising Executives as the Outstanding Fundraising Professional of 1986 and was recognized in 2006 by the Saint Louis Planned Giving Council with the Founders Award, a lifetime achievement award for leadership and promotion of planned giving.

He has served on various professional boards, including the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis, and is a member of several organizations, such as the Partnership for Planned Giving, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Association of Lutheran Development Executives. In support of his profession, Melser has also been a speaker and taught extensively.

He is a member of Peace Lutheran Church in Saint Louis, Missouri, and lives in Columbia, Illinois, with his wife, Amy. He has two grown children living in Colorado and Texas.

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) is a Christian outreach ministry supporting churches worldwide in its mission of Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church. It is also a volunteer movement more than 100,000 people strong. LHM produces Christian radio and TV programming for broadcast, as well as Internet and print communications, dramas, music, and outreach materials, to reach the unchurched in more than 40 countries. LHM's flagship program, The Lutheran Hour, is the world's longest-running Christian outreach radio program. It airs weekly on more than 800 stations.