Associate Director or Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations

Administrator

SA5172122

Full-Time 40 Hours Weekly

Regular

11/29/2022

The Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) oversees the university’s foundation and corporate relations development program which includes the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gift prospects and donors. The director conducts personalized outreach and drafts letters of inquiry (LOI), funding proposals, endorsement letters, and financial status and stewardship reports. The director also identifies and recruits ambassadors to help advance proposals by reaching out to the foundation and corporate community through existing Chapman alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff.

The director works closely with colleagues in the schools and colleges to create solicitation strategies, advance funding requests, and develop stewardship activities and collaborates with campus partners to ensure university compliance with gifts’ contractual policies and stewardship requirements. The director is also responsible for tracking foundation and corporate solicitations and for providing deans and faculty with information and guidance on corporate and foundation giving guidelines, opportunities, and proposal submission procedures. The director must have excellent writing and communication skills and superb knowledge of foundations’ and corporate funding opportunities to effectively match those opportunities with the university’s top funding priorities. The director will oversee a portfolio of corporations and foundations and will work to achieve annual fundraising goals.

IDENTIFICATION, CULTIVATION, SOLICITATION, AND STEWARDSHIP OF DONORS

• Increase support and raise funds from corporations and foundations by developing strategies to strengthen relationships with current prospects and build relationships with new prospects.
• Work independently and in collaboration with the Research and Prospect Management team to identify new corporate and foundation prospects; develop a strong knowledge of foundation and corporate funding sources.
• Conduct outreach to existing donors and new prospects through personal visits/meetings, phone calls, and digital communication to establish and develop long-term relationships with key foundation and corporate representatives.
• Build strong internal relationships with deans, faculty, campus partners, development officers, and volunteers as well as prospects in the field to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the university’s programs and funding priorities and to identify strong matches with potential funders. Gather information for proposals.
• Draft high-quality proposals, evaluation and progress reports, cover and inquiry letters, thank you letters, and other correspondence as needed; ensure that required reporting on funded projects is completed on a timely basis.
• Direct and manage stewardship activities for foundation and corporate donors including correspondence, events, visits, calls, and other appropriate methods to maintain and increase levels of support.

• Together with the Vice President of Development, develop an annual corporate and foundations relations plan that includes measurable goals, metrics and specific strategies for expanding both levels and sources of support.
• Track and achieve fundraising financial and activity goals.
• Ensure compliance with all University fundraising policies and procedures as well as relevant laws and regulations; collaborate with the Offices of Financial Services, Financial Aid, Legal Affairs, and others, as necessary.
• Gather and share information about trends in corporate and foundation philanthropy to ensure the university is following current best practices.

For Associate Director: 3-5 years’ relevant experience in nonprofit fundraising with corporate and foundation donors.
For Director: 6 or more years of relevant experience in nonprofit fundraising with corporate and foundation donors.

Additional qualifications for all applicants:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience; master’s degree preferred.
• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact with major donors.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills with a diverse group of individuals at all organizational levels, both inside and outside the University. Extensive experience forming meaningful, long-term relationships with donors and constituents. Strong organizational, writing, research, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize duties when faced with interruptions, distractions, and fluctuating workload and carry them out in a timely manner to meet deadlines. Ability to use tact and diplomacy while maintaining a high level of confidentiality.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships as a team member within University Advancement as well as campus-wide and within all levels of the community to support university programs and goals.
• Experience in writing grants/proposals and letters tailored to a variety of individual writing styles.
• Proven ability to effectively manage multiple funding opportunities and meet deadlines.
• Working knowledge of current fundraising techniques and practices including donor solicitation, prospect management and tracking, and donor recognition.
• Proven ability in creating donor recognition and stewardship techniques to ensure long-term donor support.
• Skill in developing written communication tailored to a variety of writing styles.
• Experience using goal setting and metrics to meet institutional goals.

• Knowledge of university policies and procedures.
• Experience with government agencies, employees and elected officials.
• Familiarity with regional and national corporate and foundation funding sources.

Chapman University is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic global community. The University is dedicated to enhancing diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruitment and employment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

The University is committed to achieving a diverse faculty and staff and encourages members of underrepresented groups to apply. More information on diversity and inclusion at Chapman University can be found at www.chapman.edu/diversity.

Applicants for Staff and Administrator positions must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Chapman University does not sponsor applicants for Staff and Administrator positions for work visas.

The offer of employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion and outcomes of a criminal background screening and returning to the Office of Human Resources a signed original acceptance of the Chapman University Agreement to Arbitrate.