Senior Director Institutional Giving
Mikva Challenge is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to develop youth to be engaged, informed, and active citizens and community members who will promote a just and equitable society. We do this by engaging youth in an authentic and transformative learning process built on youth voice and youth expertise. Youth in Mikva’s programming experience unique civic learning opportunities. Our approaches include direct youth work, teacher support, and liaising with civic leaders and institutions. We believe strongly in the potential of youth and are committed to youth voice.
Mikva Challenge evaluations show the lasting impact of its programs.
- 82% of students reported an increase in their civic knowledge.
- 77% of students developed their sense of civic agency and increased their future commitment to civic action.
- 83% of students took on new civic leadership.
- 79% of students reported gains in their socio-emotional skills -- many of which have direct academic outcomes.
ABOUT THE POSITION
Mikva Challenge is seeking a seasoned development professional and frontline fundraiser with deep roots in the philanthropic landscape. The Senior Director of Institutional Giving will play a pivotal role in elevating the organization’s profile by cultivating strategic, high-value partnerships with foundations and companies as well as pursuing government funding opportunities. The Senior Director will serve as the expert in institutional fundraising and provide input to the Chief Advancement Officer on trends and opportunities to help inform our broader advancement strategy.
The Senior Director of Institutional Giving will oversee an institutional giving portfolio of over 70 foundation and corporate donors and prospects, in addition to managing 5-10 government grant applications annually. With a responsibility of raising approximately $4M annually, the Senior Director will create and implement strategies to grow the institutional funding stream, serve as the primary portfolio and relationship manager for most donors, and manage a team of two Institutional Giving Managers.
As a senior member of the Advancement team, this position will also contribute to broader fundraising efforts by creating strategies, resources, and processes that can be applied across the organization’s funding streams and communications efforts.
OFFICE LOCATION: This is a hybrid position, working in the downtown Chicago office, as well as remotely, engaging with staff and stakeholders through virtual platforms. This position is not eligible for paid relocation.
REPORTS TO: Chief Advancement Officer
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Fundraising Strategy and Execution
- Set the vision and direction for Mikva Challenge's approach to institutional fundraising, including setting annual and multi-year goals for revenue, creating strategies for each stream of revenue, and creating a strategy to find and cultivate new institutional funders
- Develop and execute operational plans to implement the institutional fundraising strategies
- Design and implement Mikva Challenge's corporate giving and engagement strategy
- Consistently monitor revenue goals and proactively create strategies to address potential shortfalls in our fundraising projections
- Research and stay informed on philanthropic trends and best practices in foundation and corporate giving; recommend new ideas as appropriate to the Chief Advancement Officer to creatively secure funding.
Donor Portfolio and Relationship Management
- Lead, grow and manage a portfolio of foundations, corporations, and government entities through all stages of the grant lifecycle, including letters of inquiry (LOIs), writing/editing proposals and reports, tracking proposal submissions and stewardship.
- Engage Mikva Challenge leadership and program staff in the cultivation of donors, as relevant, by facilitating strategy conversations and preparing team members to conduct donor meetings.
- Conduct ongoing research to identify and pursue new institutional funding opportunities.
- Design, implement, and manage a comprehensive development plan to expand and enhance institutional relationships, through traditional and alternative avenues.
- Create and implement proactive stewardship plans, including coordinating strategic site visits to connect institutional givers with our work, and identifying other engagement opportunities.
- Engage institutional funders through events, programming, and sponsorships.
Team and People Management
- Lead, supervise and coach a team of two Institutional Giving Managers.
- Develop SMART goals for staff and provide ongoing feedback and direction to support their growth and performance.
- Oversee direct reports’ preparation and submission of proposals, grant agreements and presentation materials
- Foster collaboration between the program and advancement teams by designing systems to collect and share program updates for grant proposals, reports, and donor updates
Operations and Data Management
- Maintain accurate data records for institutional, corporate, and government partners in the CRM database
- Track engagement metrics and evaluate data to guide strategic planning.
- Assist in development operations initiatives, including CRM data review and analysis, gift processing, and donor acknowledgements.
- Accurately project and forecast revenue to support organizational programmatic, fiscal and operational goals.
REQUIREMENTS
Education: Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience: 7-10 years of relevant experience, including at least 5+ years of development experience with specific expertise in cultivating, securing, and stewarding high-value institutional and corporate partnerships
COMPETENCIES AND QUALIFICATIONS
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and a proven ability to create and foster excellent relationships between donors and an organization
- Experience managing high-value foundation and corporate relationships, including co-creating multi-faceted engagement with donors
- Exceptional writing skills and ability to develop and implement an ambitious fundraising plan for institutional foundation, corporate and other institutional giving
- 5+ years of experience supervising and coaching direct reports to achieve work and personal development goals
- Ability to effectively communicate organization’s mission and goals to a diverse group of stakeholders
- Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and feedback skills with the ability to edit other’s work and to write and speak in clear and compelling ways
- Strong project management and experience developing and monitoring budgets
- Familiarity with current issues and trends in education, and an understanding of philanthropic funding landscapes in education and youth programming
- Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet competing deadlines.
- Passionate about youth development for underserved communities and addressing social injustice
- Strong knowledge of MS Excel, Word, & PowerPoint.
- Experience with a CRM/donor database platform such as Salsa.
- Willingness to work periodic weekends and evenings twice per quarter
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The salary range for this IL-based position is $90,000 to $110,000 annually commensurate with experience. We offer a competitive benefits package to include paid time off, medical, dental, vision, 401K, disability and life insurance.
EQUITY STATEMENT
Mikva Challenge is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity, and gender expression), sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit-based factors. We strongly encourage candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to apply.