Director of Corporate, Foundation & Major Giving

Supervisor: Vice President for Institutional Advancement 

Position Code:DCFMG

Status: Full-time

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Job Location: Longmeadow/Hybrid

Exempt (Yes/No): Yes

JOB SUMMARY:  

The Director of Corporate, Foundation & Major Giving is a professional fundraising position responsible for securing philanthropic support to advance Bay Path University's strategic initiatives, programs, and funding priorities. Reporting to the Vice President, the Director is responsible for securing leadership gifts from donors and prospective donors, with special emphasis on converting non-donors into engaged donors, as well as securing 1.5M-3M annually in foundation and government grant funding.

This role carries primary responsibility for growing a major gift pipeline, while also building and managing the University's grants and corporate-partnership pipeline. It suits an experienced frontline fundraiser who can move comfortably between individual donor relationships and institutional proposal cycles. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Build a qualified pipeline of corporate and foundation prospects aligned to university priorities and submit proposals against a target win rate and annual revenue goal, tracked separately from individual giving given its distinct cultivation and reporting cycle. 
• Builds and grows a portfolio of 25-50 leadership donors and prospective donors, including alumni and friends of the University.
• Achieves established goals for donor visits, solicitations, and additional leadership gift activities.
• Collaborates with the Annual Giving/Alumni Relations team to identify and cultivate major donor prospects to achieve leadership gift status.
• Conducts comprehensive research and assessment of federal and state government, corporate, and private foundation grant opportunities that advance the University's strategic priorities, based on a holistic understanding of its mission and vision..
• Collaborates with faculty, staff, University leadership, external partners, consultants, and other stakeholders to promote funding opportunities, develop fundable project plans and budgets, and prepare and submit compelling grant proposals.
• Develops, maintains, and enhances relationships with corporate and private foundations and government entities to design and execute fundraising strategies in coordination with the President's Office,  and Institutional Advancement staff.
• Provides post-award support, including coordinating the administration of foundation grant awards to ensure compliance with funder guidelines; orienting new project directors to grant management responsibilities and processes in collaboration with Finance & Administrative Services staff; preparing acknowledgment letters; processing grant agreements; recording reporting requirements; and maintaining accurate electronic and physical files.
• Provides information and advice to inform University policy decisions in response to changing institutional needs and/or the funder landscape.
• Participates in department meetings, University committees, professional development programs, and required training.
• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Vice President of Institutional Advancement or the University.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Ability to stand, walk and/or sit and continuously perform essential job functions.
• Ability to grasp, lift and/or carry or otherwise move lightweight objects.
• Ability to walk up and down stairs and walking significant distances between and within University buildings.
• Perform tasks requiring bending, stooping, and kneeling.
• Sufficient manual dexterity in both hands to operate variety of office related equipment including; computer, telephone, copier, fax, calculator, and the like.
• Visual ability corrected, to assure accuracy of all documents produced or disseminated from this position.
• Audio ability corrected, to hear telephone, fax and any emergency related alarms such as fire alarm.

This position requires standing, sitting and walking; minimal pulling, pushing, lifting, stretching, kneeling, and lifting up to 20 lbs.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive major-gift fundraising experience, with direct experience in corporate or foundation relations strongly preferred. 
• Experience in higher education is preferred.
• Passion for creatively connecting funding resources, people, and projects to meet institutional priorities that advance the University’s mission.
• Comfort managing two distinct cultivation cycles at once - relationship-driven individual solicitation and proposal-driven institutional giving - without letting either lapse.
• Strong written proposal and grant-writing skills, alongside in-person donor cultivation and solicitation skills.
• Experience with a donor database or CRM for portfolio and pipeline tracking.
• Willingness to travel regionally for donor and funder visits, and to work some evenings and weekends around cultivation events.
• A collaborative style that works well across a small Advancement team where portfolios and institutional relationships sometimes overlap.
• High ethical standards, integrity, adaptability, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, nimble, and constantly changing higher education environment.
• General knowledge of the University’s mission, purpose, and goals, and an understanding of how the position contributes to achieving those goals.
• Ability to adhere to University policies and procedures.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and in accordance with FERPA and HIPAA guidelines.
• All new employees must complete FERPA, Anti-Harassment, and any other required online training within 15 days of employment.
• Possess a valid U.S. driver’s license if the position requires driving.
• Successfully complete the online Safe Driving Course within 15 days of hire and pass a driving record check at the time of hire and annually thereafter, if driving is required.