Manager, Foundation Relations

About the Organization:

It is an exciting time at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) as we continue to undertake our mission. We know that creating long term solutions to food security requires more than meals. It requires education, training, and collaboration. We are seeking people with strong ideas and a passion to come together to address the complex interrelated issues of food security, poverty, and equity. We are expanding in multiple ways: providing food for today and addressing the root causes of hunger by partnering with organizations that provide critical services like job training programs, health care and education. Food has the power to transform lives and move everyone forward. Find out how on our website at capitalareafoodbank.org. Let us discuss how food is at the center of everyone's healthy life!

Description:

The Manager of Foundation Relations will be a member of the Institutional Partnerships team, working closely with the Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships and other team members to engage professional foundations in raising funds for CAFB’s mission-critical work through philanthropic grants. CAFB currently has 30+ private foundation funders contributing $10K or more, for a total of approximately $4M in revenue annually.

The Manager will be responsible for maintaining and expanding an assigned portfolio of professional foundations that raises a minimum of $750K annually, with the goal to grow to at least $1 million. In collaboration with others, including executive leadership and program directors, the Manager will be tasked with developing and maintaining relationships with a portfolio of professional foundations. The candidate will be responsible for the entire revenue generation lifecycle, including research and outreach, crafting concepts and pitches, writing and submitting proposals/grant applications, and managing partnerships, including related reporting and renewals. They will also support the Senior Director, Deputy Chief Development Officer, and Chief Advancement Officer by drafting LOIs, proposals, and reports. In addition to overseeing an assigned portfolio of professional foundations, they will be focused on identifying and securing new funders with the capacity to give at the five- and six-figure levels.

Essential Functions:

Foundation Partnership Development – Percentage 25% (10 hours per week)

• Oversee prospect research to develop a robust list of professional foundations for potential funding and coordinate outreach in collaboration with Senior Director, including but not limited to:
  • Work in coordination to with Senior Director to contact foundations to obtain information about upcoming grant opportunities, pitch ideas, and solicit feedback on CAFB submissions.
  • Identify new opportunities, organize donor meetings, and contribute to briefing materials for CAFB leadership as required.
  • Create compelling pitch documents that effectively communicate to foundation funders the philanthropic benefits associated with supporting current programs as well as early-stage strategic initiatives. Cultivate a deep understanding of foundation philanthropy.

Foundation Account Management – Percentage 50% (20 hours per week)

• Cultivate and steward existing partnerships in assigned portfolio, providing top-quality stewardship and identifying new areas of alignment to pursue and grow.
• Coordinate with CAFB teams – in particular Program, Regional, and Grants Management to conduct grant activities for assigned portfolio, including proposal development and reporting, communication, and stewardship opportunities.
• Ensure that proposals and reports submitted meet the highest quality standards and all donor guidelines; ensure timely and accurate processing of all grant-related paperwork.
• Support the Senior Director, Deputy Chief Development Officer, and Chief Advancement Officer by drafting LOIs, proposals, and reports.

Foundation Vertical Strategy & Management – Percentage 15% (6 hours per week)

• Work with the Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships to develop a strategy that effectively engages existing and prospective foundation partners and set financial goals for the portfolio that align with CAFB’s budget
• Utilize Salesforce to track leads, opportunities and deadlines (for LOIs, proposals, reports, etc.) to build and maintain a healthy pipeline of fundraising opportunities.
• Accurately project, track, and communicate fundraising progress towards revenue goals.
• Work closely with the Gifts Processing team to ensure timely donation processing and prompt acknowledgement of funding secured.

Team Collaboration and Cohesiveness – Percentage 10% (4 hours)

• Support team by effectively managing your workload; planning and prioritizing activities, and developing the structures and tools needed to achieve team goals.
• Model the behavior you wish to see in team members.
• Energize the people around you, foster engagement and create a trusting atmosphere.

Miscellaneous

• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant grant writing and experience working with professional foundations.
• Experience and proficiency utilizing Salesforce (or similar) donor database/CRM.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• This position requires a person skilled in managing foundation fundraising efforts for a large regional social service organization and negotiating complex relationships both within and outside the organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Action-oriented and goal-directed individual.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to motivate and manage superiors, peers, and external stakeholders to achieve results.
• Exceptional writing skills with ability to translate complex needs into clear and compelling proposals.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and coordinate multiple projects and relationships
• Works well under pressure; ability to prioritize changing workloads to meet tight deadlines.
• Individual and team contributor with ability to collaborate with staff at all levels.

Other Skills, Abilities:

• Strong commitment to social justice and genuine desire to serve the Greater Washington region.
• High integrity and moral character, supporting the mission, philosophy, policies, and ideals of the Capital Area Food Bank.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Sitting: over 2/3 percent of the time.
• Keyboarding: over 2/3 percent of the time.
• Driving: under 1/3 percent of the time (note, this job requires occasional travel throughout the region to CAFB’s Northern Virginia facility or for events at corporate partner locations).

Reporting:

• Reports to the Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships.

Compensation:

• $80,100 – $84,000 annually.

Schedule:

• Position is currently hybrid with expectation of 3 days in the office on average, but there may be times when events require up to 4-5 days a week in the office.
• Travel to CAFB’s facility in Northern Virginia may be required once or twice a month.
• Regular work hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 5:00pm; occasional nights/weekends to support donor events as required by the duties and responsibilities of the position.

NOTE: Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. 

We Offer: At Capital Area Food Bank, we understand that great people make a great organization. We value our people and offer employees a broad range of benefits including competitive compensation and benefits, free onsite parking, complimentary shuttle to metro, professional development, growth, and volunteer opportunities, fun work in a diverse environment.

Application Process:

• Interested applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: