DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATIONS

DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATIONS

DEPT: OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT

 

HOURS: 40 HOURS PER WEEK

FT/PT/TEMP: FULL-TIME

EXEMPT STATUS: EXEMPT

 

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: 

The Director of Foundations is responsible for managing the portfolio of all foundation work within Fuller Seminary. This work includes, but is not limited to, increasing the visibility of Fuller Seminary within the scope of foundations, managing the seminary’s relationships with all private and corporate foundations, as well as growing the level of engagement of both existing foundation relationships as well as future foundation relationships. The Director is actively engaged in working to establish long-term partnerships and strengthen existing relationships with the private sector, as well as other key communities that will result in funding for the immediate and long-term goals of the seminary. Collaboration across the seminary is essential for the success of this position as we build on the knowledge and expertise of our Fuller faculty and staff. This position reports to the Vice President of Development.

 

PRINCIPAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The position provides the expertise to advance Fuller’s interests by researching, identifying, and soliciting sources of support, proactively seeking opportunities to generate new proposals based on giving guidelines and interests, and by maintaining strong communication ties with private foundation donors and prospects, as well as government agencies. The Director is key in providing leadership, direction, grant writing for the institution as we strategize to ensure that the seminary’s faculty and program directors are successful in pursuing and securing grants for special projects and the overall operating needs of the institution.

 

• Strategic Planning. Design, implement, and manage a comprehensive proactive development strategy focused on expanding and enhancing foundation relationships by directing and coordinating activities related to obtaining foundation monetary support. This plan should include the collaborative work with our Major Gift Officers for Foundation relationships in their geographic area.

 

• Proposal Development. Develop highly competitive proposals for foundation prospects and leverage diverse foundation goals and interests in conjunction with seminary goals. As the primary author and coordinator, the Director is responsible for drafting, editing, gathering components, and submitting all grant requests. The Director also assists the Executive Director of Development and Vice President for Development with the production and submission of grant proposals for specific projects as needed.

 

• Program Management. Lead and provide day-to-day management of a comprehensive grants program, including but not limited to:

- Create and maintain an annual operations plan with measurable program goals, individual prospect funding goals, and a comprehensive grants calendar;

- Develop, track, and report key measures of progress in all areas of grant activity;

- Within the emerging strategic priorities of the seminary and through regular contact with faculty and program directors, identify areas of activities/needs that might be of interest to foundations;

- Make initial, exploratory or solicitation contacts for the President, Provost, Vice President for Development, Executive Director, and other appropriate faculty and program directors;

- Initiate appropriate inter-institution collaboration, as appropriate, with faculty, administrators, and program directors, and major gift officers to support the researching, planning, outlining, drafting and /or editing of grant proposals;

- Initiate opportunities for faculty, administrators, major gift officers, and program directors to interact with foundation prospects and interpret foundation interests to Fuller; and

- Develop, implement, and maintain stewardship strategies and systems for foundations and corporations who have made a gift to Fuller working in conjunction with other development team members.

 

• Research and Tracking. Maintain a thorough research program to determine the giving patterns of local, regional and national foundations.

 

• Relationship Building. The Director is responsible for being the seminary’s principal relationship managers with program officers at foundations. The Director is the seminary’s primary contacts with foundations and shall engage other seminary leadership, staff or volunteers when appropriate. S/He shall represent the seminary at on and off-campus meetings and functions. S/He shall develop and maintain an active list of contacts in order to interact with external sources for the procurement of grants and gifts constituencies, including alumni, trustees, and other key volunteers.

 

• Communication. The Director is responsible for timely submission of all grant and government contract reports as indicated in grant awards.  S/He is advisor to faculty, administrators, and staff about the trends and areas of interest of private grant funding sources.

 

• General Functions. Assist with development functions, such as screening sessions, presidential briefings, committee meetings and volunteer activities as needed and necessary.

 

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

 

• A bachelor's degree, advanced degree preferred; minimum of five years demonstrated successful foundation fundraising experience preferably in higher education (or a comparably complex organization).

 

• Evidence of success in grant writing and submission for varied proposal development.

 

• Knowledge of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies and techniques, particularly in the area of corporate and foundation fundraising required

 

• Demonstrated knowledge of methods, practices and procedures for obtaining information about the giving programs of foundations.

 

• Excellent organizational, interpersonal and networking skills with large groups as well as with individuals are essential.

 

• Ability to initiate and build relationships with prospective foundation donors, and interact with institutional representatives

 

• Demonstrated ability to take primary responsibility for diverse number of projects and to complete them in a timely manner with limited supervision

 

• Exceptional writing and editing skills in order to develop professional reports, strategic plans and correspondence

 

• Independent worker; self-starter; self-initiator; self-manager

 

• Discipline to regularly set and achieve work goals

 

• Must work well in a team setting and interact well with all types of people, including faculty and external program officers alike, and maintain a high level of poise and professionalism in all circumstances

 

• Ability to coordinate a variety of tasks simultaneously and handle tension and stress in a positive manner is required

 

ADDITIONAL REMARKS:

 

• This position requires a background and credit check

 

• Must be willing to sign Fuller’s Statement of Faith

 

• High energy and passion for the mission and vision of Fuller Theological Seminary

 

TO APPLY:

 

• Apply at https://apptrkr.com/1521320 and search for the Director of Foundations position.

 

Fuller Theological Seminary is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. To the extent required by law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status. As a religious institution, Fuller Theological Seminary is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees or prospective employees for certain positions on the basis of religion.