UVA External Relations · 1 week ago
Director of Foundation Relations
Charlottesville, VA
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$130K/yr - $140K/yr
5+ years expThe University of Virginia (UVA) is seeking a highly qualified candidate for the role of Director of Foundation Relations. This position is integral to advancing the university's strategy for engaging private foundations to secure philanthropic support for institutional priorities and requires collaboration with faculty and senior administrators to cultivate relationships with foundations.
Non-profit Organization Management
No H1B
Responsibilities
Responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and managing a portfolio of foundation prospects to yield funds with significant impact on an annual basis
Work with senior administration, deans, faculty, and staff to develop and write proposals for specific research, programmatic, and capital funding needs and to manage overall foundation solicitation and stewardship efforts for assigned areas
Work collaboratively, as needed, with Development Officers across units to identify and cultivate foundation funders and submit proposals
Liaise with the Office of Sponsored Programs to understand process, timing, and compliance in order to facilitate grant proposals and grants management
Collaborate with the Director of CFR Agreement Administration on new foundation funding to ensure agreements are routed in a timely manner and funder stewardship plans are set
Leverage UVA’s database of record to track strategies, solicitations, documentation, and other portfolio updates
Work with the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Office of the Provost, and other internal stakeholders to build effective collaborative partnerships to pursue and manage foundation funds
Regularly coordinate and staff meetings with foundation program officers and attend conferences where foundation presence is expected, both via videoconference and in person. The successful candidate will be willing and able to travel up to 15%-20% of the year
Lead the development of a high-level strategic and creative approach to foundation fundraising that aligns with UVA’s priorities
In consultation with leadership, develop and implement goals, objectives and metrics for measuring performance
Keep current on the private fundraising landscape to understand funding trends, leadership changes, and legal and compliance updates
Work with the Senior Director to establish strategic plans for priority foundations and
Collaborate with schools across Grounds to monitor needs, strategic initiatives, priorities, and special projects
Manage two direct reports who support the CFR team; the Researcher and the Grant Writer and Communications Strategist, and others, as needed
Ensure these roles are meeting volume, evolve tasks as needed, and manage processes to meet the team’s needs
Germane to these roles, maintain a strong working knowledge of Prospect Research methods, the relevant databases and tools needed and how they work, identify grant writing best practices, and maintain a firm communications acumen
Mentor and provide guidance to direct reports and other staff to establish best practices
Contribute to the team’s ongoing educational programming, designed to expand CFR knowledge and engagement across to UVA’s advancement community. Help develop quarterly workshop topics and present content
Regularly present, as needed, to internal stakeholder groups (faculty, research administration colleagues, and others) to increase a collective understanding of foundation funding, processes, and team support
Contribute to the development, adaptation, and maintenance of presentations, reports, and marketing materials in partnership with team members, as needs arise
Qualification
Required
Education: bachelor's degree
Experience: At least five years of previous fundraising experience
Preferred
At least eight years of relevant experience
Experience in higher-education development with a proven ability to meet fundraising goals and a strong track record in securing gifts and grants
Experience navigating a complex institution to make the best match between university needs and funder priorities
Ability to take information from many sources and distill it into core messages that are communicated to different audiences
Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
Demonstrated history of strong collaboration
Benefits
Benefited position
Flexible and hybrid workplace
Company
UVA External Relations
External Relations at UVA encompasses a broad range of pan-University initiatives, including philanthropy, engagement, principal relationship development, corporate and foundation relations, and state government relations, providing operational and administrative services in support of these initiatives.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageCompany data provided by crunchbase