Senior Associate, Corporate & Foundations Relations

CHICAGO, IL OR WASHINGTON, D.C.

About the Obama Foundation

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone.

We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together.

That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home.

But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity.

As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us.

For more information, please visit www.obama.org.

Purpose of the Role

As a member of the Development team, the Senior Associate, Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR) will play a critical role in the sustainability, functionality and growth of the Corporate and Foundation Relations fundraising team. You will primarily focus on stewarding an active portfolio of current donors, and cultivating a pipeline of corporate and foundation prospects focused on gifts at $1M and below to raise an additional $5M annually.

The fundraising priorities for the Senior Associate will include, but are not limited to, programmatic restricted gifts in support of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Girls Opportunity Alliance, and the Global Leaders programs. In addition to performing active outreach and prospect management, you will be responsible for supporting Foundation programs teams in executing the CFR portion of development fundraising strategies. The Senior Associate, CFR will report to the Senior Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Pipeline Management: Maintain an active pipeline of at least 50 corporate and foundation prospects. In partnership with the Prospect Research team, continuously work to identify and qualify new prospects.
• Portfolio Management: In partnership with the Senior Associate, CFR Grants Management, execute a stewardship plan for all current donors ($10M+ in stewardship and roughly 25 donors), which includes consistent check-ins with the donors, ensuring all benefits are met and a renewal strategy is created. Responsible for creative engagement of donors in Foundation work.
• Industry Expertise: Participate regularly in industry conferences, webinars, and educational opportunities to ensure our CFR strategy and program engagement opportunities are current and relevant.
• Fundraising Outreach: To meet annual fundraising goal of $5M, solicit an average of $2.5M quarterly. Perform at least 12 donor meetings a month with 30 - 50 donor outreach activities to ensure a healthy pipeline.
• Strategy Management: Partner with and support Foundation program teams in executing CFR specific fundraising strategy, which includes cause marketing support, employee engagement activations, grants management, and other potential deliverables.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Quarterly solicitation of $2.5 million.
• Stewardship management and renewals.
• Maintain an active pipeline of 50 prospects.
• Program strategies and goals met annually.

Required Qualifications

• Knowledge of best practices in corporate philanthropy, including cause marketing, employee engagement, and grants management.
• Demonstrated comfort engaging with corporate and foundation donors, a high level of discretion with sensitive materials, and a commitment to achieving team goals.
• Adept at navigating the intricacies of tactical fundraising systems/processes (e.g., prospect tracking and scheduling, project management software, CRM maintenance, etc.).
• Track record of successful, goal-driven corporate and foundation fundraising at the six-figure level.
• Strong relationship management skills.

The salary range for this role is between $71,775 and $119,625.

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. The Obama Foundation is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

In the interest of employee health and safety during the pendency of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Obama Foundation is requiring that all prospective employees present proof that they are fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, or seek a reasonable accommodation for religious or medical reasons, prior to their first day of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at [email protected] if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.