Job description
American Humane is seeking an experienced Director, Foundation Partnerships. This position will be based out of our DC Headquarters and reports directly to the AVP, Philanthropic Partnerships. American Humane is committed to fostering a welcoming workplace. As we seek to fill this position, we encourage high performing applicants from all backgrounds to apply.
For nearly 150 years, American Humane Society has led the way in protecting animals and strengthening the bonds between animals and people. We respond first when animals need rescue, shelter, or protection. Through our groundbreaking programs – from our “No Animals Were Harmed®” certification in Hollywood to our farm and conservation welfare standards – we set the highest level of care and compassion in animal protection.
Working at American Humane Society means being part of something bigger. With offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Palm Beach, we provide a supportive, professional environment where your work makes a real difference in animals’ lives.
Position summary:
The Director, Foundation Partnerships is responsible for securing $1.5M+ in annual revenue through corporate and private foundations, with an expectation to meaningfully increase revenue as part of our 5-year strategic plan. With a focus on growing and strengthening institutional support, the Director will play a critical role in diversifying American Humane’s foundation philanthropy and strategic growth goals.
The Director will be responsible for developing and executing tactics to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation funders to advance American Humane’s mission and as the team grows, will lead future team members to do the same for their portfolios. Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Partnerships, the Director will lead strategies to maximize institutional investments through the development of six-, and seven-figure commitments with donors and prospects.
Responsibilities:
Lead Generation and Portfolio Management
- Build and steward a portfolio of partnerships generating $1.5M+ in philanthropic revenue annually to support American Humane’s strategic plan through prospecting and cultivation at events and conferences, including vetting inbound opportunities.
- Lead the writing, research and submission of proposals and reports in partnership with Program Managers.
- Craft compelling progress reports and program updates to funders that capture programmatic success and support larger organizational communications to funders.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with foundation funders and community stakeholders.
- Stay current on trends and best practices in institutional giving, including foundation grants, contracts, and impact reporting.
Strategy
- Work with the AVP, Partnerships to execute American Humane’s existing partnership and foundation engagement strategy and devise new ways to recognize and grow corporate and foundation donors.
- Develop and track annual goals, objectives, and specific metrics for the Corporate & Foundation Partnerships team. Create annual work plans and analyze results against goals, adjusting business unit plans as analysis suggests.
Operational Support and Leadership Engagement
- Develop, manage and track annual revenue targets (forecasts and actual) for corporate and foundation revenue; develop and provide regular updates to department leadership.
- Enters new lead and prospect information into the CRM; supports ongoing management and refreshing of CRM data.
- Work collaboratively across functional teams outside the fundraising team including programs, marketing, communications, events, and legal.
- With support from the team, coordinate tracking of deadlines and review process to ensure on-time delivery and accuracy of reports and other materials.
- Represent American Humane by attending and participating in external meetings and events.
- Other duties as assigned by the AVP, Partnerships.
Essential experience, knowledge, skills and abilities:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Six to eight years proven experience in corporate and foundation fundraising and business development.
- Ability to successfully cultivate and solicit and secure six- and seven-figure gifts.
- Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
- Track record of success creating compelling proposals to secure grant funding
- Experience and expertise identifying and qualifying new foundation prospects
- Ability to create and deliver persuasive presentations from scratch.
- Ability to shift gears quickly and manage multiple priorities.
- Able to work well both independently, with minimal supervision, and collaboratively as part of a team.
- Highly skilled at building internal and external relationships.
- Exhibits sound judgement, discretion, diplomacy and professionalism.
- A passion for the American Humane mission and the animals and people we serve.
- Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, especially Teams, Outlook, Word and PowerPoint.
- Experience with donor database management programs, such as Raiser’s Edge or SalesForce.
Direct reports:
- This position has the potential to have direct reports.
Physical demands and work environment:
- Strong preference for candidates based in the Washington, DC region. Option to work a hybrid or fully remote schedule is based on organizational policy, need, and manager discretion.
- Must be able to work from a computer screen and type on a keyboard for extended periods of time as well as talk, hear and exchange information over the telephone, computer and in person.
- Ability to travel, estimated 25%, and work some evenings and weekends.
- Must be comfortable with occasional animals, in particular dogs, in the office or at work-related events.
American Humane’s core values define our workplace, and these values serve as the cornerstone for interactions in advancing our mission and institutional goals. Employees are expected to adhere to all organizational policies and to act as role models, demonstrating American Humane’s core values:
- Compassion – Being kind and caring in our interactions with others.
- Accountability - Holding ourselves to the highest standards. Following through on commitments and owning our actions, behavior, and decisions.
- Respect for All – Being professional, listening to others and honoring diversity in all its forms.
- Loyalty to Mission – Staying focused on our purpose and our mission – our nation’s most vulnerable depend on us.
- Sustainability - Contributing to being a great place to work and achieving our shared mission and goals to make a difference, now and in the future.
- Honesty, Integrity, Trust – Demonstrating transparency, as trusted stewards of donor resources, supporting our leadership and one another.
American Humane Society (AHS) is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to fostering a welcoming, supportive workplace where our work makes a real difference in animals’ lives.
Job Details:
- Title: Director, Foundation Partnerships
- Type: Full-Time
- Location: Hybrid in NW Washington DC
- Compensation: $120,000 - $135,000 annually, depending on experience
