Director of Institutional Partnerships

Position: Director of Institutional Partnerships

Reports To: Vice President of Development

Preferred Locations: Minneapolis, Nashville, Dallas, or NYC

Remote with Travel

Soles4Souls Mission: Soles4Souls turns shoes and clothing into educational and economic opportunities.

Our CORE values: Transparency, Entrepreneurial, Accountable, Meaningful – represent who we are!

Summary: The Director of Institutional Partnerships is a senior frontline fundraiser with a singular mandate: secure and grow significant corporate and foundation support for the organization. This role is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of institutional funders capable of making six- and seven-figure gifts. The Director spends the majority of their time externally — meeting with foundation officers, building corporate partnerships, attending sector events, and closing gifts. Working cross-departmentally, this leader collaborates closely with marketing, business development, program, and finance teams to identify funding opportunities, align messaging, and ensure funder commitments are met. This is not a grant or proposal-writing role; it is a relationship-driven, results-first position for a proven institutional fundraiser with a documented track record of closing major gifts and growing institutional revenue year over year.

Primary Responsibilities:

Frontline Fundraising & Portfolio Management

• Build and manage an institutional giving portfolio, starting with an initial base of 5 partners and growing to 25–50 active corporate and foundation partners at the six- and seven-figure gift level; own the full funding relationship lifecycle from identification through renewal.

• Drive all phases of the fundraising cycle—prospect identification, research, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship — with a focus on closing gifts and growing the portfolio.

• Set and consistently meet or exceed annual institutional revenue goals; track and report on pipeline activity, revenue projections, and closed gifts regularly.

• Maintain complete and accurate records of all prospect activity, proposals, correspondence, and meetings in the CRM.

Multi-Year Institutional Giving Strategy

• Partner with senior leadership to develop, own, and execute a comprehensive multi-year institutional giving strategy that spans general operating, programmatic, and special project funding.

• Set annual institutional giving goals in collaboration with the VP of Development and other senior leaders; contribute institutional giving projections to the organization’s overall development planning.

• Grow the institutional portfolio year over year by aggressively prospecting new funders while deepening investment from existing partners through multi-year funding strategies.

• Provide regular pipeline reports and revenue forecasts to the VP of Development; contribute to annual budgeting for institutional giving.

Corporate Partnership Development

• Proactively identify and pursue new corporate funding relationships outside of the footwear and apparel industries, including multi-year philanthropic partnerships.

• Negotiate funding agreements and partnership terms; develop compelling proposals and presentations that communicate organizational impact and value.

• Stay current on corporate social responsibility (CSR) trends and corporate philanthropic priorities to identify alignment opportunities.

• Collaborate with the communications team to ensure corporate partners receive timely, compelling impact reports and recognition that deepens their investment.

Foundation Relations

• Develop and maintain deep trust-based relationships with foundation program officers and decision-makers at the regional and national level.

• Lead strategy and outreach for major foundation solicitations; identify emerging foundations and new funding priorities aligned with organizational programs.

• Coordinate with program and finance staff on proposal development, grant budgets, compliance, and reporting to ensure all funder requirements are met on time.

• Actively research institutional sources of funding and emerging philanthropic trends to continuously surface new opportunities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work cross-departmentally to identify funding opportunities that align with organizational programs and priorities.

• Collaborate closely with the Community Partnerships team, whose members secure local and regional corporate and foundation support, to identify national escalation opportunities, converting existing relationships from regional to enterprise-level partnerships.

• Collaborate closely with the Major Gifts team to align donor strategy, avoid overlapping, and identify prospects who may have both personal and institutional philanthropic capacity.

• Partner with the Marketing team on funder-facing materials, impact reports, and storytelling that supports cultivation and stewardship efforts.

Qualifications:

• More than 5 years of progressively responsible institutional fundraising experience, with a clear, documented record of closing six- and seven-figure gifts from corporations and/or foundations.

• Results-oriented, frontline fundraiser, candidates should be prepared to speak specifically to gifts closed, revenue goals met, and portfolio growth achieved.

• Demonstrated experience developing or contributing to a multi-year institutional giving strategy at an organizational level.

• Exceptional relationship-building skills; able to engage and influence C-suite executives, foundation leadership, and program officers with credibility and confidence.

• Knowledge of CSR trends, foundation grantmaking processes, and best practices in corporate and foundation fundraising.

• Experience with prospect research tools such as Instrumentl, iWave, or LinkedIn Navigator.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to develop compelling proposals and synthesize organizational priorities persuasively.

• Strategic, self-directed, and highly accountable; able to manage a large portfolio and multiple deadlines with minimal supervision.

• Live Soles4Souls’ values – TEAM – Transparent, Entrepreneurial, Accountable, Meaningful

• Bachelor’s degree required.

Not required but a plus:

• Experience with government funding sources (federal, state, or municipal grants); candidates with this background are encouraged to highlight it, though it is not a primary focus of this role.

• International institutional giving experience, particularly with global foundations or multinational corporate partners.

IF APPLICABLE: Physical Demands:

There may be times when you are working at our warehouse or in a capacity outside of your physical office space. Please note that these physical requirements are not exhaustive, and Soles4Souls may add additional job-related physical demands to these if the need arises:

• Lifting: The ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds if necessary.

• Standing: Must be able to stand for extended periods of time.

• Sitting: Sit for long periods while working at a desk or computer.

• Walking: Walk or move around the work area as needed.

• Bending and Stooping: Occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, or crouch to access equipment or perform tasks.

• Reaching: Reach overhead, horizontally, and down to access materials or equipment.

• Vision: Must have clear vision, including close vision, distance vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

• Hearing: Hear and communicate effectively in person and over the phone.

• Manual Dexterity: Use hands and fingers to handle, feel, or operate objects, tools, or controls.

• Repetitive Motion: Perform repetitive tasks, such as data entry, for extended periods of time.

• Work Environment: Be able to work in various environments, including indoor and outdoor settings, and be exposed to varying weather conditions if applicable.

Compensation: Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including skills, depth of work experience and relevant licenses/credentials. Benefits include medical insurance with 80% employer coverage, HRA account, 100% dental insurance & vision coverage, long-term disability, life, 401K with up to 6% employer match, professional development benefits, open FTO and paid parental leave.

Salary $85K-$100K

S4S is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourages applications from candidates of color and other diverse backgrounds.