Director of Foundation Relations

Aug 9

DC-CAP
Washington, DC

Anticipated Start Date: Sep 15

Description

The Director of Foundation Relations will be responsible for developing and executing plans to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation funders to advance DC-CAP’s mission. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director will lead strategies to maximize institutional investments in support of DC-CAP’s programming through the development of major multi-year commitments with donors and prospects.

The Director of Foundation Relations will join DC-CAP at an exciting inflection point. Our demonstrated best practices and industry-leading student persistence results are leading to increased investment from foundations.

With excellent fundraising opportunities already lined up for FY25, we are seeking an experienced foundation relations professional to deepen our engagement and relationships with current and potential funders, and to collaborate with our stellar programs and data teams to craft compelling proposals and increase philanthropic support. This person will have ample support from the executive office and will work closely with the CEO to cultivate top foundation prospects.

Responsibilities

In collaboration with the team, manage existing pipeline of donors toward a $2.5M FY25 foundation fundraising goal.
Grow the pipeline of donors by identifying, prioritizing, qualifying, and cultivating prospective funders and partners
Collaborate with the programmatic and data teams to create unique and compelling funding opportunities, cases for support, and proposals in alignment with funder priorities and DCCAP initiatives
Lead the writing, research and submission of proposals and reports in partnership with programmatic team members
Craft compelling progress reports and targeted program updates to funders that capture programmatic success and support larger organizational communications to funders
Build and maintain positive relationships with foundation funders and community stakeholders
With support from the team, coordinate tracking of deadlines and review process to ensure on-time delivery and accuracy of reports and other materials
Work closely with the Chief Development Officer to engage the Leadership Team and Board of Directors to identify and cultivate prospective institutional investors
Work with Chief Development Officer to build, maintain, coordinate, and evaluate internal systems to support an organizational culture of philanthropy and accountability

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required in any field of study
5-7 years of experience in nonprofit development with responsibility for securing funds from institutional investors
Track record of success creating compelling proposals to secure grant funding
Experience and expertise identifying and qualifying new foundation prospects
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
Excellent relationship-building skills
Capacity to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines
Facility with donor databases and/or CRMs; experience with SalesForce or Raiser’s Edge preferred
Passion for helping students to complete college

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

$125,000 - $145,000

Benefits

Full time employees of DC-CAP are eligible for benefits, including the following:

403(b) plan with organization match.
Medical & Vision Insurance. DC-CAP covers 75% of the premium.
Generous PTO policy that includes February, Spring, Winter breaks, and a week-long holiday break for July 4th holiday.
Professional development and tuition reimbursement.
12 Week Family Leave Policy.

EEO Statement

DC-CAP is committed to ensuring an environment free from discrimination and an equal employment opportunity. As such, employment decisions at DC-CAP are based on merit, qualifications, experience, and skillset. DC-CAP does not discriminate in employment opportunities and practices based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, and any other characteristics. DC-CAP will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship.

How to Apply for this Job

Please submit your resume and a personalized cover letter to jobs@dccap.org.

In your cover letter, please describe your professional journey, and why this feels like the right role for you today. Please include a personal story about a professional challenge that required you to demonstrate some of the traits described above.

We want to encourage people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to apply, and we want to provide space for you to make your case even if you don’t have every experience described in this job description. Single page cover letters are acceptable, but please do not feel artificially limited to a single page letter.

About the Organization

Established in the Fall of 1999 by major Washington-area corporations and foundations, DC-CAP is a privately-funded nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging and enabling DC public high school students to enroll in and graduate from college.

DC-CAP is unique from other college access programs around the country for two reasons. First, every DC public and public charter high school student is eligible for DC-CAP services, regardless of academic history, grade point average, family income, citizenship status, ethnicity, special education eligibility, delinquency or juvenile criminal history. Unlike other programs, DC-CAP believes in an expansive approach to college access. Whereas many other programs set criteria that disqualify students from participation, the principle operating philosophy at DC-CAP is that every single high school student has the right to an opportunity to improve their quality of life through a college education. The second unique feature of DC-CAP is that we continue to support the students for up to five years after high school graduation so that they have the best chance of completing their education.

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