Assistant Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

James Madison University•Harrisonburg, VA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations is a member of the Philanthropy and Engagement division. The Assistant Director reports to the Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations. All duties are carried out in accordance with the policies and procedures of Philanthropy and Engagement, the Development Office, and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations. The Assistant Director advances philanthropic support from private foundations and corporate giving programs by developing and managing a strategic pipeline of funding opportunities aligned with JMU’s strategic priorities. This role leads proposal development, manages charitable sponsorship opportunities, and supports faculty and campus partners in pursuing external funding. The Assistant Director serves as a key connector between campus priorities and funder interests, translating university strengths into compelling philanthropic opportunities and ensuring charitable sponsorships are properly qualified, documented, and stewarded. This position participates actively in the Corporate Partnership Hub engagement team model, ensuring philanthropic sponsorship opportunities are integrated into broader institutional partnership strategies. The position plays a central role in expanding JMU’s philanthropic sponsorship portfolio and driving revenue growth through private philanthropic sources.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
2–4+ years of experience in advancement, fundraising, grant writing, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience in proposal development and/or philanthropic funding.
Strong writing, communication, and project management skills.
Ability to translate complex academic or programmatic concepts into compelling narratives.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and in compliance with institutional data privacy standards.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively, with demonstrated flexibility in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education advancement.
Familiarity with private foundation and corporate giving landscapes.
Experience working with faculty or academic stakeholders.
Knowledge of distinctions between philanthropic funding and sponsored research.
Familiarity with Affinaquest (Salesforce) or similar CRM systems.
Experience with charitable sponsorship agreements or gift documentation.

Responsibilities

Lead primary drafting of high-quality proposals to foundation and corporate funders; coordinate with faculty and unit staff to gather program data, budgets, and outcomes; submit to the Associate Director for editorial review and approval.
Translate academic and programmatic priorities into compelling, funder-aligned proposals and sponsorship opportunities.
Advise faculty on expectations, timelines, and distinctions between philanthropic and sponsored funding.
Maintain contact with funders during the review process; respond to requests for additional information.
Submit templates, institutional boilerplate, and impact data to the Operations & Systems Manager for inclusion in the shared proposal content library.
Co-facilitate faculty workshops and office hours with the Associate Director; draft written guides and proposal resources for campus partner use.
Serve as a key and recurring contributor within the Corporate Partnership Hub engagement team model, representing philanthropic sponsorship opportunities and ensuring alignment between campus initiatives and external funding strategies.
Develop repeatable philanthropic sponsorship frameworks and models (e.g., programmatic funding, initiative-based support, multi-year partnerships) for scaling across campus.
Maintain and apply the team’s charitable sponsorship qualification framework to distinguish philanthropic gifts from sponsorship/exchange transactions; serve as team resource for campus partners on this distinction.
Manage all charitable sponsorship agreements, ensuring appropriate review and approval by the Senior Director and JMU Foundation.
Prepare charitable sponsorship agreements, pledge invoices, and all partner-facing communication for corporate contacts on behalf of faculty.
Meet with campus partners interested in pursuing corporate sponsorship; qualify opportunities and direct campus partners to the appropriate CFR team member.
Leverage technology, including digital research and drafting tools, to increase the quality and efficiency of sponsorship development, corporate outreach, and proposal production.
Develop and maintain a structured pipeline of private foundation and corporate philanthropic sponsorship opportunities, tracking prospects through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship stages.
Partner with colleges, units, and institutional leadership to surface high-impact initiatives that can be positioned for philanthropic sponsorship investment.
Partner with the Office of Prospect Development to identify and qualify new corporate sponsorship prospects aligned with institutional priorities, incorporating findings into pipeline strategy and outreach.
Ensure all assigned opportunities are accurately recorded and up to date in Affinaquest (Salesforce) and the Corporate Partnership Hub, in coordination with the Operations & Systems Manager.
Regularly evaluate the health and movement of the philanthropic sponsorship pipeline; flag stalled prospects and gaps to the Senior Director.
Use pipeline data to inform outreach priorities, proposal sequencing, and sponsorship framework development.
Partner with the Operations & Systems Manager to ensure pipeline reporting reflects accurate sponsorship activity and contributes to team reporting.
Lead stewardship and reporting for foundation and corporate gifts, ensuring all gifts are properly acknowledged, accounted for, and stewarded per donor intent and institutional policy, in coordination with the JMU Foundation as appropriate.
Manage the funder reporting process, including compiling outcome data, drafting narrative reports, and meeting deadlines.
Build and maintain a renewal strategy for private foundation and corporate partners; proactively identify upgrade and multi-year partnership opportunities in coordination with the CFR team.
Coordinate stewardship and impact reporting for Madison Trust donors in partnership with the Associate Director.
Track activity in Affinaquest (Salesforce), ensuring accurate and up-to-date records for assigned proposals, sponsorships, and stewardship activities.
Attend and contribute to CFR team meetings, pipeline reviews, and planning processes.
Support the Associate Director and Senior Director on special projects and institutional priorities as directed.