Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations
About The Position
The Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations is a key member of the Division of University Advancement at Prairie View A&M University. The role develops, manages, and strengthens strategic relationships with corporations, private foundations, and other institutional funding partners. The Director manages a portfolio of prospective, current, and lapsed donors through the full fundraising cycle, from prospect identification and cultivation to proposal development, solicitation, stewardship, and long-term engagement. Working collaboratively with university leadership, academic units, research centers, program partners, and advancement colleagues, the Director aligns institutional priorities with external funding opportunities. The position supports fundraising for areas such as scholarships, academic programs, research, student success, workforce development, and special projects, and represents University Advancement in interactions with internal and external stakeholders. Salary is commensurate with education and experience within the assigned salary range.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
- Ten years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, corporate relations, foundation relations, grant development, sponsored projects, advancement, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated experience managing donor, funder, or external partner relationships.
- Experience developing proposals, funding requests, stewardship materials, or strategic partnership documents.
- Strong knowledge of corporate and foundation fundraising practices, institutional giving trends, and relationship-based advancement strategies.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with various audiences.
- Ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling funding opportunities for external partners.
- Strong project management, organizational, and follow-through skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Ability to work collaboratively and diplomatically with senior leaders, faculty, staff, donors, volunteers, and external partners.
- Proficiency with Office 365 applications and donor, customer relationship management, or advancement database systems.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism when handling sensitive donor and institutional information.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in business, communications, public administration, nonprofit management, higher education, or a related field.
- Experience working in higher education, especially in university advancement, development, sponsored programs, or external relations.
- Experience working with senior leaders, including a president, chancellor, chief executive officer, board member, or similar executive-level office.
- Successful track record of securing corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, institutional gifts, or strategic philanthropic partnerships.
- Experience supporting fundraising priorities related to student success, academic programs, research, workforce development, or community engagement.
Responsibilities
- Manage and grow a portfolio of corporate and foundation prospects and donors, serving as the primary relationship manager for assigned accounts.
- Develop and implement strategies for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding corporate and foundation partners, including proposal submission.
- Collaborate with colleges, schools, departments, research centers, and administrative units to identify fundable priorities and prepare cases for support.
- Write, coordinate, and support proposals, concept papers, grant requests, sponsorship packages, briefing materials, and stewardship reports.
- Maintain strategic moves management plans for assigned prospects and donors, ensuring timely follow-up, documentation, and progress through the donor engagement cycle.
- Seek corporate and foundation funding opportunities aligned with university priorities, including scholarships, academic programs, research, student success initiatives, workforce development, and special projects.
- Support senior leadership in corporate and foundation cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
- Coordinate donor engagement strategies, campus visits, recognition opportunities, events, and communications with advancement colleagues.
- Track donor interactions, proposal activity, commitments, and stewardship actions using advancement database systems and reporting tools.
- Represent the Division of University Advancement in meetings with external partners, internal stakeholders, and university leadership.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
