Director, Corporate Partnerships

Special Olympics Illinois • Chicago, IL

1d • $60,000 - $90,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports to Illinois athletes with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Illinois is dedicated to shaping a culture where people with and without intellectual disabilities are fully integrated into the community by providing opportunities in competitive sports, health education, leadership, and personal development. As a part of the Special Olympics Illinois team, you’ll join an energetic and hard-working group of individuals committed to transforming the lives of those we serve. Position Summary The Director, Corporate Partnerships is a strategic leader responsible for driving SOILL’s transition to high-impact, long-term corporate partnerships. This role leads consultative engagement with partners, focusing on growing high-value, multi-year partnerships that support SOILL’s mission and impact storytelling. The Director will proactively secure new partnerships through targeted prospecting and business development strategies.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, nonprofit management, or related field
• 7+ years in nonprofit development, corporate relations, or consultative sales
• Demonstrated success in strategic partnership building, consultative selling, and securing new corporate partnerships
• Experience with CRM systems and prospect research tools
• Strong business development, negotiation, and presentation skills
• Superior relationship-building and interpersonal skills for rapport-building with internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of nonprofit fundraising best practices and various forms of development solicitation practices, including events, corporate partnerships, cause marketing, and major gift solicitation
• Commitment to SOILL’s mission and values
• A continuous learner who is interested in being a proactive, positive member of the team
• First Aid/CPR Training and Certification required or willing to obtain within the first six months; must be able and willing to effectively administer First Aid/CPR on-site during events
• Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance is required
• Offers of employment are contingent upon clear results of a background check

Responsibilities

• Support development of SOILL’s corporate strategy for its key mission pillars (e.g. Sports & Competition, Healthy Athletes, Athlete Leadership, and Youth & Education).
• Partner on the design, launch and implementation of corporate volunteer engagement programs
• Advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in all prospect and partnership activities, ensuring inclusive recruitment and engagement of corporate partners, volunteers, and board members.
• Support fundraising strategies anchored by corporate giving for major initiatives (e.g., Special Olympics USA Games, Unified Leadership).
• Develop and execute a proactive prospecting strategy to identify, research, and engage new corporate partners aligned with SOILL’s mission and strategic priorities
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective partners, utilizing CRM tools and market research to track outreach, cultivation, and conversion
• Set annual targets for new and existing partnerships and report regularly on progress to leadership
• Lead outreach efforts through cold calls, networking events, conferences, LinkedIn, and warm introductions
• Collaborate with grants, marketing, finance and program teams to develop integrated partnership solutions, create compelling pitch materials and customized proposals for prospects and partners.
• Steward existing corporate partners to maximize engagement and impact
• Identify volunteer opportunities for corporations and coordinate with Program Services leads to execute engagements (e.g., Summer Games, volunteer trainings)
• Write and develop comprehensive year-round partnership proposals, collaborating with internal program leaders for mission alignment
• Ensure sponsorship deliverables are met and documented (e.g., signage, event invitations, fulfillment reports)
• Create donor impact reports with key metrics and mission narratives (e.g., social media metrics, athlete stories, stats)
• Identify volunteer leaders for committees and boards; cultivate Corporate Chairs for major events
• Represent SOILL at Lunch & Learns and workplace giving events; present “About Us” and other key presentations
• Manage Leaders Council or other high-level volunteer boards, including strategy, recruitment, engagement, and stewardship
• Plan and execute council meetings and initiatives; serve as main SOILL liaison
• May supervise Assistant Director or Manager, Corporate Partnerships
• Establish and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for new business development, including number of new partners acquired, revenue generated, and pipeline growth
• Maintain accurate records of prospecting activity and outcomes in Salesforce (or other CRM)
• Regularly analyze market trends in corporate giving, CSR and partnership models and competitor activity to inform prospecting strategy
• Additional responsibilities as assigned based on evolving corporate strategy

Benefits

• This full-time position includes an excellent compensation and benefits package including health, dental, vision, life, voluntary disability insurance, a retirement savings plan with company match, generous paid time off benefits, and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director