Director, Institutional Giving & Partnerships

Museum Core•Indianapolis, IN

About The Position

The Director, Institutional Giving & Partnerships develops and leads the comprehensive strategy for securing and sustaining philanthropic support from corporations, foundations, government entities, and other institutional partners for The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. As a member of the Advancement leadership team, the director is accountable for institutional contributed-revenue goals across annual, programmatic, campaign, capital, and other museum priorities. The role combines strategic fundraising leadership with active frontline fundraising, including management of a portfolio of high-value institutional prospects and partners and leadership of staff responsible for corporate partnerships, foundations, and government relations. The director builds a diversified institutional pipeline and advances relationships beyond transactional sponsorships and grants toward deeper, multi-year philanthropic partnerships aligned with shared priorities. The director collaborates with Annual Giving and Donor Engagement on recognition, stewardship experiences, and events, and with Advancement Strategy and Campaign Operations on prospect intelligence, pipeline standards, forecasting, campaign coordination, CRM practices, and reporting. The role also works across museum departments to align funding opportunities with organizational priorities and represents the museum to institutional funders, corporate and civic leaders, and philanthropic partners. The Children’s Museum is building and sustaining an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates differences. The museum believes collaboration and open dialogue among people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives best support its vision and mission.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Five years of fundraising management experience, including demonstrated success securing significant institutional philanthropic support; corporate and foundation relations experience preferred.
Three years of people management experience, with demonstrated ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold professional fundraising staff accountable for measurable results.
Demonstrated expertise in institutional philanthropy, including corporate partnerships, foundation and government relations, significant proposal strategy, grants management, stewardship, and multi-year relationship development.
Proven ability to personally cultivate, solicit, negotiate, and secure significant gifts or commitments from corporations, foundations, government entities, and other institutional partners.
Experience establishing and managing revenue goals, prospect pipelines, portfolios, forecasts, and fundraising performance measures using CRM systems, data, and analytics.
Highly self-directed, with strong initiative, discernment, problem-solving, and negotiation skills, and ability to manage competing priorities and consistently achieve individual and team goals.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including ability to translate complex museum priorities into compelling institutional funding opportunities and proposals.
Demonstrated knowledge of fundraising principles, ethics, and practices and ability to distinguish philanthropic support from sponsorship, marketing, and other corporate relationships appropriately.
Values diversity and inclusion and promotes diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion activities; maintains a professional demeanor through inclusive language, tact, and sensitivity.
Proven proficiency with and ability to learn and use fundraising CRM, database, forecasting, reporting, and productivity software platforms.
Ability to perceive space, read documents and reports, and view a computer monitor.
Ability to communicate in person, virtually, and by telephone in one-on-one and group settings, including planning and executing projects and presenting ideas.
Ability to lift objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
Ability to remain stationary for extended periods and regularly traverse the campus and grounds.
Ability to navigate local and regional travel to engage institutional partners and funders.

Nice To Haves

Fundraising management experience in corporate and foundation relations.
Experience working with nonprofit boards, senior leaders, donors, funders, volunteers, program staff, and cross-functional teams as fundraising partners and resources.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a comprehensive institutional giving strategy for corporations, private and community foundations, government funders, and other institutional sources.
Establish annual and multi-year revenue goals, work plans, pipeline targets, and performance measures; lead forecasting; identify risks and opportunities; and ensure institutional contributed-revenue goals are achieved.
Personally manage a portfolio of high-level institutional prospects and partners, developing cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies and directly soliciting significant institutional gifts.
Build and sustain relationships with corporate executives, foundation leaders, community partners, government representatives, and other decision-makers.
Lead corporate philanthropy and partnership strategy, including acquisition, renewal, upgrades, and multi-year commitments.
Develop customized partnership plans balancing philanthropic support, mission alignment, audience and employee engagement, and community impact, while distinguishing philanthropy from sponsorship, marketing, and other engagement.
Lead private, community, and family foundation and government funding strategies; assess strategic fit, likelihood of success, potential revenue, reporting requirements, and organizational capacity; and guide significant proposals and funding requests.
Build and maintain robust, diversified donor and partner prospect pipelines sufficient to achieve annual and campaign goals.
Lead the direct-report team in coordinating with data analytics and research colleagues to identify and qualify prospects, establish portfolio assignments, conduct regular pipeline reviews, and maintain accurate data.
Coordinate fundraising strategies with Individual Giving when relationships intersect.
Lead corporate and foundation fundraising strategy for museum campaigns and major strategic initiatives, including developing pipelines, identifying significant and multi-year opportunities, coordinating solicitations, and appropriately engaging museum leadership, Board members, and volunteers.
Establish prospect standards and priorities for foundation and corporation proposal development, grants management, reporting, recognition, and stewardship.
Partner with advancement, programs, and finance colleagues to ensure proposals and budgets are accurate, commitments are tracked and fulfilled, and funders receive timely, compelling impact reporting as appropriate.
Maintain accurate contributed-revenue forecasts and monitor performance indicators, including revenue secured, pipeline value, proposals and solicitations, renewal and upgrade rates, new partners, multi-year commitments, and portfolio movement.
Use data and performance information to prioritize resources, identify variances, coach staff, and adjust strategies.
Serve as an active member of the Advancement leadership team and support colleagues across the museum in aligning funding opportunities with strategic, infrastructure, programming, event, community, and other organizational priorities.
Coordinate comprehensive corporate, foundation, and partner relationship approaches and help colleagues participate effectively in funder relationships.
Lead, coach, and support direct-report staff responsible for corporate partnerships and foundation and government relations; establish goals, portfolio expectations, performance measures, and accountability.
Manage budgets, consultants, vendors, and other institutional fundraising resources.
Represent the museum externally and strategically engage the President and CEO, Vice President of Advancement, Board members, museum leaders, and volunteers in institutional relationships.