Institutional Giving Manager

Mikva Challenge•Chicago, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Senior Director of Institutional Giving, the Institutional Giving Manager plays a key role in securing and stewarding foundation, corporate, and government support for the organization. The Institutional Giving Manager’s primary focus is grant development, management and related compliance. We are seeking an accomplished grant writer and storyteller who can translate Mikva’s mission, programs, outcomes, and funding needs into compelling proposals, reports, and funder communications. As an integral part of the Advancement team, the Institutional Giving Manager supports annual development planning and contributes to the overall fundraising team’s goals. The Manager oversees an assigned portfolio of institutional funders and coordinates cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal efforts, including funder meetings and site visits. This role partners closely with program, finance, evaluation, and communications colleagues and consultants to manage deadlines and deliverables, strengthen funder relationships, and contribute to the organization's broader institutional fundraising strategy and revenue goals. OFFICE LOCATION This is a hybrid position, working both in the office and remotely, engaging with staff and stakeholders through virtual platforms. Candidates must be based in Chicago, IL or the Washington, D.C metropolitan area. This position is not eligible for paid relocation. SCHEDULE: Full-time REPORTS TO: Senior Director of Institutional Giving TRAVEL: Up to 10% travel may be required to attend meetings, events, or for other business related needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Minimum of four to six years of fundraising experience with responsibility for grant writing and management.
Experience managing foundation grants is required; corporate and government fundraising experience is strongly preferred.
Passion for working with a mission-driven youth leadership non-profit.
Experience applying fundraising best practices in a not-for-profit setting; experience with a national non-profit is a plus.
Demonstrated success writing clear, persuasive, and high quality grant proposals and reports. Candidates should be prepared to provide writing materials during the recruitment process.
Strong storytelling skills and the ability to translate program data into compelling cases for support.
Demonstrated knowledge of grant management practices and experience managing the full grant lifecycle.
Understanding of prospect cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal processes.
Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and a proven ability to create and foster meaningful connections between donors and the organization.
Strong verbal communication skills and the ability to represent the organization’s mission, programs, goals, and impact to a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders.
Strong project management, organization, attention to details, and problem solving abilities.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, anticipate needs, meet deadlines, and maintain timely follow through in a fast-paced environment.
Self-motivated with strong follow-through and task completion skills.
Ability to work independently, collaborate across teams, and report to multiple stakeholders in a remote environment.
Ability to adapt to different work styles, behaviors, and team dynamics while maintaining effective collaboration.
Proactive, creative thinker who takes initiative.
Familiarity with current issues and trends in education and youth programming, and with the philanthropic landscape supporting our work.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft and Google Workspace.
Experience with Salesforce, or similar donor database platforms.
Willingness to work periodic evenings and weekends, as needed.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute the development and timely submission of high quality grant materials, including letters of inquiry, proposals, reports, and funder presentations.
Collaborate with cross-departmental staff to gather program updates and ensure accurate grant reporting.
Ensure compliance with all funder and government grant compliance requirements, including tracking deadlines, site visits, and regular program updates.
Provide writing support for development initiatives, including donor acknowledgements, stewardship, cultivation, and funding requests as needed.
Collaborate with communications staff and consultants to create compelling fundraising materials.
Manage a continuous pipeline of funders to achieve portfolio development and revenue goals.
Represent Mikva Challenge by effectively communicating our mission, theory of change, and programs to external and internal stakeholders.
Work across teams to support effective relationship management with stakeholders and funders, including participation in Mikva’s programming and events.
Support corporate sponsorship efforts by attending event planning meetings, tracking outreach, preparing leadership for engagement, and making direct solicitations.
Maintain accurate donor records in the donor database and shared systems.
Research, identify, and prioritize potential funding opportunities, including outreach to prospective funders, in collaboration with the Senior Director of Institutional Giving and Advancement team.
Contribute to developing the annual fundraising strategy and assist in setting and achieving annual revenue goals.
Other duties as assigned.