Senior Corporate Partnerships Director

City Year helps students and schools succeed, while preparing the next generation of civically engaged leaders who can work across lines of difference. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide support to students, classrooms and the whole school. Schools that partner with City Year are up to two to three times more likely to improve in English and math assessments, and the more time students spend with AmeriCorps members, the more they improve on social, emotional and academic skills— skills that help students thrive in school and contribute to their community.

City Year’s 900 staff and 3,000 AmeriCorps members work and serve in 29 communities across the U.S., including Boston (where City Year was founded in 1988 and is headquartered), Baton Rouge, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Hampshire, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Providence, Sacramento, San Antonio, San José/Silicon Valley, Seattle/King County, Tulsa and Washington, D.C. City Year also has international affiliates in the U.K. and South Africa.

A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by AmeriCorps, local school districts and private philanthropy. City Year has been designated a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator since 2003, putting City Year in the top 1% of non-profits nationwide for accountability, transparency and responsible fiscal management, and placing City Year among the most trustworthy nonprofits in America.

As a member of the Development team, the Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships will lead a revenue stream that currently contributes approximately $2M in funding from companies and corporate foundations towards the wider Development Team’s $8M annual fundraising goal. Reporting to the Managing Director of Development, and with the support of the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships, this role is responsible for developing and executing an annual fundraising strategy to sustain and increase support from both existing and new corporate partners. This position plays a pivotal role in building and nurturing dynamic mutually beneficial relationships aligned both with our partners’ and our organization’s goals.

This person will be an effective relationship builder and storyteller who can bring our work to life through captivating presentations, proposals, targeted and compelling communications, as well as excellent negotiation, and relational skills. They will be a creative fundraiser passionate about social justice, able both to leverage existing City Year relationships and effectively build a robust and viable pipeline for new business through network mapping and prospect research. They will develop a tailored donor engagement approach that builds genuine connection and alignment. Their strategic and targeted outreach will inspire corporate partners to invest financial resources, in-kind donations, and their expertise.

This position is ideal for an entrepreneurial leader with proven fundraising/business development experience who is looking to take the next step to grow their skills and impact at a large national non-profit. The ideal candidate is an initiative-taking problem solver and strategic thinker that is committed to helping advance equity in education by developing leaders and supporting students in Los Angeles’ most under-resourced schools.

City Year values and continuously works to build an equitable and inclusive culture where people with diverse lived experiences feel they belong.

Compensation: $85,000– $97,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Corporate Revenue Strategy

• Develop a strategic plan to identify existing corporate partners with the capacity to increase their giving.

• Develop a strategic plan to prioritize new business acquisition through targeted prospect identification, qualification, and outreach, setting targets and using metrics to track progress and inform strategy.

• Create and adapt a variety of potential partnership opportunities, including benefits and engagement concepts that align with our program and goals.

• Oversee engagement strategy of existing Team and Program Sponsorships, delegating as appropriate.

• Effectively and strategically define portfolios for the Corporate Partnerships team ensuring a healthy distribution of prospective and current corporate partners at all stages of the moves management pipeline.

• Track and report on the progress and impact of corporate partnerships, providing regular updates to leadership and stakeholders.

• Analyze partnership outcomes and use data to refine strategies and optimize future partnerships.

• Proactively cultivate a network of corporate fundraisers in peer organizations to remain apprised of best practice and share and develop tips and new ideas for engagement and donor acquisition.

New Corporate Sponsorship Cultivation

• Identify, engage, and cultivate a pipeline of corporate prospects that can make annual and multiyear investments at the $25,000+ level with an emphasis on the $100,000 “team sponsor” level.

• Oversee the Associate Director of Corporate Development in ongoing research to identify potential corporate funders and develop outreach plans for promising opportunities.

• Create tailored proposals and leverage senior leadership, Board Members, and other external champions to identify, connect with, and secure new mutually beneficial partnerships.

Existing Partner Management

• In collaboration with the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships, devise and execute strategies to steward existing corporate sponsorships through consistent & thoughtful stakeholder engagement.

• Oversee Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships, in renewing funding and participation in corporate Service Days.

• Strategize and pitch customized partnership opportunities to renew and increase gifts.

• Oversee writing, submission, and management of corporate grant proposals and reports.

Events & Donor Recognition:

• Support revenue generation for annual fundraising events by targeting corporate sponsorship and donations, working with the Managing Director of Development, site leadership, and the Board Development Committee.

• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Fundraising Events and other frontline fundraisers to leverage events to increase corporate giving.

• Maintain accurate records and donor information in Salesforce tracking cultivation and stewardship activities and progress to goals.

• Ensuring existing and new corporate partners and donors are added to mailing lists and campaigns.

• Regularly monitor progress and follow up to ensure timely collection of gifts to meet quarterly goals.

Staff Management and Site Leadership

• Build and maintain strong relationships with direct report and colleagues by creating an environment of open two-way communication and curiosity.

• Mentor, coach, and support the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships, in their professional growth, empowering them to contribute meaningfully and independently to the revenue stream goal and the fundraising team overall.

• Ensure professional accountability with the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships, by creating and communicating clear expectations, holding at-least weekly check-ins, and formal performance reviews.

• Serve as a department and site leader supporting cross-team collaboration and site success.

• Actively contribute as Leadership team member and support our ongoing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging work.

• Partner with all City Year Los Angeles departments through site events, projects, and cross-departmental committees as needed to ensure site-wide goals are met.

Key Competencies: In order to succeed in this role, an applicant must have the following competencies:

• External Relationship Development: takes initiative in establishing new partnerships and external opportunities; ability to secure new commitments to organization; strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills in one-on-one and large group settings.

• Strategic Thinking and Planning: develops and translates strategies into action plans that build the capacity of the site/department; creative out-of-the-box thinker.

• Executes to Results: takes initiative, produces high quality work, prioritizes appropriately, and accepts accountability; delegates responsibilities and holds others accountable.

• Communication: Ability to communicate mission and vision to diverse audiences using creative storytelling to connect to individual/corporate passions and purpose; clearly articulates information and ideas orally and in writing.

• Desire to learn: City Year has a unique service model and organizational culture. Successful applicants will have strong experience and a proven track record of success in the above areas and must also be willing and eager to continue to learn.

Qualifications:

We listed what we see as key qualifications to succeed in the role. You don’t have to satisfy every requirement listed. If you have transferable skills and are excited about this role, please apply!

• 6-8 years of non-profit fundraising, business development, and/or partnership management experience. Demonstrated success in cultivating and managing corporate relationships is highly desirable.

• Proven presentation, negotiation, and liaison skills are required.

• Strong written and oral communication skills, especially marketing and sponsorship communications.

• Strong understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and cause-marketing principles.

• Ability to meet deadlines, plan ahead, and balance multiple high-profile partner priorities simultaneously.

• Strong collaborator and individual contributor that can adapt their style to a diverse range of industries and stakeholders.

• Flexibility to meet sudden and unpredictable partnership needs and availability to attend partner engagements that may be outside of standard working hours.

• Passion for service and the City Year mission.

• City Year/AmeriCorps experience a plus.

• Familiarity with Salesforce a plus.