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Director, Foundation and Corporate Relations
Director, Foundation and Corporate Relations
Summary
The primary purpose of the Director of Foundation & Corporate Relations (FCR) is to promote and support the mission of Philanthropy through seeking foundation and corporate foundation dollars. Reporting to the Associate Vice President (AVP), Foundation & Corporate Relations, the Director will be a seasoned leader excited about building outreach, expanding the portfolio for foundation giving as part of MD Anderson’s upcoming campaign, and maximizing philanthropic support through grants.
The Director will manage a portfolio of independent, institutional foundations and corporate foundations, and be MD Anderson’s representative at external meetings, orchestrating a team-based approach with faculty leaders and other members of Philanthropy, as appropriate. The Director will establish and maintain timely and effective communication with institutional, high-asset foundations and corporate foundations, and strategically positioning our institutional priorities and research projects in front of aligned foundations and corporate foundations.
The scope of the position includes: a) working with faculty, executive leadership and colleagues, as appropriate, on developing strategy for investigation, approach and solicitation for foundations; b) conducting research to identify alignment of a foundation’s funding interest to that of MD Anderson’s priorities and funding needs—with a special focus on foundations that fund basic, translational and clinical research; c) understanding MD Anderson’s policies related to gifts, grants, sponsorships, sponsored research, corporate alliances, etc., to converse confidently with funding bodies on various channels of potential partnership; d) developing high-quality presentations and proposals to potential supporters, and e) working closely with team and colleagues on improving standards for reporting on foundation and grant relations’ activities and results.
Ideal Candidate Statement
The ideal candidate is a seasoned fundraising professional with a proven ability to secure significant foundation and corporate support for research and institutional priorities. They excel at developing and executing strategic engagement plans, building trusted relationships with various stakeholders, and influencing decisions through strong communication and critical evaluation skills. With deep knowledge of grant-making processes, medical terminology, and institutional policies, this individual combines analytical rigor with creativity to align donor interests with organizational goals. They are highly collaborative, results-driven, and experienced in managing complex portfolios and multi-million-dollar grants, while demonstrating leadership in mentoring staff and fostering cross-functional partnerships. Adaptable and professional, they thrive in a fast-paced, campaign-driven environment and uphold the institution’s core values in every interaction.
Minimum: $146,500 | Midpoint: $183,000 | Maximum: $219,500
MD Anderson offers our employees:
- Paid employee medical benefits (zero premium) starting on first day for employees who work 30 or more hours per week
- Group Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D and Disability coverage
- Paid time off (PTO) and Extended Illness Bank (EIB) paid leave accruals
- Paid institutional holidays, wellness leave, childcare leave, and other paid leave programs
- Tuition Assistance Program after six months of service
- Teachers Retirement System defined-benefit pension plan and two voluntary retirement plans
- Employer paid life, AD&D and an illness-related reduced salary pay program
- Extensive wellness, recognition, fitness, employee health programs and employee resource groups.
JOB SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES
Consultation with Critical Evaluation (40%)
Provide guidance to internal and external stakeholders utilizing subject matter expertise. Use critical evaluation skills to interpret information and make business decisions and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders.
Collaborate with the AVP of Foundation and Corporate Relations, and/or the SVP/Chief Philanthropy Officer to create investigation, approach and solicitation strategies for assigned targeted foundations and corporations. Engagement activities with these prospects—whether in the investigation, solicitation or stewardship phases—could be through calls, virtual meetings or in-person visits.
Develop a broad and deep understanding of current fundraising priorities across the institution, as outlined by the President, the Executive Leadership and Chief Scientific Officer, or as envisioned as part of MD Anderson’s Strategy that is enterprise wide.
Collaborate with the FCR team and other stakeholders and faculty leaders across the institution on targeted top-tier foundations and corporate foundations: creating an annual plan for each assigned foundation based on strategy that includes key leadership champion/s and volunteer/board connections; step-wise engagement scheme; thoughtful solicitation at the right time; and continuation of stewardship for deeper relationship building over time.
Create and maintain a portfolio of documents for internal use that clarifies role and scope of the program and how it is of service to faculty members.
Serve as a representative for the FCR team, as needed, at institutional gatherings (presenting on the program’s areas) or externally, with potentially funding bodies. The director is expected to take the lead in providing education to faculty in all aspects of grant submission through on-campus or virtual workshops, website and other appropriate avenues.
Stakeholder Engagement (40%)
Display the ability to investigate, qualify and solicit new donors to the institution. Display social awareness, professional etiquette, and the ability to interact and build rapport with donors, faculty and institutional leaders. Engage with varied constituencies with social fluency and garner their trust as to influence donor behavior. Appropriately align donors to giving opportunities and orchestrate and facilitate meaningful engagements.
Engage in qualification, strategy and relationship building with national foundations and corporate foundation entities, with a view toward sustained transformational giving over time. The individual’s portfolio will be a mix of larger-capacity grant-making foundations and corporate foundations whose mission and strategic giving aligns with MD Anderson’s Strategy and activities. The size and mix of the portfolio will be based on the need of the team and the division’s strategic focus over the period of the campaign. Special focus will be on building the portfolio of foundations that fund basic, translational and clinical science, including those that offer multi-million dollar challenge grants.
Work collaboratively, proactively and in a professional service-oriented manner with all institutional internal and external stakeholders and representing the core values of the institution.
Display excellent and proven communication skills – including written and verbal, familiarity with medical terminology and ease of interacting with faculty members.
Work closely with team and analytics colleagues on ensuring high standards for reporting on foundation and grant relations’ activities and results.
Leadership and Project Management (20%)
Drive execution of strategic plans and lead decision making around donor relationships, special projects and initiatives and the orchestration of strategic approaches. Continuously capture and collect significant data points, execute on deliverables with precision, develop actionable strategies and allocate appropriate resources to execute work functions.
Work closely with the AVP to drive the strategic growth of the FCR program, focusing on expansion of portfolio with new/unengaged top foundations. The individual has to create and foster a collaborative work environment among different groups across the institution and within the Division.
Participate and strategically outline activities, proposal preparation, strategy development and solicitation executed within 12 – 24 month timeframe.
Steward relationships with current institutional partners, guided by regular portfolio review and team-driven strategy for continued giving.
Shoulder the responsibility to ensure data integrity and communication related to assigned foundations and corporations: research collaboration kickoff process for new relationships, grant acceptance due diligence, briefing the team on key terms and obligations from the support, entering information in CRM, and ensuring everyone knows and understands their roles and responsibilities in the partnership or grant acceptance agreement.
Manage junior staff as hiring proceeds to support the expansion of the program, ensuring that individual’s professional growth, effectively and mentoring to prioritize workload to meet constantly changing demands and policy adherence. Manage and prepare reporting of direct reports’ progress in achieving annual fundraising goals and objectives. Responsible for actively developing the direct report’s skills through educational and training resources and facilitating best practices across the fundraising team.
Manage as a point of contact for planning/execution/follow-up for special projects/programs.
EDUCATION
- Required: Bachelor's Degree
- Preferred: Master's Degree English, Journalism, Communications or related field.
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Required: Eight years experience in direct institutional (philanthropic, institutional foundations, corporate foundations) or individual fundraising, to include two year of supervisory or managerial experience.
- Successful completion of the LEADing Self Accelerate and/or LEADing Self Discover programs may substitute for one year of required supervisory or management experience. Completion of both programs can be substituted for a maximum of two years of supervisory or management experience.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Must pass pre-employment skills test as required and administered by Human Resources.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, paid time off, retirement, tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.
This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.
It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state, or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html
