Summary
The Director of Strategic Partnerships will work secure funding for Press Forward Chicago. This includes public and private foundations, individual donors, events, working with relationship managers for donor-advised funds, and more.
The director will work with the Executive Director of Press Forward Chicago to develop strategies to meet the organization's fundraising goals. The role requires advanced communication skills while developing strong relationships with all donors and the Press Forward steering and advisory committees.
Collaboration with the Philanthropic Services team is essential to overall success of the effort. The Trust embraces a donor-centered ethic and the PS Team will support the Director of Strategic Partnerships to fulfill this vision via technical training in the Trust CRM and strong partnership in the strategic plans for donors who have existing Trust relationships or who are in already prospects for other areas of giving.
Responsibilities Help in planning and strategy for Press Forward Chicago’s philanthropy plan.
- Execute Press Forward’s philanthropy plan, a goal of at least an additional $5 million over two years.
- Cultivate relationships with foundations, corporations, and individual donors.
- Plan events related to fundraising, community outreach, and celebrations to promote the organization's efforts.
- Motivate stakeholders, including the steering committee and existing funders, to participate in organized philanthropic events and activities.
- Work on reports, including annual reports, to show the use of funds.
- Work with the ED and communications teams.
This is a two-year position, and the selected candidate will be an employee of The Chicago Community Trust, with commensurate salary and benefits for this position within Press Forward Chicago.
Qualifications
Required
A minimum of 5 years journalism fundraising experience
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience in the Chicago journalism ecosystem
- Experience in Salesforce or similar CRMs.
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
- Advanced organizational and project management skills.
- Experience with record-keeping systems and budgeting.
- Minimum 5 years' experience in event and fundraising event planning.
Preferred