
Director of Corporate Relations
New England Aquarium
Job Description
The Director of Corporate Relations ("Director") will effectively both fundraise and support the operations, growth and development of a comprehensive corporate funding program in order to meet or exceed the Aquarium's corporate fundraising goal of $3 million annually. The Director will lead a refocus on the corporate sector, generating a list of new high-level prospects, creating engagement strategies and actively working on cultivation and solicitation of six-figure partnerships. The Director will be a passionate, strategic and experienced fundraising professional with a stellar sense of diplomacy, tact and the ability to skillfully handle corporate donor prospects.
SCHEDULE
- Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Please note due to the nature of this externally-facing role, significant flexibility will be required to attend weeknight and weekend work engagements, fundraising events and networking opportunities.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Lead NEAq's efforts to raise over $3 million annually in corporate funding support through sponsorship and membership opportunities; provide monthly detailed progress reports (YTD, YOY) to Vice President, External Relations and Finance Team
- Develop long-term strategic goals to proactively build and maintain an identified corporate donor prospect pipeline (3x overall annual corporate fundraising goal) to ensure a sustainable investment stream for the NEAq in future years
- Work with stakeholders across the enterprise to develop and write proposals for a wide-array of programmatic, event and other funding needs and creatively match funding opportunities with both new and existing corporate partners
- Manage corporate partner stewardship (including reporting and compliance) and respond to any unique or ongoing needs of corporate partners within portfolio to ensure the highest standards of customer service
- In conjunction with the Vice President, External Relations, represent NEAq at business trade association meetings, conferences, and community functions within Greater Boston to network and build relationships with corporate partner prospects (~50% of time should be spent within these corporate partner prospect development activities)
- Ensure the Corporate Relations team employs best practices to document all donor interactions, maintain monthly accountability reports including outreach to existing and new donors for accurate current and future reporting
- Lead, motivate and mentor the Corporate Relations team to achieve annual revenue goals. Set and monitor goals, provide performance feedback, and identify professional development opportunities.
- Brief, direct, and accompany President and CEO, Vice President, External Relations and other NEAq leaders on fundraising cultivation and solicitation activities
- Maintain a complete understanding of the NEAq's mission, strategic plan, culture, values, history, programs and initiatives, and stay abreast of trends in corporate philanthropy to ensure fundraising success
- Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred
- Ten years of successful corporate fundraising or commensurate experience, including proposal and budget development, cultivation, solicitation, and donor recognition and documentation.
- A minimum of five years experience effectively leading a collaborative fundraising team and mentoring staff.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrated success in corporate fundraising or commensurate experience and securing multi-year six figure partnerships.
- Excellent team-building skills, with demonstrated ability to lead, manage and motivate in a creative and demanding environment.
- Ability to work proactively, frequently reporting on progress, and operate effectively in a variety of social situations
- Drive new idea creation, new ways of working and thrive in an ever-changing work environment
- Possess courage to take calculated risks to reach greater success, efficiencies and organizational impact
- Make smart, strategic decisions that will benefit the organization and communicate thoughtful rationale behind each
- Superior oral and written communication skills, including development of sophisticated proposals and presentations and excellent interpersonal skills
- Strong strategic and analytic skills, demonstrated problem-solving ability
- Commitment to the mission and values of the Aquarium.