Associate Director, Institutional Giving

Milken Institute

Santa Monica (CA)

Hybrid

USD 100,000 - 150,000

Full time

12 days ago

Application generator

Turn this role into an interview — a resume and cover letter built around what this employer wants.

Get past ATS filters

Benefits offered by this job

Health Care Plan

403b match

Paid Time Off

Flexible Spending Account (FSAs)

Training & Development

Mentor Program

Wellness Resources

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

The Milken Institute seeks an experienced Associate Director, Institutional Giving, to lead fundraising efforts and manage grants from foundations and corporations. You will craft compelling proposals, oversee stewardship, and collaborate with Health, Finance, and Strategic Philanthropy teams.

You will develop solicitations, manage a donor portfolio, and ensure data integrity across Salesforce and SharePoint. Travel and hybrid work are expected to support program development and events.

Qualifications

Minimum 5–8 years of grant fundraising and/or management experience.
Strong oral and written communication; ability to tailor outreach to audiences.
Proficiency with CRM platforms and donor management tools; Salesforce a plus.
Experience developing dashboards and visualizations to report progress, including AI tools where appropriate.

Responsibilities

Develop compelling materials and solicitations to engage funders across the Institutional Giving portfolio.
Oversee grants administration, stewardship, and donor engagement across foundations and corporations.
Create solicitation strategies and conduct research to expand the funder portfolio.
Represent the Institutional Giving team in cross-department meetings and projects.
Ensure data accuracy in systems (Salesforce, SharePoint, etc.) and support reporting needs.
Coordinate with Business & Program Development on event needs and funder stewardship.

Skills

Grant fundraising

Relationship building

Communication skills

Project management

AI tools awareness

Data interpretation

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Salesforce

SharePoint

Microsoft Office

Job description

About The Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a globally minded, publicly supported, non-partisan, and nonprofit think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, with offices in Washington, DC, New York, London, Abu Dhabi, and Singapore. For the past three decades, the Milken Institute has served as a catalyst for practical, scalable solutions to global challenges by connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them. Guided by a conviction that the best ideas, under-resourced, cannot succeed, we conduct research and analysis and convene top experts, innovators, and influencers from different backgrounds and competing viewpoints. We leverage this expertise and insight to construct programs and policy initiatives. These activities are designed to help people build meaningful lives, in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities.

The Milken Institute's events and programmatic activities, involve the exchange of ideas with leaders from around the world. The Institute hosts more than 200 events each year, with our annual flagship event, Global Conference, bringing together 4,500+ participants from around the world, featuring more than 900+ speakers throughout 200+ sessions over the course of the event.

About The Position

The Associate Director, Institutional Giving, Business & Program Development, is a vital member of the team responsible for fundraising to fulfill the organization’s mission as a nonprofit think tank dedicated to connecting human, financial, and educational resources to those who need them.

Reporting to the Director, Institutional Giving, and in collaboration with colleagues on the Programmatic Fundraising Team, the incumbent will develop compelling materials and solicitation strategies to engage funders across the Institutional Giving portfolio and in alignment with the Institute’s programs in Health, Strategic Philanthropy, and Finance.

The Associate Director will be responsible for overseeing the solicitation cycle, administration, and stewardship of grants from foundations, corporations, and other institutional funders. The role requires managing a prospect pipeline, tracking deliverables including impact measures for reporting, synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data, leading on cross-departmental communications efforts, and maintaining productive and professional internal and external relationships.

The Milken Institute is looking for a candidate with proven grant writing experience and strong relationship-building and communication skills, with an interest in and experience using new tools and platforms, including AI, to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of grants processes. Additionally, an understanding of best practices in research and the monitoring and evaluation of non-profit programs is desired, as is experience managing donor relationships and evolving strategy and evaluation priorities.

Responsibilities

In coordination with Health, Finance, and Strategic Philanthropy Pillar staff, develop and effectively articulate the case for support of Milken Institute programs and submit LOIs and proposals in alignment with the Institute’s fundraising goals.
Steward funder relationships and oversee management of grants, including supporting engagement opportunities, where needed (i.e., event support, publications review, etc.).
With supervision from the Director, Institutional Giving, create solicitation strategies and manage research to build the organization’s funder portfolio.
Represent the Institutional Giving team in meetings and pro-actively collaborate across the Milken Institute’s departments and project teams.
Ensure the accuracy of data within the Milken Institute’s systems (Salesforce, SharePoint, etc.)
Coordinate with the Business & Program Development team on Milken Institute event needs, including opportunities for funder stewardship and prospect cultivation.
Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree required.
Minimum 5-8 years of experience in grant fundraising and/or management (or comparable work).
Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to craft and execute effective outreach strategies tailored to various internal and external audiences.
Effective project management skills.
Technically savvy and proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and facility with CRM platforms and donor management tools, with Salesforce experience a plus.
Proficiency with developing dashboards and visualizations to communicate grant progress, including usage of AI such as Claude and Copilot where appropriate.

Working Conditions & Travel Requirements

This position will work in a professional office environment on a hybrid schedule consisting of three (3) days per week reporting in-person to the Santa Monica office location (Tuesday - Thursday), with the remaining two (2) days working remotely. Please understand, this schedule is subject to change at the Institute's sole discretion.

This person will also be required to travel occasionally to other offices and/or venues to assist with events as needed, requiring occasional work outside of traditional hours. Domestic travel is possible. Additionally, this position requires interacting virtually on a regular basis with Milken Institute staff based in other locations in the United States and around the world.

Note

The statements herein are intended to describe the overall nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

We are interested in qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States. Please note, we are not sponsoring visas at this time, being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.

Our Culture

The Milken Institute is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

Every person at the Milken Institute is treated with respect, supported with resources and training, and exposed to a broad range of experiences.

We foster a space for growth with opportunities to share knowledge and passion with both clients and colleagues.

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Our leadership is actively involved in our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and fostering a culture that creates opportunities for everyone.

Benefits