Corporate & Foundation Relations Officer

By The Hand Club For Kids; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

By The Hand Club For Kids in Chicago seeks a Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer to advance fundraising with major corporate and foundation partners. You will manage a portfolio, cultivate new funding, and coordinate with the Grants Manager, Volunteer Development, and Fund Development teams to maximize impact.

This role demands strong relationship-building, strategic planning, and a proven ability to generate substantial annual funding.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Minimum 5 years corporate/foundation fundraising experience preferred.
• Must have strong relationship-building and grant/reporting capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes fundraising strategies with portfolio relationships.
• Secures major gifts and expands funder footprint.
• Ensures compliance with funder guidelines and timely grant submissions.
• Collaborates with Grants Manager, Volunteer Development, and Fund Development teams.
• Maintains donor database records and tracks progress toward portfolio goals.

Skills

Christ-like servant leader

Urban student transformation

Autonomy and initiative

Proactive project execution

Relationship-building

Seven figures revenue

Fundraising mindset

Deadline-oriented

Education

B.A. or B.S. in Non-profit, Marketing, Communication, Business, Education or related field

Tools

Ninety

Google Suite

Google Drive

Microsoft Office

Job description

By The Hand Club For Kids is a Christian, after-school program that emphasizes academic excellence while nurturing the whole child – mind, body and soul. Located in Chicago’s most under-resourced neighborhoods, By The Hand helps children have abundant life. The culture of By The Hand is Christ-centered, people-focused and results oriented. While loving and nurturing, By The Hand has a strong results-orientation, a very structured program and a growth mindset that believes with hard work we can all continue to learn and grow.

Joining By The Hand’s incredible mission as an abundant life builder means jumping right into the work of healing and hope on behalf of our extraordinary children. You’ll have the opportunity of a lifetime to impact the trajectory of generations of stories; helping students soar to success in their academic performance, practice personal accountability and, even more importantly, grow in their understanding of God and their relationship with Jesus.

By The Hand is a not-for-profit, religious organization. Individuals employed at By The Hand are working in ministerial roles and perform all or some of the following responsibilities: sharing the Gospel, teaching chapel, leading Bible studies, discipling students, and modeling behavior that is consistent with Christ’s teaching.

Rate of Pay: $90,000 - $100,000 per year

Overview of Position

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Strategic Engagement, the Corporate and Foundation Relations (CF) Officer directly drives By The Hand’s fundraising efforts by actively managing a portfolio of major corporate and foundation relationships. In this high-impact role, the CF Officer will develop and execute targeted strategies to cultivate new funding partnerships, maximize current opportunities, and expand the organization’s grant footprint toward an overall fundraising goal exceeding $13 million. The CF Officer will be expected to manage the full fundraising cycle from identification to stewardship of all entities in their portfolio. To effectively drive partner relations and secure funding, the CF Officer will serve as a cross-functional catalyst—collaborating closely with the Grants Manager on grant writing and compliance, partnering with Volunteer Development to deliver high-quality corporate engagement experiences, and aligning with the broader Fund Development team to optimize every relational touchpoint. The CF Officer will be held accountable for meeting an individual fundraising goal through their identified portfolio, plus growth.

Spiritual Requirements

• Has a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ, evidenced by a lifestyle that demonstrates the Word of God, and is in regular fellowship with other members in a Bible-believing church.
• Agrees with the By The Hand Club Doctrinal Statement and adheres to the Employee Biblical Standards of Living.
• Shows by example the importance of Scripture memorization, Bible study, prayer, witnessing and fellowship.
• Integrates Biblical principles into all organizational objectives and goals.
• Is ready to pray with and offer spiritual advice to staff, children, families, and others.
• Is prepared to share religious beliefs with anyone who inquires.

Role Responsibilities

• Performs in a way that is consistent with the vision, mission, and culture of By The Hand and commits to excellence in every aspect of the overall operation.
• Models cultural values of By The Hand Club For Kids in day-to-day behavior.
• Follows all policies as outlined in the operational guide, including maintaining brand standards and ensuring 100% adherence to the Child Protection Policy.
• Participates in employee growth plans, including quarterly conversations and annual review meetings.
• Develops and executes corporate and foundation fundraising strategies, in collaboration with the supervisor, that cultivate relationships and secure major gifts.
• Plans and implements annual strategic cultivation plans with monthly action steps to achieve projections.
• Proactively identifies new funding opportunities and works to maintain these opportunities.
• Researches potential corporate and foundation grantors for solicitation and establishes effective, multifaceted communication with them.
• Ensures timely submission of high-quality grant proposals; tracks grant proposals and takes steps to improve success rate.
• Works with Grants Manager to ensure compliance with funder guidelines and stewardship of funder relationships.
• Works closely with the Volunteer Development team to adhere to the Volunteer/Donor cycle and handoff criteria.
• Supports corporate sponsorships and works to ensure a multifaceted engagement approach is implemented with corporate partners.
• Tracks and reports corporate and foundation activities with an emphasis on progress toward achieving goals.
• Tracks progress toward the portfolio goals on a weekly basis and attends a weekly team and individual check-in.
• Records actions, notes, and other relevant information in the donor database.
• Stays closely attuned to the corporate and foundation philanthropic community in order to identify and capitalize on all funding opportunities that might support new and existing By The Hand initiatives, including capital programs.
• Sources and attends appropriate networking events to establish a presence in the community and meet new prospects.
• Participates in larger fund development organizational projects when expertise and knowledge are applicable.
• Performs all other duties as required and assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities

• This position requires a Christ-like servant leader who has a sense of calling and models Biblical principles.
• Passion and commitment to urban student transformation, confidence to lead in a challenging situation, and belief that all children can learn.
• Operates with high autonomy and initiative.
• Proactively drives projects from concept to execution.
• Outstanding problem-solving skills with an orientation toward results, action, impact, and influence.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to determine the steps required to achieve overarching goals.
• Ability to work both as a team player and independently.
• Demonstrated strong relationship-building skills with children and adults.
• Demonstrated ability to generate seven figures in revenue from foundations and corporations annually.
• A successful track record in identifying and securing new corporate and foundation funders.
• Understands performance management and corporate and foundation reporting requirements.
• Superior written and oral communication skills; attention to detail, with a commitment to improving the quality and content of proposals, grants and reports.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interact effectively with a diverse group of foundation and corporate contacts, including board members and influential stakeholders.
• Results-oriented and driven with an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to fundraising.
• Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Education and Experience

• B.A. or B.S. in Non-profit, Marketing, Communication, Business, Education or related field.
• At least 5 years of corporate and foundation fundraising experience preferred.
• Ability to utilize database software, research programs, Microsoft Office, Ninety, Google Suite and Google Drive and all social media platforms.
• Must have a valid driver's license, available transportation and their own auto insurance in order to travel around the city.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopies, filing cabinets and fax machines. This job is not a virtual job, but it requires in-person attendance as agreed upon by your immediate supervisor.

Physical Demands

The employee is regularly required to speak and listen. This role may require you to move equipment from room to room and lift up to 50 pounds. The individual is also required to travel throughout the city and to other organization sites to meet with partners, candidates, and staff.

Disclaimer

The duties and responsibilities described are not an exhaustive list of all functions that the employee may be required to perform. The employee may be required to perform additional functions as necessitated by business demands. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice. Employment with By The Hand Club For Kids is at will, and the employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily, with or without reasonable accommodation.

By The Hand Club For Kids is an equal opportunity employer. By The Hand does not unlawfully discriminate against any protected classes. As a ministry, By The Hand is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees or prospective employees on the basis of religion in our screening and selection process. By The Hand is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified candidates with a disability, absent undue hardship. An employee or applicant who believes he or she has a disability and may require an accommodation must contact the Human Resources Department at [e-mail] or call 773-854-4176.