Institutional Giving Officer

LifeWorks Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 67,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO days

Paid holidays

Medical plan with HSA

Retirement matching

Employee benefits

Job summary

LifeWorks Austin in Austin, TX seeks an Institutional Giving Officer to expand private foundation support for youth housing and services.

You will build funding partnerships, craft compelling proposals, and manage engagements to align with LifeWorks’ mission and priorities.

Role requires 3+ years in institutional fundraising, CFRE preferred, and strong communication skills; includes comprehensive benefits and a robust PTO plan.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; CFRE preferred.
• Minimum 3 years in institutional fundraising with grant success.
• Experience managing funder relationships through full lifecycle.
• Strong proposal development with budgets and outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to translate impact.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage a pipeline of major institutional funders.
• Lead site visits, tours, calls, and funder engagements.
• Create tailored case statements, program summaries, and reports.
• Prepare grant proposals, budgets, and performance measures.
• Maintain CRM records and coordinate with program teams.

Skills

Fundraising

Relationship management

Proposal writing

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

CFRE certification

Tools

Donor CRM systems

Candid Foundation Directory

GrantStation

Microsoft Office

Job description

LifeWorks of Austin, TX is looking for an Institutional Giving Officer to join our Strategic Partnerships team!

The Institutional Giving Officer is responsible for building and managing a portfolio of private foundation partners to increase philanthropic support for LifeWorks’ mission. Reporting to the Vice President of Institutional Giving, this position will secure grants from foundations and other private institutional funders, ranging from $25K to $100K+. This position requires proven ability as a public-facing fundraiser capable of establishing and sustaining strong relationships with foundations.

This position will develop and sustain a pipeline of funding opportunities that evolves over time to ensure alignment with LifeWorks’ strategic priorities. This position must have experience researching and qualifying funders, writing strong proposals, and effectively engaging foundations through site visits, impact briefs, grant reports, calls, and other types of engagements.

This full time, exempt position earns a competitive rate ranging from $67,221 - $94,939 depending upon experience. Benefits are also included, which consist of 24 PTO days per year (accrued); 11 paid holidays per year; a premium-free employee medical plan with $100 per month HSA contribution (plus other affordable employee or family medical, dental, and vision options!); a retirement savings plan with 50% match on the first 6% of contributions, and much more!

Responsibilities

Identify and Qualify Funding Opportunities

• Develop a pipeline of major- and mid-level institutional funders, emphasizing foundations.
• Identify potential funders through research, conferences, networking events, analysis of peer organizations, and collaboration with the VP of Institutional Giving and other LifeWorks staff.
• Maintain an active presence in foundation, corporate, and institutional giving networks to increase LifeWorks’ visibility and build relationships with current and prospective funders.
• Qualify prospects through analyses of giving history, giving capacity, and alignment of funder priorities with LifeWorks’ programs, mission, and revenue goals.

Cultivate and Sustain Funder Relationships

• Conduct direct outreach to establish relationships with prospective funders.
• Publicly represent LifeWorks and cultivate funding opportunities by organizing and leading site visits, tours, calls, presentations, and other engagements with prospective funders.
• Create customized case statements, program summaries, impact reports, presentations, and other materials to highlight LifeWorks’ impact and cultivate funder interest.
• Effectively steward existing supporters through site visits, calls, meetings, grant reports, and other engagement
• Recommend strategies for engaging senior LifeWorks staff or board members with high-priority prospects.

Develop Compelling Grant Proposals

• Complete all activities required to submit successful proposals, including writing grant narratives, developing budgets, and determining key performance measures.
• Collaborate with LifeWorks’ program leaders, Compliance, Research, and Finance teams to align proposals with LifeWorks’ needs and funder interests.
• Manage a high volume of proposals to meet annual fundraising goals.

Administrative Support

• Maintain accurate and timely CRM records, including funder contacts, relationship notes, opportunities, deadlines, proposals, awards, reports, and stewardship activity.
• Collaborate with the Grants & Contracts Compliance team to ensure grant reports strengthen trust and support from institutional funders.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; CFRE/other relevant fundraising certification preferred
• Minimum of 3 years experience in institutional fundraising, grant development, or related nonprofit revenue generation, with demonstrated success securing private and/or public institutional funding.
• Experience managing institutional funder relationships across the full lifecycle, including research, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, proposal development, stewardship, reporting, and renewal.
• Strong proposal development experience, including narratives, budgets, outcomes, workplans, and funder-specific
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate programs, community needs, and outcomes into compelling funder-facing materials.
• Advanced Microsoft Suite Skills, budget and report preparation for funders using
• Experience using donor CRM systems to track relationships, opportunities, deadlines, and stewardship
• Experience using funder research tools ("Candid Foundation Directory, GrantStation").
• Familiarity with government funders a

Core Competencies And Skills

• Ensures Accountability and Results - Holds self and others accountable to meeting commitments and achieving outcomes; delivers timely and clear feedback that is timely, equitable, clear, and supportive in nature.
• Amplifies Talent - Engages and motivates staff; supports their growth and development; promotes a climate of collective success.
• Integrates Diverse Perspectives - Recognizes the value that different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences bring to an organization; actively seeks out and considers different viewpoints; incorporates diverse perspectives into work and actions.
• Demonstrates Self-Awareness - Uses a combination of feedback and reflection to gain and apply productive insights toward personal strengths and areas of opportunities; demonstrates a willingness to adapt leadership style to better engage, influence, and relate to staff.
• Client Focused - Builds strong client relationships and delivers client-centered
• Instills Trust - Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, humility, and
• Makes Quality and Sound Decisions - Applies sound judgment in decision making process; makes collaborative, equitable, measured, and timely decisions that support the mission of the organization.
• Drives Vision and Purpose - Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates and inspires others to action and shared alignment.

About Lifeworks

With more than 50 years of experience working with youth experiencing homelessness, youth aging out of foster care, young adults, and young parents, LifeWorks is committed to solving youth homelessness through housing, mental health, education, and workforce services. Our vision is a Central Texas where every young person has a place to call home, a sense of belonging, and the support to pursue a life they love.

We provide a full range of support services for vulnerable youth, ensuring that every young person has access to a safe home, the chance to heal, and opportunities to learn and work. Through innovative problem-solving, shared accountability, and evidence-based solutions, we are relentless in achieving real, sustainable, and measurable results for the clients we serve.

A career at LifeWorks offers opportunities to grow professionally while making an immediate, lasting impact on the lives of youth and families in our community. Join us in building a future where every young person has the stability and support to thrive.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.