Institutional Partnership Officer

Environmental Defense Fund, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 98,000 - 104,000; Full time

Job summary

The Environmental Defense Fund seeks an Institutional Partnerships Officer to manage a foundation donor portfolio and drive five-to-seven-figure gifts. This role sits in EDF’s Development- Institutional Partnerships team and reports to the Senior Director.

This US remote position prefers candidates in Washington, DC, or New York, NY, with 5-10% travel; you will cultivate relationships, develop proposals, and coordinate with program staff, grant writers, and leadership to secure transformative

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus at least six years’ demonstrated success in nonprofit fundraising, preferably with foundations.
• An advanced degree or equivalent may substitute for up to two years of experience.
• Exceptional writing, communication, and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Initiate and grow relationships with prospective foundation donors.
• Develop donor cultivation plans aligned with EDF’s strategic priorities.
• Prepare proposals, reports, and donor-facing materials with program staff and grant writers.
• Provide program staff with strategic talking points and briefing materials for donor interactions.
• Attend meetings with foundation representatives to develop and deepen relationships.
• Maintain accurate financial forecasts and donor records in Salesforce.
• Build understanding of EDF’s environmental programs to communicate impact to donors.
• Collaborate with Global Development, program staff, finance, and leadership on fundraising strategies.
• Monitor engagement metrics with donor management software and analyze portfolio performance.
• Contribute to an inclusive, mission-driven fundraising culture.
• Advance assigned fundraising, cultivation, and stewardship goals.

Skills

Foundation fundraising

Proposal writing

Communication

Strategic planning

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 6 years nonprofit fundraising

Advanced degree substitution up to 2 years

Tools

Microsoft Office

Salesforce

Job description

Title

Institutional Partnerships Officer

Location

US Remote with preference for those in the Washington, D.C., or New York, NY areas.

Supervisor

Senior Director, Institutional Giving

Department

Development- Institutional Partnerships

Overall Function

The Institutional Partnerships Officer will manage fundraising efforts for a select portfolio of foundation donors and prospects (five-to-seven-figure gifts). This position is part of the Institutional Partnerships team within EDF’s Development Department, which works to secure transformative support for EDF’s mission. This individual may also support the management of EDF’s top-tier foundation relationships at the seven-to-eight-figure level. The ideal candidate will be a development professional with the skills and drive needed to make a significant contribution to a dynamic results-oriented Development program. The Institutional Partnerships Officer reports to a Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

• Initiate and grow relationships with prospective foundation donors, fostering new avenues of support for EDF’s mission.
• Developing and executing donor cultivation plans to inspire and engage foundations in alignment with EDF’s strategic priorities.
• Preparing compelling proposals, reports, and donor-facing materials in collaboration with program staff, grant writers, and development colleagues.
• Providing program and executive staff with strategic talking points and briefing materials for donor interactions.
• Attending meetings with foundation representatives to develop and deepen relationships.
• Contributing accurate financial forecasts and donor records in Salesforce, collaboratively with research, donor engagement, and communications teams as appropriate.
• Build and maintain a thorough understanding of EDF’s diverse environmental programs to effectively communicate their impact and potential to donors.
• Work closely with Global Development team colleagues, program staff, finance, and executive leadership to ensure cohesive and aligned fundraising strategies.
• Utilize donor management software to monitor engagement metrics, prioritize outreach activities, and analyze portfolio performance.
• Actively participate in advancing EDF’s goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.
• Actively participate in achieving assigned fundraising, cultivation, and stewardship goals.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with at least six years’ of demonstrated success and progressive responsibility in nonprofit fundraising, preferably with foundation donors.
• An advanced degree or equivalent may substitute for up to two years of experience.
• Exceptional writing, communication, and presentation skills.
• The highest level of personal and professional integrity, discretion, and quality standards; poise and comfort with donor interactions.
• A high degree of proficiency working in a fast-paced, flexible, goal-oriented, and entrepreneurial environment.
• Excellent planning, organization, time management, and analytical skills; experience working with a team to successfully manage multiple projects with competing timelines.
• Capacity and confidence to work easily and effectively with a wide range of people; adept at building relationships.
• Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and donor tracking software (preferably Salesforce).
• Experience working in a non-profit institution of comparable complexity and scale, including the ability to work effectively with geographically dispersed colleagues, is preferred.
• Commitment to the mission of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Travel Expectations

5%-10% travel may be required.

Total Rewards

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization. We take into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms. Please note that pay ranges are country specific. As a result, the stated currency is not meant be converted into any other currency.

Salary

98,000 - 104,000 USD

Life at EDF

Our Mission and Values

Building a Vibrant Culture