Senior/Director of Foundation Relations

WVU Foundation; Morgantown (WV); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The WVU Foundation is seeking a Director/Senior Director of Foundation Relations to lead foundation fundraising across the WVU enterprise. The role focuses on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding private foundation support, while serving as a strategic resource to faculty, academic and administrative leaders.

As a member of the Central Development Team, you will manage a portfolio of regional and national funders, guide proposal development, and ensure effective post-award

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred.
• A minimum of 3–5 years of leadership annual, major, and principal gift foundation relations fundraising and grant writing experience.
• Strong ability to manage a complex portfolio and coordinate funder strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the WVUF Foundation Relations program, including major gifts and leadership annual giving to generate foundation support.
• Coordinate foundation proposal development, including strategy, writing, budgeting, review, and follow-up.
• Maintain development pipeline timelines, and ensure opportunities progress.
• Oversee portfolio health, solicitations, renewals, and post-award administration transitions.
• Provide strategic guidance on major and principal foundation grant development and solicitation.
• Collaborate across WVUF, WVU, WVU Health Sciences, WVU Medicine, and affiliated entities.
• Ensure accurate CRM documentation, prospect tracking, and reporting.

Skills

Foundation fundraising lifecycle

Portfolio management

Grant writing

Strategic fundraising planning

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

donor research tools

Job description

Job Summary

The Director/Senior Director of Foundation Relations for the West Virginia University Foundation (WVUF) serves as the development officer responsible for leading and advancing foundation fundraising across the WVU enterprise. The position provides strategic leadership for the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal of private foundation support and serves as a senior resource to development officers, faculty, academic and administrative leaders, and other institutional partners.

The director is a member of the Central Development Team and reports directly to the Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations. The position works collaboratively across WVUF, WVU, WVU Health Sciences, WVU Medicine, academic and administrative units, and other affiliated entities to identify philanthropic opportunities, develop funder strategies, secure foundation support, and strengthen long-term foundation partnerships.

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Functions and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Fundraising Leadership

• Demonstrate the WVU Foundation’s core values of Trust, Transparency, and Teamwork
• Lead and manage all aspects of the WVUF Foundation Relations development program, including a comprehensive major gift program and leadership annual giving programming, to generate current gift revenue from foundations
• Lead and/or coordinate all aspects of foundation proposal development, including solicitation strategy, proposal writing and editing, narrative development, budget and supporting materials coordination, internal review, submission, and follow-up
• Establish and maintain clear timelines, responsibilities, and next steps for foundation proposals, ensuring opportunities progress appropriately through the development pipeline
• Maintain accountability for the health and progression of the foundation portfolio, including prospects under development, active solicitations, pending decisions, funded opportunities, renewals, and future opportunities
• Coordinate the transition of awarded opportunities to post-award administration and operations, while retaining responsibility for the ongoing funder relationship and future fundraising strategy
• Provide strategic guidance on the development and execution of major and principal foundation grant development and solicitation to meet both funder and organizational priorities
• Manage a portfolio of regional and national foundation funders and prospects, as defined in coordination with the WVU Foundation, through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Plan, schedule, and complete outreach to foundation prospects and funders to support portfolio and pipeline management
• Participate in portfolio reviews with the Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and implement agreed-upon priorities and strategies
• Maintain comprehensive working knowledge of the University and health system — including mission, history, and current fundraising priorities — to ensure effective representation of all opportunities and priorities for foundation support

Collaboration

• Build and maintain effective relationships with WVUF leadership; the Corporate and Foundation Relations team; WVUF/WVU/HSC/Medical development colleagues; WVU faculty and staff; WVU Medicine clinical and administrative staff; and other institutional partners to align foundation fundraising activities with organizational priorities
• Build and manage a broad network of relationships with prospective and current funders and engage appropriate unit development colleagues and institutional leaders in funder strategies
• Serve as a strategic partner to development officers across the WVU enterprise by helping identify and advance foundation opportunities while maintaining clear ownership of the foundation fundraising process
• Collaborate with the Director of CFR Operations and Engagement to ensure accurate CRM documentation, prospect and proposal tracking, reporting, gift processing, award administration, and other operational requirements
• Provide information, direction, and expertise to support consistent foundation fundraising practices across the WVU enterprise
• Represent WVUF professionally with foundation executives, program officers, community leaders, university leadership, faculty, and other external and internal constituents

Organizational Management

• Comply with all WVU Foundation reporting, documentation, accountability, and data-management standards
• Maintain timely and accurate documentation of foundation activity, including contacts, strategies, proposals, reporting requirements, deadlines, decisions, and next steps
• Participate in Foundation-sponsored professional development, including but not limited to Plus Delta training, leadership development, and systems training
• Maintain current knowledge of WVU Foundation, WVU, WVU Health Sciences, and WVU Medicine priorities, programs, leadership, and institutional initiatives sufficient to effectively represent the organization to foundation funders
• Participate in strategic planning, team meetings, portfolio reviews, and other activities of the Corporate and Foundation Relations team
• Complete additional assignments and assume additional responsibilities as directed by the Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and other Foundation senior leadership

Qualifications

Education, Experience and Competencies:

Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred. A minimum of 3-5 years of direct and progressively responsible experience in leadership annual, major, and principal gift foundation relations fundraising and grant writing required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to manage the full foundation fundraising lifecycle, from prospect identification and qualification through solicitation, award, and stewardship
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage a complex portfolio and prioritize competing opportunities, deadlines, relationships, and institutional needs, while exhibiting accountability for assigned opportunities and responsibilities
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic fundraising plans and translate institutional priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trusting relationships with foundation executives, program officers, institutional leaders, faculty, development colleagues, and other constituents
• Strong grant writing, editing, presentation, negotiation, and oral and written communication skills
• Understanding of higher education and health system infrastructure — including institutional leadership, academic and clinical environments, and development operations — sufficient to function effectively and collaboratively within a large, complex, decentralized enterprise, while maintaining accountability for assigned responsibilities and outcomes
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment consistent with WVU Foundation, University, and health system policies
• Proficiency with donor/relationship management systems, Microsoft Office Suite, and internet-based research tools to ensure accuracy of information in donor databases, financial records, and reporting systems
• Commitment to professional development and continuous improvement in foundation relations and philanthropic fundraising

Physical requirements

While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to sit and use his/her hands and fingers, to handle or feel. The employee is required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, and possibly at times, climb or balance, stoop or kneel. Vision abilities required to perform this job include close vision. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions. Ground and air travel may be required. A valid driver’s license is required.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position may supervise other staff as assigned.

Other Duties

Work Environment: The position is expected to be hybrid in alignment with the WVUF work/telecommuting policy. Travel may be required at times for this position.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

Certificates, Licenses and Registrations

CFRE preferred