Vice President, Development & Corporate Partnerships

United Way of Greater Kansas City; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

United Way of Greater Kansas City is seeking a high-level, revenue-focused leader reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer. The role centers on growing revenue by initiating and sustaining relationships with corporate partners within Kansas City.

You will build and lead a team of three corporate partnership staff, create strategic plans for a multi-million-dollar portfolio, and collaborate with Marketing and Community Impact teams to communicate impact and drive engagement.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to grow revenue through corporate partnerships.
• Strong leadership and team management.
• Excellent communication with executives.
• Strategic thinking with data-driven approaches.
• Experience in donor engagement programs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and define strategies to increase annual revenue through corporate partnerships.
• Build cohesive relationships with corporate partner champions to elevate UWGKC’s value proposition.
• Increase participation and average giving by building a network of UWGKC ambassadors within business partner relationships.
• Lead a team of three corporate partnership staff to steward a portfolio of partnerships and grow revenue.
• Communicate with Development Team leadership on key corporate account developments.
• Identify corporate prospects and align company goals to partnership opportunities (employee giving campaigns, gifts, sponsorships).
• Develop growth plans for portfolio of accounts and monitor progress toward goals.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Community Impact teams to communicate impact and priorities.

Skills

Fundraising

Relationship building

Donor engagement

Strategic planning

Team leadership

Job description

This high-level driven leader, reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, believes that solutions to complex social problems are possible when Kansas Citians are united for transformative change. Primary responsibility is to grow revenue by initiating, building, and sustaining relationships with community leaders and assigned corporate partnerships portfolio.

Position Duties & Responsibilities: The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.

• Develop and define strategies to increase annual revenue, attract and retain donors and promote year-round engagement within assigned portfolio.
• Build cohesive relationships with corporate partner champions to elevate United Way’s value proposition through workplace campaigns.
• Increase participation and average giving by building a network of United Way ambassadors within business partner relationships.
• Define and implement strategies to develop relationships, strategies may include sharing data, creating customized campaign activities, personalizing the relationship, etc.
• Openly communicate with Development Team leadership on key developments that have potential on corporate accounts and relationships.
• Proactively identify corporate prospects and align company goals to the number of ways they may partner with the United Way via employee giving campaigns, corporate match programs, corporate gifts, or sponsorships.
• Develop growth and strategic plans for portfolio of accounts.
• Stay apprised of trends or issues in relevant industries that affect business climate or culture, and economic environment which could impact fund development.
• Work with UWGKC’s Community Impact team to identify, develop and implement opportunities to communicate community impact work and UWGKC goals and priorities to key stakeholders.
• Evaluate opportunities to enhance the employee giving campaign and make suggestions for improvement.
• Lead a team of (3) individuals responsible for stewarding a portfolio of corporate partnerships to retain and grow revenue through campaign growth, company gifts/grants, new business opportunities, etc.
• Support in creating organizational processes to enhance efficiencies and growth opportunities.

Relationships:

• Serve as primary account manager to an assigned portfolio of top corporate partners representing multi-million-dollar relationships, leveraging internal team members on the Marketing and Community Impact Team to support and execute partner-specific engagement.
• Initiate face-to-face meetings with executives and key influencers to discover business and philanthropic interests within assigned portfolio and prospective partnered companies, leveraging support from Executive Leadership Team when necessary and appropriate to further build investment and engagement with partners.
• Engage partners in United Way’s mission and work through investment opportunities, sponsorships, volunteer engagement and advocacy.
• Work in partnership with Individual Giving staff to support the design and execute cultivation plans for Leadership and Tocqueville Society donors that will result in retention and growth in giving.
• Increase awareness and support for United Way through professional development opportunities and community involvement.
• Demonstrate exemplary stewardship by providing necessary and timely feedback on investments, program information, and progress toward our community goals to company representatives, donors and volunteers.
• Advocate for UWGKC’s work through effective and compelling communication to advance engagement and brand value.
• Recruit, support and manage executive level volunteers to assist in solicitation and stewardship calls with business partner stakeholders.
• Partner with the Marketing Team to connect company representatives and individuals with tours, impact opportunities and other volunteer projects.
• Lead, direct and supervise assigned employees giving staff by developing and coaching to create a motivated, high performing team to reach the strategic goals of UWGKC.
• Assure coordinated and clear individual and team goals are identified and monitored.
• Provide guidance and direction to team members while promoting individual thinking and innovation.
• Effectively lead Development Council meetings and initiatives to meet the needs of United Way of Greater Kansas City initiatives and new business opportunities.
• Provide open communication and coaching with each team member through regular meetings.

Operational Excellence:

• Provide ongoing leadership, training, and supervision for Corporate Partnership staff members, including assignment of work responsibilities, participation in hiring process, and for improvements as necessary.
• Request and review regular reports to assess progress of campaigns, develop process improvement recommendations.
• Maintain accurate donor information in appropriate databases on a regular and consistent basis.
• Provide campaign contacts with information necessary to complete a successful campaign.
• Seek to understand needs in advance and provide proactive contacts.
• Regularly assess progress to goals, identifying what drives and impedes progress, and work to develop solutions to address gaps.
• Contribute to building a positive, results-oriented, donor-centric culture that delivers upon UWGKC’s mission driven strategic, operational and financial objectives.

Business Development:

• Support the internal Marketing team to manage execution of marketing strategies and public relations for new business opportunities through strategic marketing efforts.
• Cross-collaborate with the Event team in curating compelling sponsorship assets and identify in-kind partnership opportunities.
• Research, identify and create new funding sources with the capacity, passion, and vision to support United Way of Greater Kansas City’s short, mid-term, and long-term vision while maintaining relationship with existing accounts.
• Support the development of team members by hosting monthly connections and daily opportunities for engagement
• Develop new processes and assets to enhance opportunities for companies to seamlessly align with the work of United Way of Greater Kansas City.
• Implement best practices for revenue growth, adjusting to customer experience survey results and feedback; drives and encourages creativity and innovation resulting in new revenue opportunities.
• Creation of multi-faceted, personalized partnerships that align with partner company philanthropic priorities.

Annual Goals:

• Achieve established goals for fundraising, engagement, and new business growth
• Manages and works with other members of the UWGKC team to ensure goals reflect, align, and contribute to the broader goals of the organization.
• Manage project deadlines as outlined.

Metrics of Success:

• Meets or exceeds annual revenue goals for assigned corporate partnership portfolio through workplace campaign growth, corporate gifts, sponsorships, grants, matches, and new business opportunities.
• Grows and deepens corporate partnerships by creating customized, year-round engagement strategies that align partner priorities with UWGKC’s mission, community impact goals, and revenue opportunities.
• Effectively leads, coaches, and manages a team of three corporate partnership staff members, ensuring clear goals, regular performance monitoring, strong communication, and individual development.
• Builds and sustains strong relationships with corporate executives, campaign champions, donors, and volunteers through consistent stewardship, compelling impact communication, and meaningful engagement opportunities.
• Uses data, reporting, CRM discipline, and cross-functional collaboration to monitor progress, improve campaign execution, strengthen partner experience, and identify opportunities for greater efficiency and growth.
• Represent the UWGKC brand and mission with professionalism and passion to advance giving, engagement and brand value.