Manager, Foundation Relations

Our vision is to grant the wish of every eligible child. Through our mission, we are uniting communities to grant life-changing wishes. As the world's largest wish-granting organization, we strive to create a sense of community and an environment where we warmly embrace our wish families, volunteers, and colleagues.

Joining Make-A-Wish means becoming part of a mission that believes in the power of a wish.

Location:

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We do not sponsor employment visas or other immigration processes to attain or maintain employment eligibility.

Remote positions are open to applicants based anywhere in the continental U.S. Hybrid positions are open to applicants based in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Position Summary:

The Manager, Foundation Relations will serve as a strategic partner to Make-A-Wish America and chapter fundraising teams by identifying, researching, qualifying, and prioritizing foundation opportunities that advance wish granting across the country. This role combines prospect research, fundraising strategy, relationship mapping, data integrity, and pipeline management to expand institutional giving opportunities at the national and local levels.

The Manager will dedicate approximately 50% of their time to researching and qualifying family foundations with national giving interests, 25% of their time developing strategies for engagement with the nation’s largest private and philanthropic foundations, and 25% of their time supporting chapter teams in identifying, pursuing, and securing local or regional foundation funding opportunities.

The Manager will bring strong analytical skills, sound judgment, and knowledge of philanthropy, foundation giving trends, prospect research practices, and ethical research standards.

Knowledge and Abilities:

• Demonstrated experience conducting philanthropic, donor, and institutional prospect research.
• Strong understanding of family foundations, private foundations, and institutional philanthropy.
• Ability to analyze complex foundation giving patterns and identify strategic funding opportunities.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present research findings and recommendations clearly.
• Experience using fundraising databases, foundation research tools, and CRM platforms.
• Knowledge of prospect management, moves management, pipeline tracking, and fundraising operations best practices.
• Ability to identify relationship pathways among foundation leaders, trustees, advisors, board members, donors, volunteers, staff, and chapter leaders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with national and chapter fundraising professionals in a remote environment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential information.
• Commitment to advancing Make-A-Wish's mission through data-driven fundraising strategies.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Researches, identifies, and qualifies family foundations with national funding priorities that align with the mission and programs of Make-A-Wish.
• Develops and maintains a strategic portfolio of qualified foundation prospects, including detailed profiles, funding histories, leadership information, and philanthropic interests.
• Monitors foundation trends, giving priorities, and emerging opportunities to inform fundraising strategy and pipeline development.
• Conducts landscape analysis to identify new opportunities within priority funding sectors.
• Partners with national fundraising teams to evaluate and prioritize foundation prospects for cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Maintains…