Assistant Director, Corporate + Foundation Relations

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) seeks an Assistant Director, Corporate Foundation Relations to join Institutional Advancement (IA). If you’re looking to join a cohesive and talented team dedicated to engaging alumni, parents and friends through creative outreach strategies, we are interested in hearing from you.

The Assistant Director of Corporate + Foundation Relations (ADCFR) in Institutional Advancement (IA) works closely with the Director of CFR to build and grow RISD and the RISD Museum’s corporate and foundation philanthropy program.

The ADCFR actively identifies and cultivates relationships with potential college and Museum donors and solicits them. This position will write, edit, and review submissions of institutional funding proposals and will work with the Director and the Donor Relations team to effectively steward donors.

The ADCFR must be a culturally competent candidate who thrives in a campus environment that advances principles of social equity and inclusion, environmental and climate justice, and equal access to resources and opportunities, and who recognizes diversity and inclusion as central to excellence.

• In partnership with the Director of CFR, develop strategies for foundation and corporate engagement, including maintaining a solicitation pipeline, tracking submission deadlines, and maintaining a library of supporting materials and data for submissions.
• Manage a portfolio of prospective and current foundation and corporate donors for the college and the Museum.
• Research potential funding opportunities by identifying and cultivating relationships, and stay current on the philanthropic landscape in museums, higher education, and the broader art and design industry.
• Identify Museum, academic programs, and/or institutional projects that may qualify for corporate and/or foundation funding and develop fundraising strategies for those programs.
• In partnership with the Director of CFR, actively engage with colleagues across the RISD Museum (i.e. curators, educators, and administrators) and campus (i.e., finance, admissions, academic departments) to gather information required for proposal budgets and narratives, and stewardship reports and to develop targeted solicitation strategies.
• Support the Director of CFR in grants management activities, including budget tracking.
• Write, review, and edit grant proposals and stewardship reports in collaboration with the Director of CFR.
• Organize and attend Museum and campus events and visits for representatives of potential funders and prospects.
• Develop and maintain a donor stewardship calendar and prepare and submit assigned stewardship reports for corporate and foundation gifts.
• Maintain Museum and college CFR files in the IA shared drive and track key correspondence with foundation and corporate representatives in the Raiser’s Edge donor management platform.
• Maintain accurate contact information, proposals, and funding data so the Advancement Services team can do so in Raiser’s Edge.

• Support and staff on-campus events, including, but not exclusive to, RISD’s Commencement + Reunion Weekend.
• Engage in Museum programming and the academic life of the college, as appropriate.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• A Bachelor’s degree is required.
• A minimum of three years of proposal writing experience is required.
• Demonstrated ability to engage as a positive team member who establishes productive relationships, demonstrates respect and facilitates understanding by considering and integrating diverse viewpoints.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication, organizational, and research and analytical skills are required.
• Demonstrated commitment to RISD and the RISD Museum’s mission, and to working to advance their position among national and international funders.
• Progressive experience focusing on corporate and foundation fundraising, preferably in a higher education environment.
• The ability to meet multiple and sometimes concurrent external proposal and report deadlines while factoring in competing priorities and deadlines of colleagues in other offices and departments is…