Director of Institutional Partnerships

Position: Director of Institutional Partnerships Reports To: Vice President of Development Preferred Locations: Minneapolis, Nashville, Dallas, or NYC Remote with Travel Soles4Souls Mission: Soles4Souls turns shoes and clothing into educational and economic opportunities. Our CORE values: Transparency, Entrepreneurial, Accountable, Meaningful – represent who we are! Summary: The Director of Institutional Partnerships is a senior frontline fundraiser with a singular mandate: secure and grow significant corporate and foundation support for the organization. This role is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding a portfolio of institutional funders capable of making six\- and seven\-figure gifts. The Director spends the majority of their time externally — meeting with foundation officers, building corporate partnerships, attending sector events, and closing gifts. Working cross\-departmentally, this leader collaborates closely with marketing, business development, program, and finance teams to identify funding opportunities, align messaging, and ensure funder commitments are met. This is not a grant or proposal\-writing role; it is a relationship\-driven, results\-first position for a proven institutional fundraiser with a documented track record of closing major gifts and growing institutional revenue year over year. Primary Responsibilities: Frontline Fundraising \& Portfolio Management * Build and manage an institutional giving portfolio, starting with an initial base of 5 partners and growing to 25–50 active corporate and foundation partners at the six\- and seven\-figure gift level; own the full funding relationship lifecycle from identification through renewal. * Drive all phases of the fundraising cycle—prospect identification, research, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship — with a focus on closing gifts and growing the portfolio. * Set and consistently meet or exceed annual institutional revenue goals; track and report on pipeline activity, revenue projections, and closed gifts regularly. * Maintain complete and accurate records of all prospect activity, proposals, correspondence, and meetings in the CRM. Multi\-Year Institutional Giving Strategy * Partner with senior leadership to develop, own, and execute a comprehensive multi\-year institutional giving strategy that spans general operating, programmatic, and special project funding. * Set annual institutional giving goals in collaboration with the VP of Development and other senior leaders; contribute institutional giving projections to the organization's overall development planning. * Grow the institutional portfolio year over year by aggressively prospecting new funders while deepening investment from existing partners through multi\-year funding strategies. * Provide regular pipeline reports and revenue forecasts to the VP of Development; contribute to annual budgeting for institutional giving. Corporate Partner