Vice President, Corporate & Foundation Relations

The Role

AWF seeks an entrepreneurial, results-driven Vice President, Corporate & Foundation Relations, to lead and direct a growing corporate and foundation relations fundraising program. This new VP will play a critical role in refining and implementing AWF’s current five-year fundraising strategy – including the largest campaign in AWF’s history – in service of the organization’s ambitious 10-year strategic vision and programmatic priorities. They must be proactive, responsible, and have experience supervising teams and building strong corporate and foundation relationships. They also have an exceptional track record of meeting and exceeding eight figure fundraising goals in a fast-paced work environment. Multifaceted corporate partnerships including corporate grants, sponsorships, cause-marketing partnerships as well as grants from foundations are important components of AWF’s comprehensive and ambitious fundraising program.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Development & Public Engagement, the Vice President, Corporate & Foundation Relations is responsible for developing and executing fundraising strategies and will work closely with AWF’s senior leaders to implement metrics to measure fundraising performance, perform data analysis to drive strategy and create a reporting process to track progress towards ambitious fundraising goals. They will play a lead role in the cultivation of leadership within private foundations and corporations and must be an exceptional communicator and relationship builder with the creativity and skills to motivate, mentor and support a growing corporate and foundations partnerships team.

Responsibilities

Fundraising & Strategic Planning:

• Create, lead and execute a multi-year, comprehensive, proactive corporate and foundation fundraising plan that expands and enhances corporate and foundation relations with industry partners, with a focus on retention and expansion, growing AWF’s annual giving from the sector from $7 million to $12 million.
• Direct, coordinate and manage strategies and related moves management to secure corporate and foundation sponsorships and philanthropic support for AWF’s priority activities and initiatives, including traveling frequently to cultivate corporate partners and members in person to build these relationships.
• Oversee a fundraising program that represents approximately 10% of AWF’s annual philanthropic revenues in FY23 ($7 million), with expectations to grow the program significantly in the next 5-7 years (to between $12-$15M, representing 30% of AWF’s annual operating budget.
• Build and progress a pipeline of new business opportunities from a growing community of mega philanthropists – with the potential to make multiyear grant valued at $1M+ annually – committed to conserving and restoring Africa’s biodiversity and halting climate change.
• Oversee preparation of compelling, highly competitive proposals, supporting materials and presentations for prospects and donors, and implement appropriate stewardship strategies to take advantage of diverse corporate and foundation goals that are in alignment with AWF goals.
• Track revenue and expenses, providing timely and accurate reports and meet benchmark outputs for fundraising goals.
• Evaluate, recommend and execute stewardship strategies for current and prospective corporate and foundation relationships aimed at increasing corporate and foundation partnerships and engagement.
• Establish and maintain excellent collaborative relationships with VPs, AWF program directors, the CFO and other key staff members to foster their involvement in identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding corporate and foundation prospects, as well as planning and organizing safaris and other special events.
• Work closely and collaboratively with the VP of Business.
• Engagement and Enterprise, to ensure aligned strategy development for corporate partners with the potential to be 360° multifaceted partnerships.
• As a key advisor to the SVP, work closely with the VP, Individual Giving and Senior Director, Development Operations & Stewardship to develop and execute on collaborative fundraising strategies, programmatic plans, goals and budgets for each program area making up the Development Division.

Leadership & Management:

• Work with the Development leadership, AWF CEO, Chief of Staff and Program heads to develop and deliver an inspiring narrative for investing in AWF’s African-led approach and strategic priorities to realize ambitious AWF’s 10- year strategic vision.
• Train and build the capacity of four professional fundraisers and one grant writer on corporate and foundation practices and tools for effective fundraising and C-suite/program engagement.
• Lead a collaborative process with AWF colleagues at global HQ in Nairobi and with all priority landscape and country leads on corporate and foundations activity and decision making including the pre-positioning, forecasting, proposal development processes, and partner meetings and stewardship.
• Synthesize team performance in a clear and effective manner for dissemination to the Board of trustees and other stakeholders, while providing support to SVP in staffing the Development Committee, providing reports and program presentations as needed.
• Serve as key senior member of the Development team and AWF’s Senior Management Committee.
• Ensure ongoing reconciliation of funds raised with the organization’s Finance team.
• Work closely with Finance on budget development.
• Assure account management protocol is adhered to across all corporate and foundation accounts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 15 years’ progressive experience in fundraising from corporations and foundations, to include minimum 5 years at a senior management level with comparable staff and budget responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ability to raise 6-, 7-, and potentially 8-figure investments from corporations and foundations. Proven ability to negotiate complex, high profile or sensitive agreements. Strong analytic and project management skills; demonstrated experience overseeing and executing complex or multiple time-sensitive projects, including meeting financial goals and project deadlines, monitoring, evaluating and adaptively managing individual performance, programs and budgets, and coordinating the work of key staff and partners.
• Experience in developing and operationalizing mutually beneficial sponsorship opportunities that are valuable to both AWF and corporate partners.
• Demonstrated success in working collaboratively with diverse teams to develop complex shared value partnerships that contribute to conservation goals in landscapes where AWF delivers its programming.
• Strong leadership skills, with an entrepreneurial spirit and strong business and management skills; demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate staff, donors, volunteers (including trustees), and potential partners a must.
• Ability to succeed in a highly complex, matrixed organization—strong ability to collaborate, influence and persuade others.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to influence and engage a wide range of donors and build long-term relationships.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, judgment, and ability to collaborate with a wide range of colleagues at the local and global levels.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively, both independently and in a team environment, in an atmosphere of multiple projects, shifting priorities, and deadline pressures.
• Demonstrated passion, appreciation and knowledge of Africa, community led wildlife conservation, international development, and broader African conservation history and strategies. Direct experience working in Africa, with nonprofits working with wildlife and/or conservation is highly desirable.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally.
• 100M+ campaign experience highly desirable.
• Ambitious with a love of fundraising.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.