Manager, Strategic Partnerships

Job Overview:

At Community Solutions, long-term partnerships fuel our work with and for communities. We aspire to build partnerships to support our work over time to make homelessness rare and brief everywhere. With this goal in mind, we seek someone able to develop and manage relationships based on rigorous, data-driven learning and the testing and refinement of entrepreneurial improvement concepts.

The Manager will develop and manage a pipeline of key relationships with corporate and foundation partners and individual donors. They will be responsible for designing and leading our donor prospect identification, qualification and research strategy. This role will use databases, artificial intelligence and tech tools to surface insights and inform our fundraising.

The role will also own a portfolio of funding partners, both institutional and individual, and be responsible to implement strategies that drive revenue. This will include key activity areas such as cultivation and stewardship, communications, gift processing, solicitation and data input as well as supporting key areas of reporting and compliance to accomplish Community Solutions’ annual revenue goal.

The position reports to the Director, Strategic Partnerships.

About Community Solutions:

Community Solutions is a national non-profit organization working to achieve a lasting end to homelessness that leaves no one behind. We envision a more equitable future where homelessness is never inevitable or a way of life, for anyone. Since 2015, we have led Built for Zero, a movement of more than 150 cities and counties using data to radically change how they work and the impact they can achieve — and proving that it is possible to make homelessness rare and brief. To help communities equitably and sustainably end homelessness, we are also identifying solutions to address gaps in housing, disrupt inflow into homelessness, and produce more racially equitable housing systems.

Community Solutions seeks leaders at every level: extraordinary, mission-oriented people not satisfied with the status quo. We are a team of values-driven innovators motivated by results. We eagerly seek and support diverse applicants. We provide generous benefits and opportunities for inspiring and transformational professional growth. We pride ourselves in developing an inclusive, accountable workplace culture that encourages staff to bring their best selves to work every day.

Defining Success for this Position:

Leveraging strong donor communications, research, events, and other relationship-building strategies, a successful Manager will identify and grow new and existing relationships with funding partners. Working closely with members of the Executive and Strategic Partnerships Team, a successful Manager will meet annual fundraising metrics set to support Community Solutions’ operating budget.

A Manager will have a sharp eye and interest to track fundraising trends, map overlapping relationships and networks, and use data to improve their work. They will be self-motivated and excited to share new ideas and process improvements, develop ways to measure and analyze their own success, and track standard and novel fundraising metrics. Finally, the Manager will support the processing and acknowledgement of gifts in a timely manner and ensure fundraising revenue data is accurately tracked and readily accessible across the team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Partnership Prospecting and Management

• Serve as the project manager and lead proactive and reactive prospect research by gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing financial, biographical, philanthropic, and relational information using tools such as wealth screenings, databases, news and financial feeds, and relationship-mapping resources to assess capacity, affinity, engagement potential, compliance, and reputational risk.
• Produce and share clear, accurate prospect research deliverables, including profiles and capacity assessments, with the Executive and Strategic Partnerships Team to support identification, qualification and fundraising decisions.
• Manage relationships with a portfolio of institutional and individual donors, and lead on developing and implementing strategies to cultivate, solicit and steward these donors to ensure long-term philanthropic impact.
• Masterfully write and submit grants and corresponding budgets presenting a cohesive externally facing narrative for our work by gathering information and input from multiple departments and external sources.
• Ensure the accurate tracking of all relevant deadlines, prepare required reports, and ensure timely submission.
• Stay abreast of fundraising trends, metrics and shifts and leverage fundraising expertise to inform cross-department conversations and strategies related to program initiatives, budget priorities, and strategic planning.
• Assist with creating marketing and communication materials and partner closely with the Strategic Communications Manager to support fundraising efforts including crafting messaging and writing copy and supporting our annual fund and individual giving efforts.
• Assist with gift acknowledgment and processing throughout the year and support efforts to improve communication with individual donors.
• Co-lead and co-manage unique opportunities to engage with current and prospective donors across the team's funding portfolio, including through meetings, donor events, and webinars.
• Represent Community Solutions independently in high-level funder meetings, exercising sound judgment in communication and requests.
• Assist with Board reporting.
• As needed, supervise key consultants, special project staff and interns.

Data, Systems, and Process Improvement

• Use Salesforce and related platforms (e.g., Tableau) to manage donor data, process and acknowledge gifts, monitor the prospect process and status, streamline workflows, and generate actionable insights.
• Lead efforts to improve data quality, integration, and reporting for both internal teams and external partners in support of our fundraising goals.
• Design reports to support the fundraising and strategic communication efforts of the organization.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated success in prospect research or transferable research skills
• Demonstrated strategic thinking in an organizational context
• At least three years of successful work experience in fundraising or related field
• Enthusiastic contributor to the Strategic Partnerships team with experience leading donor prospecting and managing funding relationships
• Strong problem-solving and project management skills required
• Excellent written and oral communications, with demonstrated listening skills
• Highly organized and detail oriented
• Adaptable in a fast-faced, entrepreneurial environment and demonstrated success operating collaboratively within and across teams and willingness to take on new projects
• Experience or demonstrated ability to administer complex customer relationship management (CRM) and database software. Experience using Salesforce a plus
• Strong interest in using data for improvement
• Experience developing and managing budgets a plus
• Excellent judgment and ability to work with partners at all levels
• Non-traditional candidates are welcome. Community Solutions strives for representation and authentic inclusion of applicants and employees who have direct, first-hand experience with poverty or homelessness.
• Relevant work experience is required to apply for this role. A college degree may be helpful, but is not required. If you think you have the right experience, but you’re worried we might not ‘get it,’ you could be right! Please use your resume and cover letter to make sure we understand your experience and why you’re qualified for this role.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Consultants, vendors and special projects staff

Software/Apps Used:

• Microsoft Office
• Google Business Apps
• Salesforce
• Adobe
• Zapier
• Giving Fuel
• Slack
• Asana
• Tableau
• WebEx/Zoom
• Grantmaking portals/platforms

Work Environment:

This position can be located anywhere in the US.

Salary Range:

This position is grant-funded for two years with potential for renewal. CS offers competitive salaries and benefits packages for every position. The salary range for this position is $76,834-$97,921. The actual salary is commensurate with the candidate's experience.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We strive for inclusivity and diversity by attracting extraordinary people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We seek to employ an all-star team of people who vary by their race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, age, culture, religion, veteran status, and physical and mental abilities. We promote equal opportunity in the recruitment, selection, training, compensation, promotion, and benefits of all employees. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.