Director, Institutional Giving

About Strongward

Strongward is a long-term disaster recovery organization. We exist to transform disaster from tragedy to strength, equipping hardest-hit homeowners and communities with the capacity to emerge stronger than before. Our services are currently offered across eight states in the South, with active rebuilding sites in New Orleans and communities across Florida.

• Safe Homes: We partner with disaster-impacted homeowners to rebuild homes, restore stability, and create a path forward through our Recovery Services. We help families return home faster, and we strengthen their homes against the next storm. We provide hands-on support in navigating and appealing disaster funding decisions that shape the recovery of hardest-hit homeowners with the fewest resources.
• Stronger Communities: Through our Advisory Services, we help under-resourced, high-risk communities build local capacity before and after disaster. Our team of subject-matter experts and Resilience Fellows provides training, consulting, and hands-on support so local leaders can build knowledge and recovery systems that stay in place long after outside support ends.

Joining Strongward is more than just joining a workforce. Many organizations focus on the immediate aftermath, when attention and funding peak. Strongward is one of the few disaster recovery organizations built specifically for the long aftermath. We work in the silence after the cameras leave, and we stay until the work is done.

About the Role

The Director of Institutional Giving is a senior fundraising leader responsible for developing, leading, and growing Strongward’s institutional giving program. This role advances the organization’s mission by securing significant philanthropic investments from foundations, corporations, and other institutional partners to support disaster recovery, resilience, preparedness, and long-term systems change. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the Director builds and manages high-value institutional relationships, oversees proposal development and stewardship strategies, strengthens donor pipelines, and uses data to guide fundraising priorities and revenue growth. The position also provides strategic direction, coaching, and accountability for institutional giving staff, ensuring strong coordination across Advancement, executive leadership, and program teams.

Responsibilities

Institutional Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Lead the strategy, execution, and growth of Strongward’s institutional giving program across foundation, corporate, and other institutional partners.
• Set annual and multi-year fundraising goals, revenue targets, portfolio priorities, and pipeline development strategies in partnership with the Chief Advancement Officer.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward institutional funders capable of making significant, multi-year, and transformational philanthropic investments.
• Monitor trends in philanthropy, disaster recovery, resilience, corporate social responsibility, and institutional giving to identify new funding opportunities and strategic partnerships.

Institutional Donor Portfolio and Relationship Management

• Manage and grow a personal portfolio of high-capacity institutional donors and prospects, including national foundations, regional funders, corporate partners, and other institutional funders.
• Build trusted relationships with funders, executives, board members, program leaders, and external partners to advance philanthropic opportunities.
• Oversee effective cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal, and advancement strategies that deepen engagement and move funders through the pipeline.
• Ensure timely and compelling funder communications, including proposals, grant reports, impact updates, stewardship materials, and strategic briefings.

Proposal Development, Grants Management, and Stewardship

• Guide the development of persuasive proposals, concept notes, letters of inquiry, grant applications, reports, and renewal materials that align funder priorities with Strongward’s mission and impact.
• Partner with program, finance, operations, and executive leaders to gather accurate information, develop budgets, confirm deliverables, and ensure funder commitments are met.
• Maintain strong internal coordination around restricted funding, grant requirements, reporting timelines, stewardship obligations, and funder follow-up.
• Translate program outcomes, community impact, and organizational priorities into clear, compelling narratives for institutional funders.

Team Leadership, Systems, and Performance Management

• Lead, coach, and develop institutional giving staff, setting clear goals, expectations, portfolio practices, and accountability measures.
• Strengthen systems, workflows, and team practices for prospect research, moves management, proposal tracking, reporting, stewardship, and CRM data quality.
• Track and analyze fundraising performance, pipeline activity, donor movement, revenue forecasting, and institutional giving trends to guide strategy and decision-making.
• Contribute to departmental planning, budgeting, forecasting, and cross-functional Advancement priorities.

Executive Partnership and External Representation

• Partner with executive leadership and board members to expand institutional networks, advance strategic donor relationships, and secure high-impact philanthropic investments.
• Represent Strongward externally with credibility and professionalism, strengthening visibility, trust, and engagement among funders and strategic partners.
• Coordinate with organizational leaders during high-priority disaster response periods to mobilize timely, funder-facing strategies and rapid-response fundraising efforts.
• Operate with ownership, initiative, adaptability, and sound judgment in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.

• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in nonprofit management, business, communications, public administration, or a related field preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education, professional training, and directly related institutional fundraising experience may be considered.

Work Experience

• Minimum of eight to ten years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, with significant experience in foundation, corporate, and institutional giving.
• Demonstrated success securing six- and seven-figure institutional gifts and managing complex funder relationships through cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and renewal.
• At least four years of experience supervising, coaching, and developing frontline fundraising staff or donor-facing teams.
• Experience developing institutional fundraising strategy, managing donor portfolios, building pipelines, forecasting revenue, and using data to guide decisions and improve performance.
• Experience working in fast-paced, mission-driven organizations required; familiarity with disaster recovery, resilience, housing, climate, community development, or related issues preferred.

Technical Skills and Proficiency

• Proficiency with donor databases, CRM systems, and moves management tools; experience with Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, or similar platforms preferred.
• Strong ability to use donor data, dashboards, pipeline reports, forecasting tools, and fundraising metrics to track progress, identify opportunities, and inform strategy.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• Ability to develop compelling institutional proposals, concept notes, grant reports, presentations, impact updates, and stewardship communications.

Core Competencies (Soft Skills)

• Exceptional relationship-building skills, with the ability to cultivate trust and credibility with institutional funders, executive leaders, board members, colleagues, and external partners.
• Strong executive presence, communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate organizational impact into compelling funder-centered narratives.
• Strategic, analytical, and results-oriented, with the ability to set priorities, manage complex initiatives, evaluate performance, and drive revenue growth.
• Collaborative and team-centered leader with the ability to coach, develop, and hold staff accountable while fostering trust, inclusion, and professional growth.
• Highly organized, adaptable, and solutions-focused, with sound judgment and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

Special Requirements

• Must be authorized to work in the United States.
• Must successfully complete required background checks, including criminal history, sex offender registry, state, and FBI checks, as applicable.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid environment with regular in-office presence and remote work opportunities.
• Ability to participate in donor meetings, staff events, leadership meetings, trainings, and other organizational activities, including occasional travel and evening or weekend commitments as needed.

Pay

Salary Range: $88,000 - $140,000

Equal Opportunity

Strongward is building a team with a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We value fresh perspectives and believe our teams grow stronger when they include different experiences. We adhere to all relevant employment laws and do not discriminate in hiring. By welcoming people from varied backgrounds, we spark new ideas and are better prepared to support the communities we serve. Strongward is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, religion, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, military status, familial status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law.