Director of Corporate Relations

Key Responsibilities

• Corporate Strategy & Revenue Leadership
  • Develop and lead a comprehensive corporate fundraising strategy that advances organizational priorities and drives corporate fundraising efforts to hit an explicit target of $3 million annually.
  • Identify market opportunities, establish priorities, set revenue goals, assess portfolio performance, and personally lead high-value opportunities and solicitations.
  • Implement a B2B2C strategy to engage corporate employees in Ravinia's individual giving pipeline, with a focus on corporate matching opportunities.
  • Allocate staff time and organizational resources based on opportunity and expected return.
  • Regularly evaluate the corporate portfolio and adjust priorities based on revenue potential, renewal risk, relationship strength, strategic alignment, pipeline health, and team capacity.
• Corporate Relationships, Solicitation & Business Development
  • Build, cultivate, negotiate, solicit, and steward relationships with corporations and senior corporate decision-makers.
  • Direct Portfolio Ownership: Personally manage a dedicated portfolio of 10+ existing Corporate Sponsors at the $100,000+ level, leading sophisticated solicitations, multi-year negotiations, and high-touch executive engagement.
  • Tiered Management Oversight: Provide strategic oversight while the two Corporate Managers directly manage an additional 80+ corporate relationships, tiered between $5,000 and $99,999, ensuring appropriate coverage, touchpoints, and renewal strategies across all tiers.
  • External Consultant Coordination: Serve as the primary manager and operational lead, coordinating with external luxury partnership and brand activation consultants, ensuring their external insights and activations seamlessly align with organizational goals and partner expectations.
• Partnership & Proposal Development
  • Develop compelling, customized corporate partnership strategies and proposals that connect corporate objectives with the organization's mission, programs, audiences, brand, and community impact.
  • Translate corporate interests into mutually valuable partnership opportunities above relying on standardized sponsorship packages.
  • Lead proposal strategy, negotiation, pricing/value discussions, and internal coordination required to move opportunities from concept through close.
  • Engage Marketing, Communications, Programs, or other internal expertise when their involvement can materially increase the value, competitiveness, or effectiveness of a corporate opportunity.
• Team Leadership & Resource Optimization
  • Lead, coach, develop, and hold two Corporate Managers accountable for portfolio performance, revenue generation, relationship management, and professional growth.
  • Establish clear expectations, goals, priorities, and measures of success.
  • Allocate portfolios and responsibilities based on organizational priorities, individual strengths, relationship opportunities, and revenue potential.
  • Create a team structure that enables the Director to operate at the appropriate strategic level while remaining actively engaged in high-value fundraising.
• Corporate Stewardship, Hospitality & Events
  • Lead and oversee the execution of corporate donor stewardship activities, hospitality experiences, and high-touch sponsor engagements.
  • Event Activation & Execution: Direct the planning and activation of corporate donor events, including Corporate Reception, sponsor-hosted dinners, and customized corporate hospitality experiences.
  • On-Site Host & Sponsorship Concierge: Greet corporate sponsors, attend performance evenings and special events to ensure sponsor satisfaction, and proactively troubleshoot operational or hosting needs in real time.
  • Cross-Departmental Operational Coordination: Collaborate closely with operational and venue teams—including Marketing & Communications, Park Operations, Guest Services, Ticket Services, Artistic, and Production—to ensure seamless execution and delivery of corporate sponsor benefits and event logistics.
• Departmental Leadership & Organizational Partnership
  • Serve as a senior leader within the Development department, driving collaboration across functional areas and representing the organization in the broader community.
  • Development Leadership: Participate actively in Development leadership meetings and collaborate with peer directors to build a cohesive team environment and advance overall department goals.
  • Networking & Prospect Identification: Leverage personal contacts and continuously expand professional networks to identify new corporate partnerships, sponsorship, and funding opportunities.
  • Community & Festival Representation: Represent the organization professionally at social, cultural, civic, and industry engagements as requested to elevate brand visibility and deepen community ties.
  • Strategic Alignment with Leadership: Bring well-developed strategic recommendations to the CDO for final approval, exercising sound judgment on executive involvement and cross-functional dependencies.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in corporate relations, corporate philanthropy, sponsorship, fundraising, business development, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success developing or significantly shaping corporate fundraising or partnership strategy.
• Demonstrated experience generating, growing, or securing meaningful corporate revenue.
• Experience cultivating, soliciting, negotiating with, and stewarding senior corporate decision-makers.
• Demonstrated experience developing customized corporate proposals, pitch decks, sponsorships, partnerships, or comparable revenue opportunities.
• Experience directly supervising, coaching, or developing professional staff.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and allocate resources based on opportunity and organizational impact.
• Strong understanding of business development, corporate philanthropy, sponsorship, and relationship management.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across functions while maintaining clear ownership and accountability.
• Commitment to 36+ hours per week.