Position Title: Corporate Relations Manager

Reports to: Chief of Development Officer

Position: Full-Time, Exempt

Location: San Diego, California

Salary: $100,000 – $120,000 annual salary, depending on experience

About Workshops for Warriors

Workshops for Warriors® (WFW) is a fully audited, board-governed 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The mission of WFW is to provide quality training, accredited STEM educational programs, and opportunities to earn third party nationally recognized credentials to enable veterans, transitioning service members, and other students to be successfully trained and placed in their chosen advanced manufacturing career field.

We are rebuilding American manufacturing, one veteran at a time. Join us!

The Role

The Corporate Relations Manager is responsible for developing, growing, and stewarding new and current relationships with corporations and organizations for partnerships for Workshops for Warriors. This experienced fundraiser, passionate about veteran transition, will build engagement around the cause and draw the support from corporate donors to make our mission flourish.

The Corporate Relations Manager will work alongside the Chief of Development Officer and in collaboration with the Director of Marketing to grow corporate giving at a rapid pace while continuing to support the needs of these partners. This role will implement the strategic direction for the prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of corporate gifts; producing written proposals, presentation materials, and an ambitious outreach plan. The Corporate Relations Manager will also take on the active management of existing corporate donors while growing the program into one that will build a foundation of donors looking to make a deeper impact through corporate social responsibility.

The role of the Corporate Relations Manager is critical to building partnerships that support programs, events, overall organization operations, and Workshops for Warriors’ upcoming capital campaign. This position requires a dynamic individual with a strong record of success working with corporations who will drive corporate fundraising to quickly meet challenging revenue goals as Workshops for Warriors dives deeper into its ongoing transformation from a grassroots organization to a national changemaker. The Corporate Relations Manager must be an effective communicator with the ability to inspire all audiences and must be firmly committed to our cause.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Lead and implement a comprehensive cultivation, communication, and solicitation strategy that appropriately and consistently promotes the acquisition and retention of corporate supporters
  • Strengthen existing partnerships and build new, meaningful relationships with corporate supporters, creating engagement and a deep sense of community around our mission and positioning the organization as a valued, in-demand partner
  • Develop and implement annual and longer-term plans to increase giving and levels of participation for corporate partnerships to reach $2.5M in corporate revenue in 2023
  • Understand the entire corporate relations process, including how to identify prospects, research corporations’ needs, negotiate contracts, and provide stewardship
  • Develop highly competitive proposals for corporate support and partnerships, and provide all updates and reporting requirements
  • Develop strategies designed to demonstrate the programs and mission of the organization to achieve increased funding and create polished, compelling presentations, decks, and customized collateral for prospective partners
  • Make frequent in-person visits and cold calls to corporate stakeholders to obtain meetings, cultivate relationships, and market program opportunities to corporate entities in various industries
  • Secure new and renewing event and monthly sponsorship revenue by identifying prospects, researching, qualifying, approaching, and soliciting to secure support
    Work closely with the Events Coordinator and Marketing Team to ensure corporate sponsors receive appropriate recognition through media and marketing materials
  • Work with leadership to establish and execute customized corporate and employee engagement strategies
  • Actively manage and grow the existing portfolio of more than 125 corporations
  • Manage and expand the caseload of matching gift companies, and collaborate with the Development Team to build donor awareness of workplace giving opportunities
  • Manage all aspects of the cause-marketing program, including responding to inquiries, seeking new opportunities, coordinating agreements, negotiating marketing requirements, and developing Round Up at the Register partnerships
  • Solicit in-kind donations for events, programs, and other organization needs
  • Effectively address all external and internal corporate-related inquiries via email and phone
  • Maintain accurate contact information and detailed progress notes within the organization’s donor database
  • Participate in the collaborative stewardship and cultivation work of the Development team
  • Develop and maintain strong working relationships with all departments and team members
  • Create weekly reports on progress in relationship-building and secured commitments to share with the Chief Development Officer
  • Provide additional support to the Chief Development Officer, as needed

The above statements describe the general nature and levels of work to be performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

  • An authentic passion for veterans and veteran transition, as well as a commitment to our mission
  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field or five or more years of relevant fundraising or sales experience
  • Demonstrated success in reaching revenue goals
  • Experience with forming and maintaining high-level partnerships
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills
  • Strong oral and written communication skills with demonstrated ability to present to high-level decision-makers
  • Substantial experience making direct, face-to-face solicitations, cold calls, and developing written proposals
  • Ability to understand and meet funder requirements and organization policies
  • An extrovert who is eager to network, initiate and build relationships, and inspire engagement
  • Strong data and financial acumen
  • Work well under pressure and be flexible, creative, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable of the community
  • The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds
  • Organized and adept at independently managing projects and processes well including planning, meeting deadlines, and evaluating progress
  • Motivated and disciplined in setting and achieving goals
  • Demonstrated ability to be a collaborative and supportive member of a high-performance team of staff and volunteers
  • Creative in managing projects on limited resources
  • Highly self-motivated to excel in meeting the needs of a mission-driven organization
  • Proficient in using the most recent versions of computer software applications including Google Docs, Google Sheets, CRMs, and presentation software
  • Must be able to travel
  • Must be available to work evenings and weekends as needed

Physical Job Requirements

  • Must be able to sit in front of a computer for a prolonged period

Preferred Qualifications

  • Three years of experience developing strong partnerships with corporations for a nonprofit organization
  • Experience developing and explaining the value proposition for corporations to partner with a nonprofit organization

Benefits

Salary: $100,000 – $120,000 annual salary, depending on experience

Workshop for Warriors has retained the exclusive services of Charity Search Group to coordinate the search for this position. To discuss your suitability for the role, please contact Amanda McReynolds Doran (amanda@charitysearchgroup.com) or visit http://www.charitysearchgroup.com.

Workshop for Warriors is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to having a workforce that reflects diversity at all levels of the organization. We recognize the importance of not viewing individuals based on a single identity, and we thrive on being equitable in our recruitment process as well as in our efforts to be inclusive of all employees.