Institutional Giving Manager

The Institutional Giving Manager is a key member of the Development Department who cultivates CST’s growing portfolio of corporate, foundation, and government partners. Functioning as the lead grant writer for the organization, this position is also responsible for prospecting, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding current and potential funders. This highly collaborative position will partner and communicate with departments throughout the theater. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, personable, creative, energetic, and an excellent writer.

Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is deeply committed to creating and sustaining an organizational culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity, as well as promoting a safe, supportive, and collaborative work environment. www.chicagoshakes.com/ideatoaction

Primary Responsibilities:

Prospect Research and Relationship Development

• Manages a portfolio of 75 to 100 prospective and current foundation, corporate, and government funders.
• Cultivates funder relationships through on-going communications via phone, mail, email, and site visits.
• Conducts research to identify and qualify funders and develop a robust pipeline.
• Enhances and implements cultivation and stewardship strategies in collaboration with the Development team.
• Participates in special fundraising events as needed, including a limited number of evening events.
• Supports the advancement of programs and new initiatives among our corporate, foundation and government funders.

Grant Writing, Reporting, and Administration

• Crafts proposals, letters of intent, budgets, presentations, and funder briefing materials.
• Tracks stewardship of funders, including proposals, conversations, meetings, communications, and next steps in Tessitura database.
• Ensures timely reporting to donors, overseeing the reporting and pledge payment schedules for active grants
• Manages a multi-year grants plan and calendar with a schedule for prospecting; deadlines for proposals, grant applications, and reports; and funder stewardship.
• Works closely with the leadership team and program staff to develop narratives for new initiatives and programs in need of support.

Other Responsibilities:

• Models CST’s core values of service, ingenuity, and collaboration as well as its customer service ethos, and trains and holds accountable front facing staff for embodying these practices in all patron interactions.
• Champions the organization’s commitment to a respectful, inclusive and equitable workplace.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 3 to 5 years progressive experience as a fundraising professional or 6 to 7 equivalent experiences, including a working knowledge of Chicago area philanthropists.
• A minimum of 3 to 4 years grant writing experience – please submit 2 to 3 redacted grant writing samples when submitting a resume.
• Excellent writing skills and attention to detail, including ability to write succinctly with excellent grammar, spelling, and proof-reading.
• Understanding of trends and best practices in foundation and corporate giving.
• Background in the cultivation and solicitation of corporate, foundation, and government funders, including major gift and special event fundraising.
• Direct experience managing relationships with major donors.
• Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with a variety of audiences and diverse populations, including internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency in working with donor database software, preferably Tessitura, and using Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Self-starter with the capability to work independently while meeting deadlines.