Senior Foundation Partnerships Manager

About the Role

DonorsChoose is seeking a Senior Foundation Partnerships Manager to manage and grow strategic partnerships with private foundations and donors that advance educational equity and expand support for teachers and students nationwide.

Success in this role requires more than excellent grant writing. Our strongest partnerships are built through thoughtful relationship development, deep understanding of philanthropic priorities, and the ability to connect foundation strategies and individuals’ giving priorities with meaningful opportunities to create impact. This role combines strategic fundraising, business development, and consultative partnership management to build long‑term relationships that generate transformational support for classrooms.

As a senior individual contributor, you will own a portfolio of sophisticated foundation and donor relationships while helping strengthen DonorsChoose’s approach to institutional and individual philanthropy, identify new opportunities, and grow long‑term investments. This role will focus primarily on a portfolio of sophisticated foundation and major donor relationships, each contributing $250K+ annually .

Primary Responsibilities

• Own a portfolio of institutional and individual philanthropic relationships, developing long‑term strategies that deepen engagement and increase investment over time.
• Build trusted relationships with program officers, foundation executives, trustees, individual donors, and other key decision makers.
• Consistently identify opportunities for renewals, increased investments, multi‑year commitments, and expanded partnership scope.
• Contribute meaningfully toward annual fundraising goals by managing renewals and increased investments from a portfolio of sophisticated foundation and individual partners.

Develop Strategic Funding Opportunities

• Design compelling funding strategies that align funders’ philanthropic priorities with DonorsChoose’s mission, programs, and long‑term organizational goals while creating opportunities for deeper, longer‑term partnerships.
• Develop persuasive grant proposals, concept papers, reports, and presentations tailored to foundations’ and individuals’ interests.
• Translate DonorsChoose’s data, classroom insights, and impact into compelling cases for investment that connect to sector trends and philanthropic priorities.
• Stay current on philanthropic trends, emerging funding priorities, and evolving giving strategies to strengthen DonorsChoose's fundraising approach.

Lead Complex Cross‑Functional Execution

• Serve as the primary relationship owner across complex foundation and individual partnerships from cultivation through stewardship and renewal.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Impact & Insights, Revenue Operations, Finance, and other internal teams to develop proposals, execute grant‑funded initiatives, and deliver exceptional funder experiences.
• Anticipate challenges, coordinate stakeholders, and maintain momentum across multiple concurrent grant cycles and partnership commitments.
• Ensure outstanding execution across every stage of the partnership lifecycle.

Strengthen Team Capability

• Share successful fundraising strategies and contribute to evolving fundraising best practices.
• Mentor teammates on strategy, proposal development, and relationship cultivation.
• Identify opportunities to improve fundraising operations, proposal development processes, and portfolio management practices.
• Bring an external perspective on philanthropy trends, helping the team continuously strengthen DonorsChoose’s approach to institutional fundraising.

Qualifications

• Have 8+ years of experience in foundation fundraising, institutional giving, philanthropy, business development, strategic partnerships, or consultative relationship management.
• Have successfully secured and managed complex six‑ and seven‑figure partnerships.
• Are exceptional at building trusted relationships with foundation leaders and individuals and navigating sophisticated philanthropic organizations.
• Think strategically – naturally connecting organizational priorities with funder interests and identifying opportunities for long‑term partnership growth.
• Are an outstanding writer and communicator, able to translate complex ideas into compelling, fundable proposals.
• Balance long cultivation cycles with disciplined execution and thoughtful relationship management.
• Are a master of prioritization, thriving on turning ambiguity into execution; skilled at scoping projects, balancing urgency with thoughtful prioritization across multiple high‑value relationships, and keeping cross‑functional teams aligned.
• Enjoy collaborating across functions and are recognized as someone who makes teams stronger.
• Care deeply about educational equity and believe philanthropy can be a powerful driver of systemic change.

Level Expectations

Senior Corporate Partnerships Managers independently own the organization’s most sophisticated partnership portfolios and consistently deliver against ambitious fundraising goals. They shape partnership strategy, influence how the team approaches relationship management, and serve as mentors and thought partners to colleagues, though they do not directly manage people. They influence cross‑functional decisions, improve team practices, and enhance the overall quality of partnership work across the organization.

Travel Expectations

Candidates should expect to travel approximately 8‑10 times per year, based on business need. Travel can include internal events such as all‑staff gatherings and external events such as partner meetings and conferences. All work‑related travel expenses will be covered by the organization.

Compensation & Benefits

Our compensation philosophy ensures that we are both externally competitive with tech‑forward nonprofits of a similar size and internally fair in our pay practices. The following ranges represent the target offer range given the scope and experience expectations for this role.

• The hiring salary range for this role is $90,000 – $110,000.
• We have a hiring salary range of $100,000 – $120,000 for specific higher‑cost‑of‑labor locations, which include New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Upon hiring, all employees are eligible for annual performance‑based raises as they grow in their role. We welcome candidates with a range of experience, and we consider over‑qualification or under‑qualification on a case‑by‑case basis. Please be prepared to discuss how your experience aligns with the role.

In addition, we offer full‑time staff 25 paid vacation days per year, 11 paid holidays, a comprehensive employer‑paid individual and family health plan, a matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary), an annual professional development stipend, and a casual and flexible work environment. To learn more about working at DonorsChoose, visit our careers page.

Hybrid Workplace and Other Details

In this role, you’ll have the option to work a flexible hybrid schedule in our NYC office, or to work fully remotely from CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, or WI.

DonorsChoose participates in E‑Verify. Workers’ identities are verified through the U.S. Social Security Administration and, when necessary, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.