Director, Institutional Giving

About Room to Grow

Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision that one day all parents will have the resources they need to unlock their families’ potential and become champions for babies and their community. Its mission is to offer structured parent support, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate their natural strengths and expand their knowledge, so children thrive from the start. Room to Grow was founded in New York in 1998 and expanded to Boston in 2005, currently partnering with over 1,500 families with an annual budget of $8.5M and a team of 50+ passionate and dedicated staff members. 

Room to Grow uses a two-generation, preventative, and strengths-based approach to engage families. Through its unique program, parents and caregivers partner with program staff to develop strategies to support their child's development, select the material items that their child needs, and connect with community resources that can expand their support network. Room to Grow program staff work alongside parents and caregivers as they build upon their existing skill sets and parenting styles and promote the well-being of their children and family. 

As an entrepreneurial and growth-oriented organization, Room to Grow is in an exciting period of development as it continues to expand its reach and impact in Boston, New York and Chicago. 

Position Summary

Room to Grow is an exciting period of growth and national expansion. In support, we are hiring a Director of Institutional Giving. This role will lead the organization’s foundation, corporate, in-kind and government fundraising at both local and national levels. 

Reporting to the Chief External Engagement Officer, the Director of Institutional Giving will be a key leader within the organization, responsible for designing and implementing comprehensive strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with institutional and government funders, ultimately driving increased financial support. 

The successful candidate will be a dynamic, results-oriented leader with a proven track record in securing significant funding from foundation and/or corporate sources. They will possess a strategic mindset and the ability to translate organizational goals into actionable fundraising strategies. Beyond fundraising and relationship building expertise, we are seeking a collaborative and agile leader, adept at forging relationships across departments and rallying stakeholders around shared goals and objectives.

This is a hybrid role that requires 2 to 3 days per week in-person in one of our Room to Grow locations in New York, NY or Boston, MA. 

Position Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Collaborate with the leadership team to establish institutional giving fundraising goals and strategies, ensuring alignment with overall organizational objectives.
• Develop and execute a strategic plan for institutional giving, including prospect research, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. 
• Provide strategic direction, guidance, and mentorship to the foundations and partnerships teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment. 
• Manage a portfolio of major donors, developing tailored cultivation and solicitation plans to deepen engagement and secure financial support.
• In partnership with the foundations team, develop, write and submit high-quality grant proposals, applications, and reports that clearly articulate the organization’s needs and impact. 
• In collaboration with the partnerships team, develop tailored partnership proposals to corporate prospects and donors, highlighting opportunities for collaboration and mutual benefit. 
• Develop and implement targeted prospecting plans to identify and cultivate new foundation, corporate and government relationships, leveraging research, data analysis, and industry best practices.
• Identify and create opportunities for donor recognition and stewardship, ensuring that institutional donors feel valued, appreciated, and connected to the organization.
• Work closely with the programs team to understand funding needs, programmatic priorities, and outcomes to develop compelling proposals. 
• Partner with the finance team to create budgets and financial reports for foundation, corporate and government funding, ensuring accuracy and alignment with donor requirements. 
• Utilize donor database (Salesforce) to track donor interactions, manage relationships, and analyze fundraising performance metrics to inform decision-making.
• Manage the institutional giving budget, allocating resources effectively to support fundraising activities and initiatives. 
• Develop and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure the success of institutional giving fundraising efforts.  
• Provide regular updates and reports to leadership and the board on institutional giving progress, successes, and challenges.
• Provide leadership and support to board members, staff, and volunteers involved in institutional giving efforts, including training, coaching, and ongoing communication, to foster a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.
• Stay informed about trends and best practices in institutional giving and philanthropy, and proactively adapt strategies to maximize fundraising effectiveness.
• Represent the organization at events, meetings, and other networking opportunities to promote fundraising opportunities and build awareness of the organization's mission and impact.

Qualifications and Experience

• A passion for the mission, vision, and core values of Room to Grow.
• 5+ years of demonstrated success in foundations and/or corporate fundraising. 
• Demonstrated track record of independently managing a portfolio of external relationships and building meaningful partnerships with key donors and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated track record of identifying, securing, and stewarding 5- and 6- figure institutional gifts. 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to persuasively articulate the organization's mission and impact to a variety of audiences through written materials, presentations, and interpersonal interactions.
• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, with the ability to develop and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, with experience managing and motivating staff, volunteers, and board members involved in fundraising activities.
• Familiarity with New York City, Boston and/or Chicago philanthropic landscape a plus.
• Experience with donor management software (Salesforce preferred), database systems, and other fundraising tools to track donor interactions, manage relationships, and generate reports effectively.
• An ability to handle pressure with equanimity and to thrive in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced, and accountability-focused organization; a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed for event coverage. 
• Ability to travel within the US (5-10%). 

Core Competencies

Mission and Culture Alignment - Allows a candidate to thrive at Room to Grow and to be highly motivated by the organization’s work and mission. A successful candidate:

• Embodies RtG core values, including integrity, respect, growth, collaboration, community and inclusion
• Articulates an authentic passion for and unwavering belief in RtG’s mission, demonstrating a commitment to and literacy around the issues of equity that undergird the work 
• Navigates ambiguity and pivots with ease; presents as collaborative and flexible with a strong service mentality and ability to navigate a local/national structure
• Models transparency as a leader and encourages open dialogue and inclusivity
• Demonstrates a growth mindset; approaches work with a learning orientation, continuously seeking to improve his or her own work and the work of the organization
• Possesses a deep appreciation for diversity, equity and inclusion and seeks to bring people together along lines of difference; is able to model this value in Room to Grow’s internal work by treating our diverse population of families with sensitivity, respect, compassion, and dignity, as well as demonstrating this value with an external presence

Relationship Building - Enables a candidate to build deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including Room to Grow community members. A successful candidate: 

• Experienced with managing successful partnerships, possessing a bold yet inviting conversational style that enables connections to organically form, grow, and expand over time
• Garners strong support for Room to Grow by enabling new and existing stakeholders to invest in and feel strongly connected to the organization’s mission, short and long-term objectives, and overall approach
• Gains trust and respect from people involved with Room to Grow by embodying and communicating the organization’s mission and culture, illustrating impact and results, and being responsive to questions and feedback 

Fundraising and External Engagement - Allows a candidate to achieve fundraising goals as well as serve as an effective ambassador and thought leader for Room to Grow, establishing deep relationships with a diverse range of external stakeholders. A successful candidate: 

• Meets or exceeds fundraising goals and shares ever-growing knowledge of fundraising best practices including annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, and donor communications
• Presents as a thought leader and engaging speaker with the ability to engage and influence a diverse spectrum of individuals and groups, including board members, current funders, prospects, and policy leaders
• Oversees the cultivation and stewardship of donors with an emphasis on deepening relationships and building a dedicated supporter base 
• Leads by example when thinking strategically about achieving annual revenue targets, fosters an environment of eagerness to think creatively about exploring alternative ways to diversify revenue

Communication - Allows a candidate to represent the organization across a range of internal and external stakeholders and share written and verbal information in a clear and compelling manner. A successful candidate:

• Effectively engages current and prospective stakeholders with compelling anecdotes and insightful narrative to allow for a warm and inclusive connection with Room to Grow 
• Strategically leads on department communications with a focus on effectively sharing the organization’s mission with a consistent voice and message
• Applies the utmost discretion and judgment when communicating with internal and external stakeholders, striking the balance between keeping individuals informed and maintaining internal confidentiality

Strategic Thinking - Allows a candidate to synthesize information and extract key findings and trends in order to develop, communicate, and execute strategy. A successful candidate: 

• Develops a shared vision while using expertise and resourcefulness to develop innovative plans and opportunities, giving thorough thought to risk and overall integrity to Room to Grow’s mission
• Possesses a deep understanding of financial analysis to create predictive scenarios that drive action and decision-making with multiple stakeholders
• Naturally and effectively translates a vision for a team, department, or organization into effective strategies for execution, setting ambitious goals, and delivering results 
• Keeps abreast of emerging trends, local current events, updates from community partners, and feedback from stakeholders to inform and analyze organizational processes and direction
• Acts as a leader by constantly acquiring knowledge and insights and promoting the sharing of knowledge not only across departments, but also across the entire organization

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. We encourage you to share any required accommodations with elise.spector@roomtogrow.org, who will treat your requests as confidentially as possible.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We view differences between individuals (e.g., race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education, beliefs, and lifestyle) as an asset. We celebrate what makes us unique and strive to create an inclusive environment for all. We are focused on fostering a culture of empowerment in an effort to better understand and serve the multifaceted cultures and identities of all of those within the Room to Grow community. At Room to Grow, our DEI efforts focus on uplifting the experiences and perspectives of underrepresented groups and doing the work that draws out the best in all of us.