Foundation Relations Manager

Foundation Relations Manager (FRM) 

Reports to: Director of Resource Mobilization

Direct Reports: None

Works with: Advancement Operations Manager, Narrative Manager, Movement Solidarity (program) team

Location: This is a full-time, telecommuting position

FLSA/Classification: Non-Exempt, Full-time, Regular

Union Classification: Bargaining Unit position

Salary Range: $101,475 to $110,495 annually

Position Overview:

The Foundation Relations Manager (FRM) works closely with the Director of Resource Mobilization (DRM) to grow and steward Groundswell’s vibrant and engaged community of foundations, donors, and philanthropic partners. This leader will be the main driver of prospecting, cultivating, securing, and renewing institutional philanthropic support for Groundswell’s strategic vision. The FRM will engage with foundation partners to cultivate, solicit, and steward grants, coordinating appropriate Groundswell program staff involvement at each stage and ensuring full compliance with reports and proposals. This role will help support the long-term sustainable growth of Groundswell and will have a deep personal and professional connection with our core values. 

Our workplace is proudly a unionized environment. The terms of employment for this role are governed by our handbook and the collective bargaining agreement between Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Workers United, Communication Workers of America (CWA) local 9415. This position is a union eligible role, and membership is a condition of employment. We celebrated our first union contract with Groundswell Workers United in 2024 and are on track for a second union contract beginning in 2027.

The ideal candidate for this role is proactive, driven, equal parts relational and detail-oriented, and has the ability to work collaboratively with diverse staff, external partners, and stakeholders in a fast-paced remote environment; is self-motivated and highly organized, with exceptional attention to accuracy; is flexible and can manage multiple deadlines simultaneously; and exercises good judgment in handling confidential information. The candidate will demonstrate their ability to write persuasively and have excellent interpersonal communication skills to engage a wide range of funders. 

Equal Employment Opportunity: Groundswell Fund is looking for talented, experienced individuals eager to join a collaborative team that’s working to organize resources to back up the brilliant leadership of our grantee partners. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals, but without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status.

Accountabilities:

Relationship Cultivation & Stewardship

• Spearhead the growth of Groundswell’s approximately $8M portfolio, in consultation with the DRM, including active prospecting, cultivation, and retention of foundation partners. 

• Serve as one of the primary Groundswell contacts responsible for stewarding these relationships—directly stewarding a portfolio of funders—and project managing other staff leaders to steward portfolios and relationships. Represent Groundswell in meetings with external funders, partners, and allies.

• Lead the expansion of the pipeline for new funding opportunities that align with Groundswell’s programs by conducting prospect research.

• Set annual revenue goals for institutional giving, in consultation with the DRM. Develop, monitor, and adjust short- and long-range plans, consistent with best practices, that support those goals and increase our portfolio of funders. Drive revenue projections as well as mid-year revenue re-forecasting.

• Plan and manage activities to increase revenue and identify new sources of funding, including briefings, events, virtual and in-person meetings, and other donor/funder gatherings, in collaboration with the Communications and Donor Relations teams.

• Conduct and present research on foundation partners, funder networks, and affinity groups, and prepare leadership and colleagues for partner meetings.

Project Management of Proposals & Reports

• Manage the organization’s full grant docket and the calendar of proposal and reporting deadlines, working with grant writing consultants and the Narrative Manager to complete all materials.

• Ensure all foundation materials are submitted with a high degree of excellence.

• Drive process to collect program information to weave compelling proposal narratives, in collaboration with the program team, Communications team, and Narrative Manager. 

Data, Grants, and System Management

• Oversee the integrity of foundation data tracked in CRM, ensuring grant compliance and thorough recordkeeping, in collaboration with the Advancement Operations Manager.

• Monitor and track foundation commitments and deliverables by producing reports and analysis, and communicate these expectations with DRM and program staff. Ensure appropriate tracking of restricted revenue in coordination with Finance staff. 

• Establish and track performance measures for evaluating the effectiveness of Groundswell’s institutional giving program.

• Refine and document procedures, processes, and systems to support funder engagement and the full grant life cycle. 

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor. 

Qualifications:

Essential:

• At least five (5) years of experience in institutional giving, funder organizing and/or fundraising, preferably within nonprofit or philanthropic organizations. 

• Proven success in securing 6-to-7 figure gifts/grants and moving a foundation from prospect to supporter.

• Knowledge of prospect research, foundation relations, family foundations, funder communications, and special events.

• Experience managing consultants and high-level deliverables across a dotted reporting structure.

• Experience translating organizational vision into concrete goals with actionable project plans with exceptional attention to detail without losing sight of the broader vision.

• Strong public speaking skills and experience serving as an organizational ambassador.  

• Computer skills including proficiency with Google Suite, web browsers, and conferencing software (Zoom). Experience with database software and CRMs (Neon), basic web platforms, Slack, Asana, and other project management tools is also essential. 

• Outstanding organizational and project management skills, including the ability to strategically handle competing priorities and deadlines in a changing environment. 

• Excellent written and verbal English fluency communication skills, including the ability to communicate concisely for multiple audiences, through multiple mediums (phone, video, email), as well as edit copy for clarity and grammatical accuracy. 

• Demonstrated ability to understand, represent, and contribute effectively to Groundswell’s mission, vision, and values.

• Strong experience, understanding, and skill in applying social lenses of race, class, gender, and decolonization in verbal and written communications.

• Must be available to travel up to five times a year for overnight events and donor meetings across the U.S. Travel needs will be evaluated and determined on an ongoing basis with a primary focus on staff safety as we navigate transmittable illness such as COVID-19.

• Ability to create powerful, compelling communications and convey complex concepts in an accessible way.

• Impeccable judgment and discretion in dealing with sensitive and confidential information.  

Strongly Preferred:

• Experience working at social justice organizations, with experience with 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) fundraising.

• Familiarity with reproductive justice and gender justice. 

• Experience working at a fully remote organization.

Who we Are:

Groundswell Fund 501(c)(3) and Groundswell Action Fund 501(c)(4) are sibling intermediary funders, moving resources to grassroots movements working at the intersection of bodily autonomy and democracy. 

Through our grantmaking and partnerships, we resource organizations across the country that are organizing communities, shifting narratives, and developing new strategies for long-term democratic power. In a time of rising authoritarianism and shrinking philanthropic support, Groundswell works to ensure grassroots movements have the resources, infrastructure, and partnerships they need not only to resist attacks but to build the future they envision. We are a long-term funder of the U.S. Reproductive Justice (RJ) Movement. Since the start of our grantmaking, we have moved more than $200 million (across both our c3 and c4) to the field in grants and capacity-building support, increased the giving of dozens of national and local foundations, and helped bring thousands of new individual donors into the RJ Movement. Our grantees have been instrumental in the passage of hundreds of pro-RJ policies at the state and local level and in blocking many regressive policies, and they have built a growing grassroots base of support for RJ across the U.S. 

Groundswell is a fully remote, highly collaborative, pro-worker, pro-union organization working across five time zones. We believe that the best ideas emerge when diverse perspectives come together, and we are committed to creating an inclusive and flexible work environment where employees can thrive. To succeed as remote workers, applicants should have a dedicated workspace, a commitment to clear and frequent communication, and comfort utilizing technology to increase collaboration and connection. Those with prior remote work experience are preferred, but we also welcome those new to remote work who understand the requirements of working in a thriving virtual organizational culture.

Work Schedule: Groundswell operates on a 4-day, 32-hour work week, Monday-Thursday. We are a completely virtual organization, allowing for flexibility in work schedules for our staff across differing U.S. time zones. While work can usually be completed during standard business hours of the applicant's time zone, there may be times where early morning, evening, and weekend work may be needed to ensure organization-wide collaboration, to staff or attend events, and/or to meet organization workload needs during busy times over the year. Staff whose jobs require travel can expect longer hours, as travel may happen outside of business hours and on weekends.