[Hiring] Senior Vice President, Foundation Relations @Covenant House International

Role Description

The Senior Vice President, Foundation Relations is a strategic and entrepreneurial fundraising executive responsible for leading Covenant House International's foundation fundraising program and securing transformational philanthropic investments from private foundations. Reporting directly to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the SVP will focus primarily on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major commitments from foundations capable of making seven- and eight-figure investments.

The SVP will expand Covenant House's foundation portfolio by developing and securing significant new funding relationships with international, national, regional, family, and private foundations whose priorities align with Covenant House's mission and strategic objectives. The successful candidate will be a proven fundraiser with extensive experience securing multiple multi-million-dollar commitments and multi-year grants from leading private foundations.

This leader will manage a team of frontline foundation relations officers and grant writers responsible for prospect development, cultivation, proposal development, reporting, and ongoing foundation engagement. The SVP will establish ambitious revenue goals, implement best practices across the foundation relations function, and build a high-performing team capable of sustaining significant growth.

As a senior leader within the revenue organization, the SVP will help shape fundraising strategy, foster cross-functional collaboration, and model Covenant House's values of unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. This position requires a self-starter with exceptional judgment, initiative, and accountability who can operate independently and achieve ambitious goals with minimal supervision.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in foundation fundraising and institutional philanthropy
• Strong understanding of the foundation landscape, including major family, independent, regional, national, and international foundations
• Proven ability to identify, cultivate, and close new foundation funding relationships
• Expertise in developing comprehensive institutional fundraising strategies aligned with organizational priorities
• Exceptional relationship-building skills with foundation executives, trustees, program officers, and philanthropic advisors
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities
• Ability to develop and communicate complex cases for support tailored to institutional funders
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proposal development skills
• Outstanding presentation and verbal communication abilities
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Strong understanding of grant budgeting, proposal development, compliance, stewardship, and reporting requirements
• High degree of initiative, accountability, and independent judgment
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines within a fast-paced environment
• Passion for Covenant House's mission and demonstrated commitment to serving vulnerable youth

Requirements

• Minimum of 12-15 years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including substantial experience in foundation relations and institutional giving
• Demonstrated success securing seven- and eight-figure grants and multi-year commitments from private foundations
• Proven success securing seven- and eight-figure grants from national, regional, family, and private foundations
• Experience building and managing portfolios of major foundation prospects and funders
• Significant experience developing new foundation partnerships and generating substantial new revenue
• Demonstrated success leading foundation fundraising strategies that achieve sustained revenue growth
• Experience managing frontline fundraising professionals and grant writing teams
• Experience collaborating with executive leaders, board members, program staff, and external stakeholders
• Experience managing large funding opportunities involving multiple stakeholders and organizational departments
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and consistently achieve ambitious fundraising goals with minimal supervision
• Ability and willingness to travel as necessary

Benefits

• Expected to travel nationally up to 10%-30% for in-person meetings with partners and CHI team meetings as needed

Company Description

Covenant House has served and advocated for youth and young families experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and exploitation since 1972. Our overarching goal is to end homelessness among youth and young families by helping them achieve housing stability, heal from trauma, tap into their innate resilience, and hone their interests and skills to forge new pathways to independence.