Institutional Advancement Officer

Institutional Advancement Officer

The Institutional Advancement Officer leverages skills in strategic relationship-building, persuasive communication, grant development, and partnership management to secure and steward diverse funding streams from corporate, and foundation, partners. This role is essential for ensuring Northwest Harvest's sustainable growth and impact. It involves cultivating strong relationships with these partners, identifying new support opportunities, and managing the full life cycle of grants and contracts from prospect research and proposal development to reporting and renewal. By blending strategic relationship-building with strong grant writing and communication skills, this position will ensure that the organization meets its current needs while expanding its impact over time.

Working closely with the Management team, Director of Community Philanthropy, Director of Public Funded Partnerships, programs, and finance teams, this role serves as a connector between internal priorities and external funding opportunities. Bringing a business development mindset and strong project management skills, the individual translates organizational goals into compelling cases for support. As the primary steward of institutional funding partnerships, they will ensure that funders feel engaged, recognized, and invested in the long-term success of the organization.

The primary responsibility of this role is to lead Northwest Harvest's corporate and institutional support program by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding foundations and corporate funders whose missions and values align with our commitment to food justice and equity. This role involves supervising the Corporate Relations Manager and providing strategic leadership to build and maintain a strong, sustainable community-centric funding pipeline. This includes cultivating corporate partnerships through sponsorships, cause marketing, employee engagement, and volunteer opportunities, as well as strengthening relationships with BIPOC-led organizations and tribal communities to ensure our institutional fundraising strategies reflect the leadership, priorities, and self-determination of communities most impacted by hunger and food injustice.

The secondary function of this role is to play a key part in supporting the growth and expanding Northwest Harvest's government-funded business portfolio. In close partnership with the DPFP, the position contributes subject matter expertise and funding insights while ensuring alignment on engagement strategies before approaching external funders. Together, these roles strengthen our ability to pursue and secure public-funded grants and contracts. Serving as an advisor to the DPFP this role helps align strategic goals, innovative programs, and operational capacity with fundraising opportunities.

The position supports the development of crafting compelling proposals and building meaningful relationships with key stakeholders to advance Northwest Harvest's mission and long-term impact.

You will have oversight of our institutional funding opportunities, managing a diverse portfolio that includes foundation and corporate funding relationships. This involves leading prospect research, grant proposal creation and stewardship, crafting grant proposals, managing steward efforts, and providing high-level coordination and oversight of institutional fundraising activities. Additionally, you will support the identification and cultivation of institutional funders, manage funder communications, and stewardship efforts. Your efforts will ensure alignment across all institutional fundraising initiatives, allowing you to maintain comprehensive oversight of donor records and reporting systems. This role will ensure consistency, compliance, and strategic integration with the organization's three-year strategic fundraising plan.

In this role the successful incumbent will be accountable for meeting revenue and engagement targets by utilizing a blend of in-person and virtual meetings, along with various outreach methods like email communication. Your efforts will pave the way for identifying new opportunities for funding innovative programming, while also helping Northwest Harvest maintain and expand its services throughout Washington state.

This role continuously engages in cutting hunger rates in half by 2028 by securing institutional support from partners that are committed to creating a more equitable food system in Washington state. Your work will not only drive financial goals but also significantly contribute to our broader mission of food justice and community well-being.

Responsibilities

Relationship Management

• Promotes, manages, and expands Northwest Harvest's relationships with institutional partners across Washington state
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for funders, fostering ongoing engagement, recognition, and renewal. Develop and implement strategies that align funding opportunities with Northwest Harvest's strategic priorities
• In collaboration with the Advancement team, create and maintain solid, respectful relationships with corporate partners
• Ensure timely and transparent communication with institutional partners and report regularly on partnership strategy and status
• Proactively seek opportunities to expand and deepen partnerships with existing institutional supporters
• Research and qualify new corporate prospects whose values align with Northwest Harvest's mission and equity-based approach

People Management & Leadership

• Supervise and support the Corporate Relations Manager, providing regular coaching, performance feedback, and professional development opportunities
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and equity-centered work culture aligned with Northwest Harvest's values
• Set clear goals and expectations for direct reports and ensure alignment with team and organizational priorities
• Coordinate workload and capacity across the team to meet strategic deadlines and support cross-functional initiatives
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Director of Community Philanthropy and Director of Public Funded Partnerships and other Advancement leaders, contributing to long-term planning and revenue growth strategies
• Assesses future needs to hire and manage contract grant writers as applicable

Proposal Development

• Contribute to proposal strategy development and lead the implementation of an annual plan for cultivating, soliciting, and recognizing institutional donors
• Assist the DCP in setting fundraising goals annually
• Work with the Director of Finance, Finance Team, and other staff members to create project-specific and general operating budgets for proposals
• Identify and evaluate new institutional funding prospects that align with organizational strategy and provide strategic recommendations to advance organizational goals and maximize funding impact
• Utilizing Salesforce, maintaining accurate calendar of grants and reporting deadlines and all relevant interactions with funders

Grants and Fundraising Request Management

• Builds and nurtures relationships with institutional partners to identify shared value opportunities and secure support through grant applications, sponsorships, cause marketing, and employee engagement programs
• Maintains grant oversight by overseeing the status of grants and funding requests, and forecasting and tracking goals and budgets for the Advancement team
• Ensure all submission deadlines and reporting requirements are met, including narrative and financial reports
• Provide monthly updates to DCP and Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) on status of grants and institutional revenue
• Works to gather timely updates on grant deliverables, outcomes, and impact narratives
• Stay current with trends and issues in the fields of grant-making specifically and philanthropy generally
• Create and maintain Northwest Harvest proposal boilerplate language, such as organizational background information and program descriptions
• Manage relationships with external funders and support site visits or presentations as needed
• Provides narrative detail on Social Service/Northwest Harvest outcomes for grantors
• Communicates with the DCP and CAO regarding the spending of funds and ensures that funds are allocated properly in a timely manner
• Works with Advancement Specialist and future contract grant writers to develop and maintain all grant agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU's) pertaining to grant awards
• Ensures compliance with sponsor, federal, state, county, city laws and regulations
• Ensures all expenditures are allowable within grant restrictions and regulations

General

• Act as a goodwill ambassador and liaison between foundation and Northwest Harvest Advancement team and act as a professional goodwill ambassador representing the agency in the communities we serve
• Participate in cross functional teams and other activities as requested

Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Equity and Inclusion

Demonstrate the initiative to learn and enhance skills that promote anti-racism, cultural competency and an understanding of oppression and its impact

Participate in intentional learning efforts, including events relating to understanding and dismantling institutional racism and building cultural competency

Participation in, and commitment to, the principles of Community Centric Fundraising

Relationships

Internal: This position interacts with and communicates daily by asking questions, receiving and providing information with fellow Advancement team members and has frequent, respectful contact with all levels of staff and functions cross-departmentally. The successful incumbent in this role presents accurate information regarding institutional funding opportunities and requirements in a consistent and adept manner

External: This position will uphold NWH's commitment to end hunger by interacting daily with current and prospective funding program officers and Northwest Harvest stakeholders in a respectful manner that aligns with the organization's mission and vision. Exercise sensitivity, courtesy, and confidentiality in all interactions with donors.

Minimum Qualifications

A combination of the real-life experience, education, and training listed below which provides an equivalent background to perform the work of this position.

Successful completion of a background check is required.

Knowledge of:

• A broad range of philanthropy activities, including strategic analysis