Corporate Partnerships Manager

About Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation is one of the world’s largest conservation organizations dedicated to inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Founded in 1972, the Foundation has grown into a respected global leader in environmental conservation, with a mission centered on helping people understand and use trees as solutions to critical global issues including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty, and hunger. The organization operates Arbor Day Farm, a 260-acre property in Nebraska where the Foundation’s mission comes to life. This state historical park serves as both a demonstration site and educational facility showcasing sustainable forestry and environmental stewardship practices. The Foundation works across multiple environmental solution areas including reforestation and disaster recovery initiatives, carbon offset programs, water quality improvement projects, biodiversity conservation, urban forestry development, and corporate employee engagement programs. The Arbor Day Foundation maintains a strong commitment to its corporate culture, as reflected in their motto: “life is short, love where you work.” The organization emphasizes meaningful work that creates tangible environmental impact while fostering a supportive, mission-driven workplace. The Foundation collaborates with corporations, government entities, nonprofits, and individuals worldwide to advance conservation goals and build partnerships that generate both environmental and social value. About this Role The Arbor Day Foundation is seeking a Corporate Partnerships Manager to join its growing team and help turn ambitious corporate goals into meaningful, measurable environmental impact. This is an exciting opportunity to devote your talents to a cause much greater than yourself, working with an organization that has inspired millions to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. In this role, you will build and grow strategic partnerships that drive revenue and advance the Foundation’s conservation mission. You’ll connect with corporate decision-makers to understand their priorities and develop customized solutions that create shared value. Whether the focus is reforestation, disaster recovery, carbon reduction, water quality, biodiversity, urban forestry, or employee engagement, you’ll bring together the right opportunities and internal expertise to help partners achieve their goals while creating lasting environmental impact. You’ll report to the Director of Corporate Partnerships and work closely with cross-functional teams including Sales and Service, Product, Science & GIS, Mission Delivery, Marketing, Finance, Legal, and other departments across the Foundation. This position is hybrid, with a preference for candidates based in Lincoln, Nebraska, though U.S.-based remote candidates are welcome. Lincoln-based team members work in the office Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with optional remote work on Wednesday and Friday. The role requires 20-30% travel, approximately 3-4 times per quarter, for meetings, training, and Foundation events, with the ability to travel both domestically and internationally. Responsibilities Proactively identify and develop new corporate partnership opportunities through targeted outreach, referrals, networking, conferences, territory development, and leveraging existing relationships Research prospective partners to understand their business, sustainability and climate commitments, priorities, and potential partnership opportunities Identify and connect with the right stakeholders and decision-makers, creating momentum from initial outreach through discovery and agreement Conduct thoughtful discovery conversations to understand prospective partners’ goals, priorities, challenges, decision-making processes, and partnership interests Listen first and recommend second, developing clear understanding of what organizations are trying to accomplish before proposing solutions Build credibility across multiple stakeholders and translate customer needs into opportunities across the Arbor Day Foundation’s portfolio Create customized partnership recommendations that connect partner objectives with the Foundation’s programs, products, and environmental solutions Look across the full portfolio to identify the right solution or combination of solutions rather than using one-size-fits-all approaches Bring together internal subject-matter experts across Product, Science & GIS, Mission Delivery, Marketing, Technology, Finance, Legal, and other teams to develop credible and executable solutions Develop and present proposals, presentations, and partnership materials tailored to prospective and existing partners Own opportunities throughout the partnership lifecycle from prospecting and discovery through solution development, proposal, negotiation, and agreement execution Confidently present ideas and recommendations to customer decision-makers while navigating multiple stakeholders, priorities, and complex decision processes Negotiate partnership terms and agreements within established Foundation guidelines while contributing to partnership, revenue, and growth goals Develop trusted, long-term relationships with corporate partners and understand both their objectives and the Foundation’s capabilities Identify opportunities to expand relationships through renewals, additional solutions, referrals, and deeper engagement Partner closely with Partner Relationship Managers, Mission Delivery, and fellow Corporate Partnerships team members to support successful execution and uncover growth opportunities Maintain accurate prospect, contact, opportunity, activity, and agreement information within the CRM Monitor pipeline health and use CRM and reporting tools to support forecasting, prioritization, planning, and decision-making Share customer feedback, market insights, and emerging opportunities with internal teams Represent the Arbor Day Foundation at partner meetings, conferences, webinars, industry events, and networking opportunities Requirements Passion for the Foundation’s mission, nature, environmental stewardship, and people Demonstrated track record of creating and advancing revenue-generating opportunities through consultative B2B sales, business development, strategic partnerships, fundraising, account development, or comparable work Experience in corporate sustainability, climate solutions, environmental services, CSR/ESG, corporate partnerships, employee engagement, community impact, or philanthropy (valued but not required) Experience proactively building pipeline and creating new opportunities rather than solely relying on inbound leads or established portfolios Strong consultative discovery skills with the ability to understand customer goals, challenges, priorities, and decision-making processes before recommending solutions Experience building credibility and relationships across multiple stakeholders and decision-makers, particularly within complex, Fortune 500 organizations Ability to translate customer needs into customized solutions rather than taking one-size-fits-all approaches Experience presenting ideas, recommendations, proposals, or solutions and advancing opportunities toward decision or agreement Strong relationship-building, listening, communication, presentation, negotiation, and influencing skills Highly motivated, self-directed approach with initiative, resilience, and persistence to create momentum and determine next best actions Ability to collaborate across teams, bring the right subject-matter experts into conversations, and coordinate work without direct authority Experience using CRM systems to manage relationships, opportunities, pipeline activity, and forecasting Strong organization and follow-through with the ability to manage multiple opportunities and priorities Domestic and international travel capability Benefits Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage with multiple plan options including PPO and HDHP Company-Paid Life Insurance with $15,000 basic coverage plus voluntary options Short- and Long-Term Disability fully covered by the company Employee Assistance Program providing free, confidential counseling and resources for employees and their families Supplemental Insurance Options including Accident, Critical Illness (with infertility coverage), and Hospital Indemnity plans 401(k) Retirement Plan with immediate eligibility and company match up to 5%; full vesting after 5 years Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Account for pre-tax savings on healthcare and dependent care expenses Eight paid holidays, one floating holiday, and annual “Unplug Time” during the holidays Parental Leave providing 12 weeks paid for birthing parents and 2 weeks paid for non-birthing parents, including adoptions Paid Time Off including vacation, sick leave, and volunteer time off Professional Development access to LinkedIn Learning and tuition reimbursement Annual Learning Goal encouraging 40+ hours of professional development HealthJoy App included with health plan for easy care navigation Wellness and Recognition incentives with recognition gifts awarded for work anniversaries and birthdays Exclusive Discounts and Free Admission to Tree Adventure, Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, golf, and other venues #J-18808-Ljbffr Invest Impactly