Advancement Officer - Corporate Engagement & Student Initiatives

About the position

The Advancement Officer – Corporate Engagement and Student Initiatives is a key member of the Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA’s) Advancement Corporate Relations (CR) team. This hybrid role bridges fundraising for student-centered initiatives with corporate engagement strategy. As a member of a dynamic team of dedicated, goal-oriented fundraising professionals, this role manages a highly integrated approach to the strategic and financial goals of the Institute. The Officer will lead sponsorship and donor cultivation for signature student events such as the college’s Annual Student Activities Program (ASAP), Student Cook-Off’s, Student & Campus Living activities and programs, while also managing select corporate accounts and supporting key advancement events and partnerships. In addition, the Officer will be responsible for the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of flagship fundraiser events, special-purpose gifts, and the management of a growing portfolio. The Officer will also develop, coordinate, and manage Corporate Relations accounting tools in support of the CR Team. The Officer will work cross-functionally with CIA’s branch campuses and work to secure a revenue target of \$820,000 or more. The Officer will be responsible for managing the Manager, Corporate Relations, following the onboarding process.

Responsibilities

• Fundraising & Donor Engagement Lead and drive fundraising for student-focused initiatives across three CIA campuses (NY, CA, TX) to generate \$820,000K+ annually.
• Manage a donor portfolio of up to 75+ corporate and a few individual supporters with a secondary fundraising goal of \$75K+, generating gifts for various Corporate Relations initiatives.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors through campus tours, meetings, and event activations.
• Prepare proposals, letters of agreement, GIK forms, engagement grids, donor materials, and stewardship reports in collaboration with the Corporate Relations team and Advancement team members.
• Maintain master pipeline targets for all budgeted student program categories and event initiatives. Lead in identifying donors for the various areas.
• Maintain accurate data in donor management systems to coordinate CRM updates.
• Create, send, and follow up on Corporate Relations solicitations and communication vehicles as needed.
• Effectively communicate with a vast audience of industry leaders representing the following: C-Suite, Marketing, Business Development, Sales, and Culinary teams.
• Program & Event Management Drive and oversee fundraising and collaborate on operations for: ASAP: multi-campus program supported by 30+ corporate partners delivering multi-year activations to New York, California, and Texas campuses.
• Student Cook-Offs: approximately 5 annual events across NY and SA campuses.
• Campus Life Initiatives: Student Charity Dinners (4/yr), Week of Welcome, Student Clubs & Special Project Days, Tri-Wizard, Special Project Day and Staff/Faculty Appreciation Days, and others.
• Collaborate with internal departments to ensure seamless and successful planning and execution, along with sponsorship fulfillment.
• Develop and maintain SOP’s and program stewardship plans to ensure appropriate policies and procedures are in place for all initiatives.
• Corporate Relations Support Support broader Corporate Relations efforts, including pipeline development, SOP development, GIK tracking, and reconciliation to back-up monthly closing procedures.
• Support the development of donor proposals, reports, and presentations, including editing and writing of donor correspondence.
• Foster cross-functional collaborative relationships and communications across all CIA campuses, utilizing best practices for matching donor interest with institutional priorities.
• Collaborate regularly with CR team to focus on business development for overall student initiatives platforms and to constantly build CR pipeline.
• Monitor progress towards achieving revenue goals.
• Attend industry events as needed to deepen donor engagement and expand CIA’s corporate network.
• Perform any and all other duties as assigned and required by The Culinary Institute of America.
• Stewardship & Reporting Responsible for stewardship of individual portfolio and works with CR team as needed for support.
• Collaborate with the Corporate Relations Team to develop cohesive stewardship strategies for each Student Initiatives program.
• Lead stewardship communications, including event follow-ups, case studies, impact reports, and donor recognition tools for participating events, working collaboratively with Sr. Manager of Advancement Communications.
• Contribute to the development of the CR Resources Center and regular donor reporting tools with CR Team on a monthly basis.
• Maintain updated corporate contacts and track progress utilizing Millennium, Crystal reports, and prospect tracking system.
• Events & Outreach Develop relationships with portfolio constituents who can help advance the CIA’s major events and initiatives within Officer’s scope of responsibility.
• Participation and support for Advancement-wide events throughout the year such as Leadership Awards, “Run For Your Knives”, select Alumni initiatives , Family Weekend and others as deemed appropriate.
• Any and all other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Communications, Fundraising, Hospitality, Marketing, or related field.
• Three (3) to five (5) years of progressive experience working in fundraising, sales, marketing, or business development.
• Previous experience in event, foodservice and/or hospitality industry.
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills; ability to be adaptable, dependable, and handle multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills.
• Excellent Customer Service skills.
• Comfortable engaging with corporate executives and donor stakeholders.
• Must display a high level of energy and self-motivation.
• Demonstrated passion for project and event management.
• Detail-oriented and thorough with exceptional organizational skills.
• Demonstrate strong facilitation and presentation skills.
• Excellent written, verbal communication, and presentation skills required.
• Must have demonstrated ability in organizational, time management, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to have an approach to problem solving that is highly collegial and positive in outlook and approach.
• Ability to interpret and articulate vision.
• Ability to use sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive Advancement information with confidentiality and discretion.
• Strong computer experience, which must include abilities to work effectively with e-Learning systems, fund-raising database systems, and MS Office suite products, i.e. Word, Excel, and advanced skills in PowerPoint required.
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands.

Nice-to-haves

• Knowledge of fundraising principles and/or experience in higher education advancement.
• Background in the foodservice and/or hospitality industry.
• Experience in planning donor-facing events and creation of sponsorship opportunities.
• Previous marketing and/or business development experience.
• Proficient in CRM systems (Millennium/Salesforce preferred) and MS Office Suite

Benefits

• medical coverage available at no cost to qualifying employees
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• life insurance
• short and long term disability insurance
• retirement savings plan with high employer contributions
• a generous paid time off program