Join CASL as a Director of Foundation Relations and Make a Difference
Are you ready to make a meaningful impact in your community? Join CASL, where our mission is to connect families and individuals with vital support.
Your Mission:
The Director of Foundation Relations serves as a critical leader within CASL’s Development team, responsible for driving the organization’s foundation fundraising strategy. Reporting to the Vice President of Advancement, this role leads a growing team of grant writers, cultivates and stewards' relationships with foundation partners, and ensures alignment between CASL’s mission and fundraising efforts. The Director will also play an active role in financial planning and budgeting, working closely with senior leadership to expand CASL’s foundation funding base both locally and nationally. This position is key to advancing CASL’s ability to secure transformative, multi-year funding to support its mission, ensuring the organization’s long-term sustainability and growth.
About CASL:
The Chinese American Service League is a dynamic and forward-thinking organization dedicated to empowering and serving the Chinese American population and the broader communities. Established with a rich history spanning several decades, CASL has consistently evolved to address the evolving needs of its constituents while fostering cultural pride, integration, and community development.
For over 45 years, CASL's comprehensive programs have connected families and individuals with the vital support they need: providing an educational and cultural foundation for our children, ensuring our seniors live full and independent lives with dignity, enhancing education and training for tomorrow's workforce, putting immigrants on the pathway to citizenship, securing our community's housing and financial well-being, navigating healthcare systems and wellness resources, and providing equal access to justice. Since our founding, CASL has been rooted in the principles of equity and justice. That legacy continues to shape our efforts today as we strive to champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at all levels of the organization.
To hear about:
Your Impact:
As a Director of Foundation Relations, you will:
Key Responsibilities:Manage and Lead the Grant Writing Team: Supervise and mentor a high-performing grant writing team, ensuring timely submissions of high-quality proposals that reflect CASL’s priorities and strategic goals. Foundation Relationship Management: Cultivate and steward relationships with existing and prospective foundation partners, both locally and nationwide, maintaining long-term engagement and increasing CASL's foundation network by at least 20% annually. Strategic Planning and Implementation: Develop and execute a comprehensive foundation relations strategy, ensuring a growing foundation prospect pipeline and alignment with CASL’s fundraising goals. Focus on securing multi-year commitments through successful foundation engagements. Grant Proposal Development: Oversee the creation, submission, and tracking of grant proposals, ensuring adherence to deadlines. Aim to submit a minimum of 10 major grant proposals per quarter. Cultivation and Stewardship Activities: Lead ongoing cultivation and stewardship efforts, including meetings, calls, and events. Conduct at least 25 stewardship activities per month to deepen relationships with foundation partners. Budgeting and Financial Oversight: Collaborate on department budget planning, ensuring that foundation relations activities are adequately funded and aligned with CASL’s financial objectives. Reporting and Compliance: Ensure timely submission of all required grant reports, maintaining 100% compliance with grant terms and deadlines. Data Management: Maintain accurate records of all foundation interactions, proposals, and reporting requirements using Salesforce to ensure data transparency and accessibility across the organization. Networking and Outreach: Represent CASL at conferences and networking events, attending at least 4 annually to expand the organization’s foundation network. Collaboration: Work closely with program staff to identify funding needs, gather relevant information for proposals, and ensure alignment between CASL’s program activities and foundation interests. Additional Responsibilities: Contribute to additional responsibilities as needed to support the Development department’s initiatives and overall organizational goals, ensuring flexibility and alignment with CASL’s evolving needs. Must Haves - To thrive in this role, you should have:
Education & Experience:
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in business, marketing, communications, or philanthropic studies preferred. Seven to ten years of experience in prospecting, applying, securing, and managing multiple grants simultaneously. Two to four years of experience managing high-functioning, goal-driven teams, with a focus on leadership development and mentorship.
Skills & Knowledge:
Proven leadership abilities, with a track record of guiding teams toward ambitious fundraising goals, while fostering a high-performing, collaborative work culture. Strong problem-solving skills, with a demonstrated capacity to navigate complex situations and adapt to evolving circumstances with innovative solutions. Proven ability to thrive in a dynamic environment, effectively managing multiple high-priority projects while exercising sound judgment in setting priorities and meeting deadlines. Highly skilled in verbal and written communication, with a track record of fostering collaboration and building relationships with volunteers, staff, and external partners. Strong organizational abilities, with meticulous attention to detail and a focus on maintaining accuracy and efficiency. Proficiency in Salesforce or similar CRM systems, leveraging data to drive strategic donor engagement and relationship management. Experience with project management tools like Asana is preferred, with the ability to adapt and learn new systems as needed. Nice to HavesKnowledge of simplified written Chinese is a plus.Physical Demands: Required to frequently sit for extended periods and work extensively on a computer. Required to occasionally lift/move objects weighing in excess of 25 pounds. Environment and Scheduling: Work is performed during standard business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, with flexibility to work additional hours, as necessary. We will consider candidates from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin or Minnesota that have the ability to travel to Chicago a few times a year.Why Choose CASL:
Inclusivity: Join an organization that values mutual respect and acceptance, fostering a culture of inclusivity.
Empowerment: Support staff empowerment through skill development and growth opportunities.
Collaboration: Be part of a workplace that thrives on collaboration and teamwork.
Transformation: Envision and realize transformative changes in people, processes, and policies.
Resiliency: Work with a dynamic workforce and model resiliency to achieve collective strengths.
Benefits:
Join CASL and unlock a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you and your loved ones. As a full-time employee, you'll enjoy a range of options tailored to your needs: Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage; Flexible Spending Account (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HSA); Life Insurance, AD&D Insurance, Disability Insurance; Voluntary Worksite Benefits, Pet Insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Additionally, our holiday schedule includes New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Chinese New Year, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Thanksgiving, the Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
Join Us and Make a Difference:
Join us at CASL, where together, we create a brighter future for our community.
Thank you for your interest in joining our team! Each resume is reviewed personally by our dedicated team members, not AI. This thorough and thoughtful evaluation process may take a bit of time, so we kindly ask for your patience. Rest assured, we will get back to you as soon as we have an update on your application status. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to reviewing your application.
At CASL, we believe that diverse perspectives fuel innovation and drive success. If you're excited about the opportunity but unsure if you meet every requirement listed, we still encourage you to submit your application. Our company culture thrives on the unique talents and experiences that each individual brings to the table. We're looking for the right fit, and that goes beyond a checklist of qualifications. Join us in shaping a dynamic and inclusive team where your skills and contributions truly matter.
CASL is an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences.
