Manager of Institutional Giving

Why Join Concordia Place?

Do you want to positively impact children's growth? Interested in teaching a fun and purposeful play-based curriculum? What about working with qualified teachers in beautiful indoor and outdoor play areas? If the answer is a resounding yes, then Concordia Place is right for you!

Founded in 1981, Concordia Place is a vibrant mission driven organization providing multigenerational programs including early learning, after-school, and teen leadership for Chicago communities. Our centers are located in the Avondale, Ravenswood, North Center and Old Irving Park neighborhoods, with plans to expand into Albany Park. While we are diverse, we are united by our mission to create involved communities where all our neighbors can gather, learn, and grow. Concordia believes everyone deserves opportunity, and that it is best served when it is broadly inclusive.

Our Guiding Principles

• Faith in Action
• A Place of Yes
• A Place for All
• A Place of One
• A Place of Excellence

Overview

 The Manager of Institutional Giving reports to the Vice President of Philanthropy and Marketing and leads institutional giving from prospect research and funding strategy through proposal development, award management and compliance, reporting, and funder stewardship. The manager also oversees philanthropy database operations and coordinates the organization’s volunteer engagement program.

Responsibilities

Grant Administration, Reporting & Compliance 

• Write clear, compelling proposals tailored to each funder’s guidelines, formatting, and deadlines 
• Manage the grant lifecycle from application through award closeout, ensuring deadlines, deliverables, reporting requirements, and compliance obligations are met. Track spend downs, monitor grant expenditures, award restrictions, reporting schedules, and progress toward funded objectives in partnership with Finance and program leadership. 
• Develop grant budgets and budget narratives in collaboration with Finance and relevant program leaders. 
• Prepare accurate, timely, and compelling interim and final grant reports that demonstrate progress, outcomes, and responsible stewardship of funds. 
• Establish clear internal processes for communicating grant requirements, responsibilities, deadlines, and reporting expectations. 
• Submit proposals, reports, and other significant funder communications to the Vice President of Philanthropy and Marketing for review and approval in advance of deadlines. 
• Maintain organized grant files and documentation to support compliance, continuity, and organizational accountability. 
• Work with Vice President of Youth Development and Evaluation to ensure evaluations and outcomes meet expectations and needs of grant funders. 

Institutional Giving & Funding Development 

• Develop and manage a strategic institutional funding pipeline encompassing foundations, corporate funders, and applicable government grant opportunities 
• Identify, research, and assess foundation, corporate, and government funding sources for alignment with the organization’s mission, goals, and eligibility criteria 
• Lead a long-term institutional funding strategy and revenue forecasting model that supports organizational growth and sustainability 
• Cultivate and steward institutional funder relationships, serving as the organization’s primary liaison to funding bodies 
• Track grant timelines, submissions, awards, and outcomes, maintaining secure and accurate records 
• Strengthen grant-seeking practices and stay current on trends in the funding landscape 

Volunteer & Community Engagement 

• Coordinate volunteer recruitment, inquiries, screening, onboarding, orientation, scheduling, communications, and ongoing engagement. 
• Manage volunteer logistics, including assignments, schedules, preparation materials, on-site coordination, and follow-up communications. 
• Identify opportunities to engage with corporate volunteer groups and build relationships with employee engagement and community investment contacts. Partner with the Vice President of Philanthropy and Marketing to identify opportunities to strengthen corporate partnerships, sponsorships, and philanthropic relationships through volunteer engagement. 
• Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Next Gen Board, supporting member recruitment, onboarding, communications, meeting coordination, and ongoing engagement. 

Philanthropy Operations, Database & Reporting 

• Serve as the functional owner of the organization’s philanthropy database, ensuring data integrity, consistent practices, effective reporting, and appropriate system use. 
• Oversee database processes and coordinate accurate, timely gift and grant entry, acknowledgments workflows, record maintenance, and data reconciliation with Finance and relevant team members. 
• Maintain reports, dashboards, and data tools that support fundraising strategy, revenue forecasting, institutional giving, and leadership decision-making. 
• Partner with the Director of Donor Relations to ensure database practices support individual donor cultivation, stewardship, retention, and reporting. 
• Coordinate with Finance to support accurate gift and grant records and alignment between fundraising reports and financial records. 
• Support other advancement activities and duties as assigned 

Experience and Skills

• Minimum 7 years of grant writing and grants management experience, including program evaluation, data, or team leadership 
• Relevant bachelor's degree required (such as English, Communications, Business, Social Work, Nonprofit Management or any related field); advanced degree a plus 
• Non-profit and youth development experience is a plus 
• Proven ability to write clear, precise, and compelling proposals and communications, with knowledge of Chicago-area funders and prospect research 
• Experience managing a donor database or CRM, with demonstrated understanding of data integrity, reporting, workflows, and constituent relationship management. Neon One experience is a plus. 
• Experience coordinating volunteers, volunteer programs, boards, committees, or other community engagement initiatives. 
• Experience supporting boards, committees, or volunteer leadership groups 
• Strong technology skills, including donor database experience (Neon One a plus) and MS Office (Outlook, Excel, SharePoint) 
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-directed, able to balance priorities across multiple projects 

Requirements

• While some remote work is possible, this role interacts with donors, prospects, stakeholders (parents, community leaders, industry leaders), and Concordia program leaders, requiring in-person meetings, onsite visibility, and events within and outside normal business hours 
• This person is regularly required to be in person at multiple locations, even within the same day, and must be able to easily commute between them 
• This job operates in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment; it requires talking, hearing, long periods of sitting, computer and phone use, and may require lifting up to 30 pounds 
• A commitment to the mission and guiding principles of Concordia Place 
• Be comfortable working for a faith-inspired organization; Concordia Place is a social service mission of Concordia Lutheran Church that serves everyone regardless of any religious beliefs or affiliation 

Benefits and Perks:

Concordia Place offers a generous compensation and benefits package to employees. Here is an overview of the many perks of working at Concordia Place:

• 403b Retirement Savings Plan (with an Employer Match)
• Vacation Days
• Sick Days
• 1 week paid winter holiday
• 12 paid holidays per year
• Floating Holidays
• Employer paid Short Term Disability
• Employer paid Basic Life & ADD
• Medical insurance with employer contribution
• Voluntary Dental insurance
• Voluntary Vision insurance
• Voluntary Basic Life & ADD
• Voluntary Long-term disability insurance
• Voluntary Aflac plans
• Employer Paid Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral program
• Childcare tuition discount for employees
• Quarterly in-service days and professional development resources for teaching staff