Director, Corporate Partnerships and Engagement | Advancement Team

Director, Corporate Partnerships and Engagement | Advancement Team

About Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston exists to create a future where every child in every neighborhood of Houston has access to a world class public education that prepares them to thrive in the Houston of tomorrow. We believe that all Houston students deserve an excellent education, and work to reshape the Houston education landscape by inspiring hope, possibility, and action as we work towards our mission of growing the number of students learning in great public schools.

Good Reason Houston builds awareness of, advocates for, and advises school systems on measures aimed to improve the quality of education available to all. Today the organization partners with 25 public school systems that collectively serve 700,000 students across 900 public schools in the Houston region. We seek to cultivate a shared regional vision for educational quality, to build the capacity for change required within districts and the greater Houston community, and to foster collective ownership to support student-level results for kids across our city.

For more information, please visit www.goodreasonhouston.org.

About the Role

Good Reason Houston is seeking a strategic, relationship-driven Director, Corporate Partnerships and Engagement to lead our efforts in cultivating and growing high-impact partnerships with the corporate sector. This role is essential to advancing our philanthropic strategy, with a focus on driving revenue, expanding our corporate donor base, and deepening engagement across multiple channels-including corporate sponsorships, matching gifts, cause marketing, and in-kind donations.

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO), the Director will lead the development and execution of a multi-year corporate engagement strategy that aligns with Good Reason Houston's mission to ensure every child excels in a world-class public school. The ideal candidate is a dynamic fundraiser and storyteller who thrives at the intersection of business and mission. They bring deep experience cultivating corporate relationships, developing compelling partnership opportunities, and managing a robust donor pipeline. A strong understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR), philanthropic trends, and cross-sector collaboration is essential, along with a passion for educational equity and community impact.

As part of a high-performing Advancement team, the Director will also collaborate on donor communications, proposal development, and events that showcase the power and promise of our work.

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Donor Engagement (35%)

• Matching Gifts
  
  • Promote and expand opportunities for employee matching gift programs through corporate partners.
  • Educate existing donors and employer networks on how to maximize individual contributions through corporate matches.
  • Track and acknowledge matching gifts, and work with HR/corporate reps to streamline participation.
• Corporate Sponsorships
  
  • Secure financial or in-kind sponsorships for key Good Reason Houston events, programs, and campaigns.
  • Develop tiered sponsorship packages and collaborate with internal teams to ensure deliverables are met.
  • Recognize sponsors across communication channels and through event-based visibility opportunities.
• Cause Marketing Partnerships
  
  • Initiate and manage co-branded cause marketing campaigns that raise awareness and funds for GRH initiatives.
  • Collaborate with marketing and communications teams to design engaging campaigns that align with corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals.
  • Track and report outcomes to corporate partners, demonstrating campaign impact and ROI.
• In-Kind Donations
  
  • Lead the strategy, coordination, and execution of volunteer engagement efforts with corporate partners; develop meaningful volunteer opportunities, manage logistics, and ensure alignment with GRH's mission and program goals.
  • Identify opportunities for companies to provide goods or services that support GRH operations, events, or programming.
  • Maintain a database of in-kind partners and match their offerings with GRH's strategic needs.

Portfolio Development & Management (30%)

• Lead the creation and execution of a multi-year strategy to grow corporate support through sponsorships, grants, matching gifts, and in-kind contributions.
• Own and manage a portfolio of 50-75 corporate partners; drive prospecting, qualification, and relationship growth.
• Direct all cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts to align funder interests with organizational priorities.
• Oversee the development of tailored proposals, reports, and stewardship materials that reflect funders' goals and GRH's mission.
• Develop and lead engagement strategies, including recognition plans, events, and personalized outreach.
• Prepare executive leadership with strategic briefings and materials to support external meetings and solicitations.
• Collaborate across teams to align proposals and reporting with strategic objectives and timelines.
• Lead donor engagement events and experiences to strengthen relationships and elevate the organization's profile.

Data Systems & Management (25%)

• Maintain accurate donor data and interactions in Raiser's Edge NXT; ensure timely gift entry, acknowledgments, and donor follow-up.
• Partner with the Finance team to ensure accurate tracking of corporate gifts, pledges, and reporting requirements.
• Track deadlines and deliverables for grant reporting and donor recognition; oversee special projects (e.g., holiday mailings, post-event follow-up).
• Monitor key performance indicators and fundraising goals to ensure alignment with annual and multi-year revenue strategies.

Additional projects and responsibilities, as assigned by the Chief Advancement Officer.

Qualifications & Key Attributes

• Bachelor's degree required
• At least 3 years of experience in fundraising or corporate community relations.
• A proven track record of cultivating, soliciting, and closing gifts of $50,000 and above.
• Superior attention to detail and organizational skills
• Ability to prioritize, sequence, and execute projects
• Dynamic strategic development and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills.
• Experience managing a corporate donor pipeline and developing tailored proposals and reports.
• Strong familiarity with fundraising CRMs (Raiser's Edge NXT preferred).
• Demonstrated capacity to be flexible and adaptable in changing environment, able to flex to respond to team needs and take on projects when needed
• Passion about the mission, vision, and goals of Good Reason Houston and how this position contributes to the organization's success

Our Team

Along with our core beliefs, the traits listed below were generated by the team to capture what it looks like in action when operating at our best.

We embrace and drive change.

We are flexible and fierce.

We operate with a bold bias toward action.

We fess up when we mess up.

We dare greatly and engage humbly.

We grow as we go.

We turn up the love when we turn up the heat.

We root for each other.

Good Reason Houston staff are expected to support this organizational culture by promoting and adhering to these team traits to maintain an open and cohesive work environment & relationships.

Working at Good Reason Houston

Good Reason Houston offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position. The starting salary for this position is $110,000. New hires are offered a salary depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role.

Good Reason Houston also has a 401(k) (automatic 3% employer contribution), life, medical, dental and vision insurance packages.

Each employee accrues 35 paid time off days per calendar year in addition to the 19 paid holidays per year.

Good Reason Houston is an office-based organization, but allows for virtual work on Mondays and Fridays.