Partnerships Lead

Job Description

The Opportunity

LifeNet International is a rapidly growing Christian nonprofit organization strengthening primary healthcare systems across seven African countries. LifeNet International has improved over 50 million patient visits (since 2012) across Africa. With a proven model and lifesaving impact, we are pursuing aggressive growth goals in order to improve health outcomes for a greater number of people in sub-Saharan Africa. With a 10 year history of 20+% revenue growth year-over-year, LifeNet looks to accelerate its fundraising even more, to save and improve millions more lives.

The Partnerships Lead (title to be decided in the hiring process) will support LifeNet’s fundraising efforts in order to achieve the organization’s growth goals. We are open to filling this role with a talented individual looking for an opportunity to learn and grow in partnerships or with an experienced fundraiser interested in expanding networks for mission impact. Success in this role will lead to lifesaving healthcare for many of the world’s most underserved patients.

The Partnerships Lead’s role is core to LifeNet’s fundraising. Philanthropic families, who give through family foundations, family offices, or both, are LifeNet’s primary funder and the core of our fundraising strategy over the next 3-5 years. These families are generous, faith-based or faith-open, experienced in healthcare and in African initiatives, and see their grants/gifts as philanthropic investments. They build strong, trusting relationships with organizations and seek high impact and efficiency with their investments.

The Partnerships Lead will authentically and skillfully build relationships with philanthropic families; seek ways to support their philanthropic efforts; authentically build trust between the families, their foundation and family office staff teams, and LifeNet; and provide opportunities for families to invest in the health and wellbeing of millions.

This position will skillfully pursue and manage a portfolio of 80 philanthropic families, driving $2M-$3M of annual donations to support LifeNet’s lifesaving work. While a small percentage of the Partnerships Lead accounts are currently funding LifeNet, about 80% are qualified and waiting for the Partnerships Lead’s skilled relationship building to move through LifeNet’s sales process. The Partnerships Lead will work in close coordination with the VP of Advancement and the entire Advancement team. This position will also work closely with VP of Programs, and other members of the LifeNet team, including Operations and Finance teammates.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage a family office and family foundation portfolio of 80 relationship. On day 1, this portfolio will include 20% current donors capable of introducing you to other likeminded funders and 80% prospects to be cultivated.
• Cultivate, solicit and steward your portfolio by conducting visits or touch-points monthly, meeting in person as appropriate. LifeNet’s Advancement team operates on a 12 touch-point/year expectation for family foundations and family offices.
• Create partnership rationales that align objectives and strategies of potential funders with the priorities and capacity of LifeNet. LifeNet seeks to grow its family foundation and family office funding to support its core program model, for the long-term.
• Develop proposals, letters of inquiry, and concept papers for family foundations and family offices and prospects that are consistent with the organization’s values and goals.
• Cultivate and expand current giving and grow your portfolio to support LifeNet programs with $2M-$3M of annual funding.
• Synthesize detailed programmatic information in concise, understandable documents that are persuasive and align with brand messaging.
• Initiate and manage prospect research on philanthropic families through the organization’s files, giving records, online resources and through donor giving databases.
• Working with the Advancement team, ensure donor and prospect outreach are on brand, on message, and on strategy.
• Working with the Advancement team, ensure that all aspects of donor giving are accurately recorded and reported and that all donor/prospect tracking is consistent with protocols.
• Serve as a member of the Advancement team and participate in selected programs and other job related internal meetings.
• Work against and report on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual KPIs to achieve goals, alongside the Advancement team.
• Other duties as assigned

Experience and Other Qualities

• Two+ years managing a family foundation, family office, or major gift portfolio.
• Direct donor and prospect interaction with skills in cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Entrepreneurial and creative approach to fundraising.
• Voracious commitment to learning.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, presentation, and research skills.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills with high attention to detail.
• Experience with working in Word, Excel, G-Suite (Google Workspace), and Salesforce a plus.
• Prior experience working in healthcare is highly desirable.

Compensation

• LifeNet will pay a competitive salary based on candidates’ capabilities and experience, between $75,000 and $110,000/year.
• Health/Dental/Vision insurance
• Paid leave
• Paid parental leave
• Paid sick leave
• 401k

To apply, please submit your resume and a compelling cover letter outlining your relevant experience and why you’re the perfect fit for this role, and 2 donor-centric writing examples to recruiting@LNinternational.org. Please place “Partnerships Lead” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until April 10. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

About the Organization

We are called to care for underserved and marginalized people in sub-Saharan Africa. About 900,000 people die every year in the region because of poor quality healthcare. This is largely because life-saving interventions do not reach the healthcare workers that desperately need them.

Our Christian faith and commitment to justice, compassion, and elevating the poor motivate our work. All people have profound value and inherent worth and are made in the image of God. Every individual, regardless of where they live, have the right to lead healthy and whole lives. We believe the answer lies in the hands of local healthcare workers who, when equipped, can provide high-quality healthcare for their communities.