Foundation Manager (Contract)

San Francisco, CA

Hours: part-time (20 hours/week).

Summary

The Foundation Manager is responsible for directing and developing the administrative, reporting, community, compliance, and philanthropic activities of The Firm Foundation. Manages and coordinates other special charitable projects supported by the Firm. Ensures client service and satisfaction are attained in all areas of position.

Responsibilities

Ongoing and Special Charitable Programs and Budgets

• Manages the Foundation’s
• contribution programs, including community grants, special project grants, matching gifts, scholarship/fellowship awards, challenge grants, and disaster relief grants.
• Manages the community grants and challenge grants programs for the San Francisco Bay Area giving program. Responsibilities include reviewing grant recommendations, conducting due diligence, communicating with the Firm lawyers and staff members who recommended the donations, discussing proposals with the Foundation officers who direct the San Francisco Bay Area giving program, requesting checks, and reviewing cover letters.
• With guidance from the Foundation’s Chair, drafts and manages the Foundation’s budget as well as the budget for the San Francisco Bay Area; monitors spending in all budgets; and provides regular budget updates to the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
• Manages all aspects of the Special Grants Program. Responsibilities include managing all meetings of the Grant Review Committee and developing the Program’s guidelines, process, and timeline; drafting the nomination form and the full proposal; working with IT to design and launch sites for online nominations, full proposals, and reviews; drafting all announcements about the program; managing the due diligence for all nominees; conducting on-site due diligence and writing visit reports of finalists as needed; drafting grant agreements for the grant recipients; negotiating grant terms with grant recipients; coordinating all signatures on the grants; communicating with all nominees, nominators, and finalists; collaborating with Marketing on the Foundation’s press release and updates to the Firm website, as well as on the Foundation Chair’s presentation at the partner retreat; reviewing the grant recipients’ draft press releases and marketing plans; tracking all required grant recipient progress reports; managing the distribution schedule for multi-year grants; and providing updates to the Board.
• Manages Firmwide and regional disaster relief programs. Responsibilities include quickly conducting extensive due diligence; recommending possible grant recipients to the Board or to a Board committee; processing individual donations; communicating with donors; drafting internal announcements; and coordinating with Marketing on external announcements.
• Supports non-U.S.-based directors in the development of the Foundation’s overseas giving programs.
• Manages the annual United Way of the Bay Area workplace giving campaign for the San Francisco office, including preparing quarterly matching gift reports.
• Keeps abreast of and responds to relevant internal and external trends and conditions.
• Determines when updates are needed to the Individual Matching Gifts Form and Officers’ Check Request Form; develops other program materials as needed.

Audit and Preparation of Government Filings

• Participates in preparation of all federal and state tax returns and other filings. Responsibilities include drafting and/or reviewing descriptive responses; managing the preparation of certain schedules to be attached to the returns; and ensuring the timely filing of the returns and requests for extension of time to file, as needed.

Board of Directors Support

• Manages all Board meetings and Committee meetings. Responsibilities include preparing agendas and meeting materials; attending the meetings; preparing the meeting minutes; and following up on action items as needed.
• Assists Board, Chair, and individual directors with Foundation matters as requested; seeks to anticipate director needs when possible.
• Updates the Board on developments and news as needed.

Record Keeping

• Maintains a separate register of all checks and deposits.
• Maintains the complete corporate record on behalf of the Board Secretary.
• Supervises the Foundation Manager’s secretary re: developing and maintaining a complete file for every donation.
• Manages the resolution of outstanding checks.

Marketing and Communications

• Manages the creation of a print version and more expanded online version of the Foundation’s Annual Report. Responsibilities include establishing and maintaining a production schedule with the Firm’s Creative Services team; communicating a vision and theme for the Report to Creative Services; drafting all copy; resolving any issues with Proofreading; reviewing all drafts; and coordinating with Marketing on the distribution of the online and print versions of the report.
• Exercises approval authority on “tribute ads” to run in charitable fundraising events’ marketing materials sponsored by the Foundation.
• With support from Creative Services, creates presentations and meeting/interview talking points for Foundation directors as needed.
• Prepares responses on behalf of both the Firm and the Foundation to charitable giving surveys of interest to the Firm, as requested by the Firm’s Marketing and Pro Bono departments. Responsibilities include reviewing the Firm’s charitable giving records on a quarterly basis re: how to categorize its donation recipients.
• Responds to funding inquiries from within and outside the Firm.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus either at least five years of management experience in a philanthropic organization, or a J.D. degree with corporate or nonprofit law experience and a demonstrated commitment to charitable giving issues.
• Experience working with a range of constituencies.
• Experience working with Boards of Directors
• Strong sense of accountability, taking ownership over projects and responsibilities and resolving issues proactively.
• Ability to analyze needs and to determine priorities based on business objectives.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex ideas succinctly and clearly.
• Ability to apply big picture understanding to decision making.
• Ability to work independently with little guidance, to ask questions, and to identify and address unmet needs as they arise.
• Strong project management skills.
• Strong interactive skills and ability to build effective internal and external client relationships.
• Ability to work with busy partners in large law firm setting.

Compensation

The compensation for this role is $64/hour – $70/hour.

*Duties and Responsibilities are subject to change.