Description

This position will be primarily responsible for the Community Foundation’s scholarship program and play a role in the ongoing stewardship of donors to the Community Foundation. Responsibilities include acting as a liaison between the Community Foundation and: scholarship fund donors; scholarship selection committees; high school staff; scholarship applicants and recipients; and university financial aid offices. The position will be involved with donor stewardship activities for donors to other funds of the Community Foundation in addition to scholarship funds.

Responsibilities:

• Promote scholarship opportunities with schools and other referral sources such as youth-serving enrichment and college preparatory programs. Develop schedule of targeted outreach activities that include a mix of in-person meetings and electronic communications.
• Collaborate with internal colleagues to launch the scholarship application portal annually.
• Review applications compared to eligibility criteria. Where appropriate, prepare applications for review/selection by a committee or determine selection utilizing rubric.
• Manage logistics for committee communications, meetings, and awards presentations where appropriate
• Collaborate with internal colleagues to ensure timely and accurate processing of award or decline notices, as well as payments to universities or other organizations as appropriate.
• Develop tracking mechanisms to demonstrate annual activities/outcomes.
• Communicate with donors to scholarship funds and other funds to ensure stewardship of contributed funds. Meet with assigned donors as needed.
• Exercise sound judgment in managing existing relationships to meet the objectives of the donor while supporting the mission and operations of the Community Foundation.
• Support assigned events and engagement opportunities that expand the public’s awareness of the Community Foundation to attract new donors or engage existing donors.
• Participate in the life of the Community Foundation by attending appropriate events and programs, maintaining membership in key organizations, and participating in activities to expand the public’s awareness of the Community Foundation.
• Perform other duties as assigned including participation in other activities as assigned by the Associate Vice-President, Donor Services or Vice President, Donor Services.

Requirements

Qualifications: 

• A commitment to providing quality service and stewardship to all constituents, and the ability to develop positive working relationships with staff, trustees, donors, contractors, and community stakeholders.
• Minimum of three years of administering scholarship funds or related work.
• Strong technical proficiency and digital literacy required. Overall comfort with an ever-evolving technology landscape is a must. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite is a plus as well as project management systems. 
• Experience in utilizing a CRM database for documenting, reporting and managing tasks is required. Experience with Salesforce is a plus.
• Exceptional strategic and creative thinking
• Exceptional written and verbal communications skills.
• Strong people skills: ability to collaborate and work as part of a team.
• Outstanding organizational skills, diligence, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Passion, strong work ethic, self-motivated drive, and love of connecting resources to needs and opportunities.
• Desire to build a rapport with co-workers and a commitment to building deep knowledge of CFSEM, its constituents, lines of business, and stakeholders.
• A commitment to CFSEM’s mission and values and a desire to be an integral part of the Community Foundation to ensure our permanence in the region we serve.
• The ability to work a flexible schedule with some nights and weekend travel is required. 
   

Core Competencies:  

• Customer Focus - Prioritizes understanding and addressing the needs and expectations of our community and stakeholders. Demonstrates active listening, empathy, and responsiveness, with a consistent commitment to delivering exceptional service. 
• Plans and Aligns - Invests time in planning, discovery, and reflection. Engages in active mindfulness to identify and adjust mental shortcuts and assumptions. Seeks out diverse perspectives and experiences to test thinking, proactively anticipates reactions and multiple outcomes, and plans for potential issues and industry trends. 
• Collaborative - Works effectively with others—within the team and cross functionally—to achieve individual, departmental, and organizational goals. Values diverse input, shared accountability, and partnership as essential to producing strong outcomes. 
• Decision Making & Problem Solving - Simplifies complex challenges using critical thinking and sound judgment. Gathers and evaluates relevant information, incorporates multiple perspectives, identifies root causes, and determines practical, effective solutions. Applies an audience centric approach by considering the needs of stakeholders when making decisions and implementing solutions. 

This position is being recruited on an expedited timeline. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is strongly encouraged. The extended deadline to apply is March 9, 2026. To apply, visit www.cfsem.org/careers and look for "Current Opportunities". Please submit your application, including your cover letter through the online portal. 

To provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions will be based on merit, qualifications and abilities without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, height, weight, political or union affiliation, disability or any factor prohibited by law.