What does a foundation director do?
Foundation Directors are responsible for directing the operations of a foundation for an organization. Their duties include developing foundation policies, creating fundraising campaigns strategy, assisting in grant review and approval process, and ensuring all operations comply with legal regulations. They conduct budgeting, manage the organization's funds, and perform a liaison role between the foundation and family members. Foundation Directors set performance objectives and help drive employee recruitment and retention. They work with the board to ensure the foundation's mission is represented across all strategies set.
Foundation director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real foundation director resumes:
- Manage organization s membership program by implementing annual membership drives and appeals.
- Resolve financial issues relate to charitable contributions, provide program budgets, process payroll, and oversight management of operating accounts.
- Work with administrative leadership with community relations, including promotional events and media communication.
Foundation director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Foundation Directors are proficient in Foundation Board, Fund Development, and Donor Relations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Foundation Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Foundation Board, 12%
Acted as the staff liaison to the Foundation Board of Directors, planned and organized Board meetings and agendas.
- Fund Development, 8%
Supervised the planning and implementation of various fund development initiatives to strengthen the relationship with existing and potential donors.
- Donor Relations, 7%
Developed/maintained corporate/individual donor relations & planning/organizing multiple fund-raising campaigns for expanding activities.
- Alumni, 7%
Developed the foundation and supervised Alumni Relations Coordinator.
- Government Agencies, 5%
Prepare progress reports for local government agencies, and foundation and corporate donors.
- Strategic Plan, 5%
Provided the direction and strategic planning of three-person development office for a military retirement community.
"foundation board," "fund development," and "donor relations" are among the most common skills that foundation directors use at work. You can find even more foundation director responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a foundation director to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what foundation directors do because "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." Additionally, a foundation director resume shows how foundation directors use communication skills: "grant review task force member fund development & outreach committee communications lead"
Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling foundation director duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." According to a foundation director resume, here's how foundation directors can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "prepared and executed annual development plans, while providing leadership and supervision to the foundation board of trustees. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for foundation directors to perform their duties. For an example of how foundation director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a foundation director: "hit the ground running with designing and implementing a series of highly recognized organizational and hr capabilities. ".
Problem-solving skills. For certain foundation director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a foundation director rely on this skill, as "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what foundation directors do: "created new education and training programs including a curriculum on conflict resolution and family dynamics on a family foundation board. "
Speaking skills. Another common skill required for foundation director responsibilities is "speaking skills." This skill comes up in the duties of foundation directors all the time, as "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." An excerpt from a real foundation director resume shows how this skill is central to what a foundation director does: "represented the cigna foundation in community relations and philanthropy. "
Writing skills. While "writing skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to foundation director responsibilities. Much of what a foundation director does relies on this skill, seeing as "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of foundation directors: "completed professional development trainings relevant to grant writing and grant management. "
The three companies that hire the most foundation directors are:
- Atlantic Health8 foundation directors jobs
- Live Nation Entertainment3 foundation directors jobs
- UnityPoint Health3 foundation directors jobs
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Compare different foundation directors
Foundation director vs. Grant manager
A grant manager is responsible for granting financial assistance and support to various sector programs, evaluating grant applications, and implementing policies from its conceptualization to utilization. Grant managers review the grant documents, ensuring its adherence to internal guidelines and state regulations. They coordinate with clients and project management team to inform them of requirements and processes for approval, including the implementation of strategies to identify grant opportunities and policies. A grant manager handles the grant team for efficient coordination to make sure the efficient execution and analysis of grant programs.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, foundation director responsibilities require skills like "foundation board," "fund development," "donor relations," and "alumni." Meanwhile a typical grant manager has skills in areas such as "oversight," "principal investigators," "payroll," and "project management." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, grant managers reach similar levels of education than foundation directors. Grant managers are 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 4.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Foundation director vs. Manager of special events
A manager of special events is responsible for organizing events and programs for a company and various organizations. Managers of special events monitor the event procedures from conceptualization to the actual execution. They analyze the event purpose, manage participants' list, coordinate with suppliers for resources, allocate budget accurately, and ensure that the program outlines and agendas are polished on time. A manager of special events must have excellent communication and organizational skills to deliver a successful event and resolve complications as they arise.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real foundation director resumes. While foundation director responsibilities can utilize skills like "foundation board," "fund development," "donor relations," and "government agencies," managers of special events use skills like "customer service," "event management," "event logistics," and "powerpoint."
In general, managers of special events achieve lower levels of education than foundation directors. They're 13.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 4.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Foundation director vs. Campaign manager
Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns. They perform other duties that may include managing the measurement and tracking of marketing campaigns, writing, proofreading, and editing copy for promotional materials, and maintaining regular measurement of the campaigns' ROI. Campaign managers are also expected to evaluate existing marketing campaigns and be up-to-date on the latest marketing trends.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a foundation director is likely to be skilled in "foundation board," "fund development," "donor relations," and "alumni," while a typical campaign manager is skilled in "digital marketing," "email marketing," "email campaigns," and "integrated marketing."
Most campaign managers achieve a lower degree level compared to foundation directors. For example, they're 12.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Foundation director vs. Manager of corporate communications
A manager of corporate communications is primarily responsible for overseeing the external and internal communications in a company, ensuring everything is running smoothly. They are also responsible for managing marketing communications and public relations, and even developing various marketing content. There are also instances where they must handle a company's social media platforms, review communication materials, and provide progress reports of different projects and programs. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Types of foundation director
Updated January 8, 2025
