Director, Corporate Partnerships in Chicago, Illinois at Special Olympics Illinois

TITLE: Director, Corporate Partnerships

Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit sports organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports to a community of more than 60,000 traditional athletes, Young Athletes, Unified partners, coaches, volunteers, and more. It strives to be a global leader in shaping a culture where people with and without intellectual disabilities are fully integrated into the community by providing year-round opportunities in competitive sports, health education, leadership and personal development. As a part of the Special Olympics Illinois team, you’ll join an energetic and hard-working group of individuals committed to transforming the lives of those we serve.

Position Summary

The Director, Corporate Partnerships is a strategic leader responsible for driving SOILL’s transition to high-impact, long-term corporate partnerships. This role leads consultative engagement with partners, focusing on growing high-value, multi-year partnerships that support SOILL’s mission and impact storytelling. The Director will proactively secure new partnerships through targeted prospecting and business development strategies.

Primary Objective

Advance SOILL’s corporate partnership strategy by:

• Securing and stewarding high-impact relationships
• Maximizing unrestricted or lightly restricted revenue
• Ensuring partnerships align with SOILL’s strategic priorities and deliver measurable outcomes
• Leading new partnership acquisition and prospecting efforts

Key Responsibilities:

Corporate Strategy Development

• Support development of SOILL’s corporate strategy for its key mission pillars (e.g. Sports & Competition, Healthy Athletes, Athlete Leadership, and Youth & Education).
• Partner on the design, launch and implementation of corporate volunteer engagement programs.
• Advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in all prospect and partnership activities, ensuring inclusive recruitment and engagement of corporate partners, volunteers, and board members.
• Support fundraising strategies anchored by corporate giving for major initiatives (e.g., Special Olympics USA Games, Unified Leadership).

Partnership Prospecting & Engagement

• Develop and execute a proactive prospecting strategy to identify, research, and engage new corporate partners aligned with SOILL’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective partners, utilizing CRM tools and market research to track outreach, cultivation, and conversion.
• Set annual targets for new and existing partnerships and report regularly on progress to leadership.
• Lead outreach efforts through cold calls, networking events, conferences, LinkedIn, and warm introductions.
• Collaborate with grants, marketing, finance and program teams to develop integrated partnership solutions, create compelling pitch materials and customized proposals for prospects and partners.

Partnership Portfolio Management & Engagement

• Steward existing corporate partners to maximize engagement and impact.
• Identify volunteer opportunities for corporations and coordinate with Program Services leads to execute engagements (e.g., Summer Games, volunteer trainings).
• Write and develop comprehensive year-round partnership proposals, collaborating with internal program leaders for mission alignment.
• Ensure sponsorship deliverables are met and documented (e.g., signage, event invitations, fulfillment reports).
• Create donor impact reports with key metrics and mission narratives (e.g., social media metrics, athlete stories, stats).
• Identify volunteer leaders for committees and boards; cultivate Corporate Chairs for major events.
• Represent SOILL at Lunch & Learns and workplace giving events; present “About Us” and other key presentations.

Board & Volunteer Leadership

• Manage Leaders Council or other high-level volunteer boards, including strategy, recruitment, engagement, and stewardship.
• Plan and execute council meetings and initiatives; serve as a SOILL liaison.

Team Supervision

• May supervise two Managers on the Corporate Partnerships team.

Metrics & Accountability

• Establish and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for new business development, including number of new partners acquired, revenue generated, and pipeline growth.
• Maintain accurate records of prospecting activity and outcomes in Salesforce (or other CRM).
• Regularly analyze market trends in corporate giving, CSR and partnership models and competitor activity to inform prospecting strategy.

Other Duties

Additional responsibilities as assigned based on evolving corporate strategy.

Core Competencies:

• Consultative Selling
• Strategic Partnership Development
• Impact Storytelling
• Data Analysis
• Stakeholder Engagement

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, nonprofit management, or related field
• 7+ years in nonprofit development, corporate relations, or consultative sales
• Demonstrated success in strategic partnership building, consultative selling, and securing new corporate partnerships
• Experience with CRM systems and prospect research tools
• Strong business development, negotiation, and presentation skills
• Superior relationship-building and interpersonal skills for rapport-building with internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of nonprofit fundraising best practices and various forms of development solicitation practices, including events, corporate partnerships, cause marketing, and major gift solicitation
• Commitment to SOILL’s mission and values
• A continuous learner who is interested in being a proactive, positive member of the team

Work Schedule & Requirements

• Anticipated Start = October 2026
• Based in Chicago (with flexibility for a hybrid office schedule)
• Reports to Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships & Special Events
• Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM, with occasional evenings and weekends as position demands
• Independent in-state travel occasionally required, including some overnight and weekend travel as an essential function of position
• Physical mobility required: must be able to climb stairs, assist in setup and breakdown at events, stand or sit for long periods of time, and load and unload vehicles
• Medium work required, which involves lifting no more than 50 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 25 pounds; requires a good deal of walking, standing, and/or sitting with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls; includes sedentary work
• Close visual acuity required to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, and/or operation of machines; operating motor vehicles
• First Aid/CPR Training and Certification required or willing to obtain within the first six months; must be able and willing to effectively administer First Aid/CPR on-site during events
• Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance is required
• Offers of employment are contingent upon clear results of a background check

Rate

$60,000 - $90,000

Benefits

This full-time position includes an excellent compensation and benefits package including health, dental, vision, life, voluntary disability insurance, a retirement savings plan with company match, generous paid time off benefits, and more.

Special Olympics Illinois is committed to building a diverse, creative, engaged, collaborative, and hard-working team that is dedicated to our athletes, our communities, and each other. Our employees are our most valuable asset, and we aim to create a positive atmosphere where employees feel valued and fulfilled. We truly want people to love working here, and we strive to create a culture that allows for growth, opportunity, and fun.

Special Olympics Illinois is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction, and all other protected classes under federal or state laws.