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Title:  Principal, Philanthropic and Public Funding

About I-CAR:

The Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) is a growing, not-for-profit organization, headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, serving the automotive collision repair industry globally. The organization was established by representatives of the collision repair, automotive, and insurance industries in 1979 and has doubled its revenue over the last six years.

 

Today, the I-CAR brand is stronger than it has been in 40 years of operation and has gained a worldwide reputation. There is momentum and excitement among its committed workforce, instructors and volunteers to continue to help the organization grow and expand its breadth of reach and scale. I-CAR leadership believes that the future of the organization will be importantly influenced by its continuing innovation and relevance of its products, technical programs and services.

 

Position Summary: 

The Principal, Philanthropic and Public Funding position will play an instrumental role in developing and executing fundraising strategies with philanthropic organizations and public agencies. This individual will work as a key member of a cross functional team accountable for a new strategic endeavor by I-CAR. This initiative will address the critical shortage of technicians in the collision repair inter-industry and help to ensure the safety and well-being of over 30 million drivers on the road. 

 

The individual who is hired has an exciting opportunity to contribute to fundraising efforts with philanthropic and public agencies that will enable successful partnership acquisition and broad understanding of our value proposition across these sectors. We are seeking an individual with strong verbal and analytical skills who can develop a convincing case for our new strategic endeavor through written grant proposals and perform direct prospect research to find aligned opportunities for funding. This unique position within a 501(c)(6) will enable the right professional to gain industry experience while driving a mission with the potential for significant social impact. Most importantly, a strong applicant will want to grow this role and its related work streams from the ground floor with support from both team members and a supervising director. There is significant room and tolerance within this role for innovation, trial and error, ongoing revision, and refinement, and “figuring it out” through self-directed learning. 

 

Today, the I-CAR brand is stronger than it has been in 40 years of operation and has gained a worldwide reputation. There is momentum and excitement among its committed workforce, instructors, and volunteers to continue to help the organization grow and expand its breadth of reach and scale. I-CAR leadership believes that the future of the organization will be importantly influenced by its continuing innovation and relevance of its products, technical programs and services. 

 

Primary Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

  • Write grant narratives that include analysis of research, data, and current issues as related to our value proposition for philanthropic and state and federal funding opportunities 

  • Direct prospect research using tools like Foundation Directory Online to find donors aligned with our mission and programs 

  • Commit to becoming literate in the economic, technological, public policy, and social issues related to our mission and new strategic endeavor 

  • Create slide decks and pitch materials for meetings with potential and existing funding partners 

  • Write reports and project manage the collection and analysis of measurable impact data 

  • Manage a portfolio of at least 75 philanthropic and public funding opportunities annually 

  • Manage the initial donor outreach and scheduling of meetings for the Director 

  • Maintain an engagement and opportunity calendar to ensure no missed deadlines or key dates 

  • Collaborate with both members of the Product team and key project members of other teams to ensure that funding opportunities align with the current needs and ambitions of the new strategic endeavor 

  • Contribute to the overall fundraising plan for the new strategic endeavor including partner alignment, value proposition, measurable impact, and requests 

  • Support, as needed, the fundraising efforts of I-CAR's 501(c)(3) partner, CREF, including joint development opportunities 

  • Manage funding opportunities, donor contacts, and pipeline progression with Salesforce 

 

Requirements 

Education and Experience: 

  • Bachelor’s degree required.  

  • At least three years of relevant work experience 

  • Must have demonstrable experience with academic writing, research, and citation methods with the ability to flexibly use major style guides including Chicago, MLA, and AP 

  • Must be self-directed; desire to independently design and execute projects with a high tolerance for ambiguity, trial and error, and revision; and actively contribute as part of a new team that will collaboratively establish processes, practices, and strategies to achieve our goals. 

  • This is a full-time remote role but may require some travel that should not exceed once per quarter. 

 

EEO Statement: 

I-CAR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law, where applicable. Those with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with applicable state and local laws.

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