Development Officer, Corporate Partnerships

Job Opportunity

Development Officer, Corporate Partnerships
Full-time, permanent

About us

Around the world, more than 60 countries have anti-homosexuality laws, and many more have other laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. In 11 countries, same-sex intimacy can be punishable by death. In too many countries, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) people are routinely arrested, denied basic human rights, and are being brutally attacked, tortured, or even murdered.

Rainbow Railroad was founded in 2006 to provide an additional solution to address the global refugee crisis, to which LGBTQI+ persons are uniquely vulnerable. Rainbow Railroad’s mission is to help persecuted LGBTQI+ individuals get to safety as they seek a safe haven from state-enabled harassment and violence. Rainbow Railroad provides support to LGBTQI+ individuals seeking safety with airfare and financial support that facilitates departure, travel, arrival and referral for settlement. Beyond direct financial assistance, Rainbow Railroad provides information, resources, and advice for asylum claimants as well as assistance to help people find safety when international travel is not possible.

Rainbow Railroad is a registered Canadian charity and a USA 501(c)(3) organization with its headquarters in Toronto, Canada and an office in New York City, USA.

THE ROLE

Rainbow Railroad is seeking a dedicated fundraiser to take a role within our Development (also known as Philanthropy) team. The Development Officer, Corporate Partnerships will support the development of Rainbow Railroad’s Corporate Partnership program while helping

to achieve strategic objectives and revenue goals for the organization. Rainbow Railroad’s

Corporate Partnership program has evolved rapidly over the past five years, and this is an important role that will help drive revenue growth, build new partnerships, and enhance partner fulfillment and stewardship. This role will work with corporate partners in Canada and the United States, as well as internationally. Occasional travel to meet with partners will be required.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Corporate Partnership Development

• Build and manage a portfolio of corporate partners donating a minimum of $20,000 to cultivate increased support for Rainbow Railroad in order to meet and exceed identified revenue targets.
• Develop and implement a proactive and effective prospecting strategy for identification, research, and solicitation of new corporate supporters.
• Identify, ideate, and build new partnership opportunities to develop a comprehensive approach to corporate partnerships.
• Create a long-term cultivation and moves management strategy for Rainbow Railroad’s corporate partners to inspire growth in donor commitment through data mining and analysis and relationship management.
• Support in the creation of partnership proposals, sales materials, and corporate funding applications and manage pitches to existing partners and prospects based on a win/win partnership model to secure new and renewed funding.
• Manage all active partner relationships, act as a liaison between Rainbow Railroad and partner teams to manage expectations and problem solve while providing a positive, mutually beneficial experience to all our corporate partners.
• Ensure all partnership data is tracked in the Rainbow Railroad database accurately and effectively, as well as supporting the Director of Partnerships with their partnership administration.
• Support the development and execution of the annual Corporate Pride Partnership and Year-End Campaigns, as well as develop targeted sector-specific outreach.
• Engage key stakeholders, including the Rainbow Railroad Board of Directors and Development Committee to engage their professional contacts and organizations in their networks to cultivate new partnerships.
• Collaborate across RR's development team including Individual Philanthropy and Community Giving to identify areas of opportunity for additional corporate funding.

Corporate Partnership Stewardship and Fulfillment

• Support the Director of Partnerships on the development of corporate engagement strategies, including identifying new partnership opportunities, benefits, recognition, and relationship management.
• Lead in partnership fulfillment and brand marketing initiatives within your portfolio to ensure all aspects of partnerships are successfully implemented.
• Support the Director of Partnerships with stewardship and fulfillment of Major and Leadership partnerships year-round with particular emphasis during the Pride Partnership Campaign from April through August annually.
• Develop customized impact reporting and lead in the completion of reporting requirements for corporate partners.

Event Sponsorship

• Working with other members of the Development team, support the creation of an events corporate fundraising strategy that generates sponsorship revenue and engages corporate sponsors.
• Identify, cultivate, and secure corporate sponsors to meet budgeted revenue targets for key Rainbow Railroad events throughout the year, including the organization’s signature fundraising event, the Toronto Freedom Party.
• Support the creation of event sponsorship levels and the identification of brand marketing and sponsorship visibility opportunities for relevant events and assist in producing sponsorship proposals and other sales materials to assist in solicitation.
• Manage sponsor fulfillment for events, ensuring all pre and post event recognition elements as well as on-site visibility and activation commitments are met.
• Oversee solicitation for in-kind donations that support Rainbow Railroad’s event fundraising strategy.

QUALIFICATIONS

Requirements

• Minimum 2-3 years experience in corporate partnerships, non-profit/for-profit partnerships, and/or social impact partnerships. Applicants with sales and partnership development experience from for-profit companies will also be considered.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or relevant combination of skills and expertise
• Past success in engaging donors or organizational stakeholders in innovative ways to build relationships and/or deepen engagement.
• Experience in developing stakeholder-facing communications such as funding applications, pitch decks, proposals, one-pagers.
• Experience with partnership/sponsorship proposals and impact reports.
• Demonstrated success in managing the donor journey from donor identification through to partner stewardship.
• Familiarity with cause marketing, CSR programming, and corporate philanthropy is highly preferred.
• Experienced in a variety of software programming including CRM software (Salesforce is an asset), Microsoft Office, Zoom, and others.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while producing high-quality deliverables.
• Entrepreneurial and creative with the ability to think independently to solve problems and move projects forward.
• Knowledge of issues facing 2SLGBTQI+ communities, including LGBTQI+ refugees, preferably gained through lived experience.
• Passionate about Rainbow Railroad’s mission and vision.

LINES OF COMMUNICATION

• Reports to the Director of Partnerships

Application Deadline – December 3, 2025

Length of Contract – Full-Time, Permanent

Hiring Salary Range – $60,000 - $75,000

Please note that we will be accepting resumes on a rolling basis, so we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Please make sure to submit your application to the portal link here: https://secure.collage.co/jobs/rainbowrailroad/57831

We thank all applicants for their interest in this position however we will only be contacting those selected for next steps.

Rainbow Railroad is dedicated to building an organization that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. This includes diversity in languages spoken, culture, race, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Requests for accommodation due to disability can be made at any stage in the recruitment process, please reach out to hire@rainbowrailroad.orgfor any questions.