Application Guide

How to Apply for Lead Manager, Partnership Development

at Makeawishamerica

🏢 About Makeawishamerica

Make-A-Wish America is the world's largest wish-granting organization with a powerful mission to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. What makes this company unique is its profound community impact—uniting volunteers, families, and donors to create transformative experiences. Working here means contributing directly to a heartfelt mission that believes in the power of a wish to bring hope, strength, and joy.

About This Role

As Lead Manager, Partnership Development, you'll be a key player on the National Corporate Partnership Development Team, responsible for securing six-figure corporate partnerships through strategic prospecting, moves management, and industry analysis. This role is impactful because you'll directly fuel the organization's ability to grant more wishes by driving significant revenue growth and building lasting national corporate relationships.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day involves researching potential corporate partners, analyzing industry trends, crafting tailored partnership proposals using Canva, and conducting virtual meetings with corporate decision-makers. You'll collaborate with the national team while coordinating with chapter staff to ensure partnership alignment across the organization's decentralized structure.

🚀 Application Tools

Generate Cover Letter

AI-powered, tailored for Makeawishamerica

Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Makeawishamerica Is Looking For

  • Has proven success in sales or fundraising with experience pitching non-profit initiatives that generated six-figure revenue
  • Possesses strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills, specifically for engaging corporate decision-makers
  • Has experience working in a chapter-based non-profit model, understanding decentralized operations
  • Is proficient with tools like Canva for creating compelling partnership proposals and presentations

📝 Tips for Applying to Makeawishamerica

1

Quantify your fundraising achievements—specifically highlight any six-figure partnerships you've secured or contributed to in previous roles

2

Demonstrate your understanding of chapter-based non-profit models by mentioning how you've navigated multi-layered organizational structures

3

Tailor your resume to show experience with corporate partnership development, not just general fundraising

4

If you have remote work experience, emphasize your self-management and communication skills in distributed teams

5

Include specific examples of using Canva or similar tools to create partnership proposals or marketing materials

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your specific experience securing six-figure corporate partnerships or fundraising campaigns', "How you've successfully pitched non-profit initiatives to corporate decision-makers", "Your understanding of Make-A-Wish's mission and how corporate partnerships directly impact wish granting", 'Experience working in chapter-based models or complex organizational structures']

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Recent major corporate partnerships Make-A-Wish has announced (check their newsroom)
  • → The organization's current strategic priorities and wish-granting statistics
  • → How Make-A-Wish's chapter-based model operates across different regions
  • → Industry trends in corporate social responsibility and cause marketing partnerships

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through a specific six-figure partnership you developed from prospecting to closure
2 How would you approach prospecting for new national corporate partners in today's economic climate?
3 Describe your experience working with chapter-based organizations and managing multi-stakeholder relationships
4 How do you use data and industry trends to identify and prioritize partnership opportunities?
5 Share an example of how you've used Canva or similar tools to create compelling partnership presentations
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Applying with only individual donor or event fundraising experience without corporate partnership examples
  • Failing to demonstrate understanding of six-figure revenue goals in your application materials
  • Not addressing the remote work requirement or showing experience with distributed teams

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Makeawishamerica!

← Back to Job Listing Apply Now →