OPT Foundation Director Jobs
Foundation Director roles sit at the intersection of nonprofit leadership and strategic fundraising, making them a strong fit for OPT students with backgrounds in nonprofit management, public administration, or business. Most positions require a relevant graduate degree and prior development experience, which aligns well with OPT's 12-month standard authorization window.
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Get Access To All JobsLocation: Evansville, IN
Facility: Ascension St. Vincent
Department/Specialty: Ascension St. Vincent Foundation
Schedule: Full Time Days | Monday through Friday | 8:00am to 5:00pm
How you'll make an impact in this role:
Participate/implement strategies in fund-raising campaigns, grant administration, major gift and/or charitable development programs for the Ascension St. Vincent Foundation in Evansville, IN.
Responsibilities:
Portfolio Management & Fundraising
-
Portfolio Management: Manage an active portfolio of 75–100 individual, corporate, associate, and grateful patient donors through strategic cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal, and upgrade activities to achieve annual fundraising goals.
-
Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships: Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate sponsors and community partners to secure philanthropic support and strengthen long-term partnerships.
-
Major Gift Pipeline Development: Identify annual giving donors with major gift potential and partner with the Foundation Director to develop and implement individualized cultivation strategies.
-
Grateful Patient Fundraising: Collaborate with Foundation colleagues, hospital leadership, physicians, and clinical staff to expand grateful patient philanthropy through meaningful outreach, recognition, and donor engagement.
-
Philanthropic Awareness: Promote a culture of philanthropy by educating associates, physicians, and hospital leaders about grateful patient giving opportunities and the impact of charitable support.
Annual Giving & Donor Engagement
-
Annual Giving Strategy: In collaboration with Foundation colleagues, develop and implement annual giving strategies to acquire new donors, retain and upgrade existing supporters, re-engage lapsed donors, and increase philanthropic participation through direct mail, digital communications, personal outreach, and other fundraising initiatives.
-
Associate Giving Campaign: Lead the local Annual Associate Giving Campaign, including strategy, communications, volunteer engagement, recognition, and reporting to increase associate participation.
-
Donor Communications & Impact Stories: Collaborate with Foundation and hospital colleagues to identify and share compelling patient and program impact stories that inspire giving, demonstrate philanthropic outcomes, and strengthen donor stewardship.
Fundraising Events & Community Partnerships
-
Signature Fundraising Events: Coordinate Foundation signature fundraising events from planning through execution, including timelines, logistics, committee support, volunteer coordination, sponsorship fulfillment, donor recognition, and post-event stewardship to achieve fundraising objectives.
-
Community Fundraising Partnerships: Cultivate relationships with third-party event organizers and community partners to expand fundraising opportunities that benefit the Foundation.
Operations & Performance Management
-
CRM & Data Management: Maintain accurate donor records, gift activity, contact reports, and moves management within the Foundation CRM to ensure data integrity and effective fundraising management.
-
Performance Metrics & Budget Oversight: Monitor fundraising goals, campaign and event budgets, project timelines, and key performance metrics, preparing reports that evaluate progress and support strategic decision-making.
-
Team Collaboration: Collaborate with Foundation leadership and colleagues to advance philanthropic priorities and perform other duties that support the Foundation's fundraising mission.
What minimum qualifications you'll need:
Licensure / Certification / Registration: Certification specializing in Fund Raising preferred.
Education: High School diploma equivalency with 2 years of cumulative experience OR Associate's degree/Bachelor's degree OR 4 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required.
What additional requirements you'll need:
- Bachelors degree required.
- Must have excellent relationship building skills.
- Prefer a minimum of 3 years previous or current foundation development experience.
- Position will require strong project management experience.
- Prefer some event planning experience.
- Some evening and weekend commitments required during fundraising events.
Life at Ascension: Where purpose meets opportunity:
Ascension is a leading nonprofit Catholic health system with a culture and associate experience grounded in service, growth, care and connection. We empower our 97,000+ associates to bring their skills and expertise every day to reimagining healthcare, together. Recognized as one of the Best 150+ Places to Work in Healthcare and a Military-Friendly Gold Employer, you’ll find an inclusive and supportive environment where your contributions truly matter.
Equal employment opportunity employer
Ascension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. For further information, view the EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.
Fraud prevention notice
Prospective applicants should be vigilant against fraudulent job offers and interview requests. Scammers may use sophisticated tactics to impersonate Ascension employees. To ensure your safety, please remember: Ascension will never ask for payment or to provide banking or financial information as part of the job application or hiring process. Our legitimate email communications will always come from an @ascension.org email address; do not trust other domains, and an official offer will only be extended to candidates who have completed a job application through our authorized applicant tracking system.
E-Verify statement
Employer participates in the Electronic Employment Verification Program. Please click here for more information.
Benefits:
- Paid time off (PTO)
- Various health insurance options & wellness plans
- Retirement benefits including employer match plans
- Long-term & short-term disability
- Employee assistance programs (EAP)
- Parental leave & adoption assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
- Ways to give back to your community
Benefit options and eligibility vary by position. Compensation varies based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, performance, location and salary range at the time of the offer.
Location: Evansville, IN
Facility: Ascension St. Vincent
Department/Specialty: Ascension St. Vincent Foundation
Schedule: Full Time Days | Monday through Friday | 8:00am to 5:00pm
How you'll make an impact in this role:
Participate/implement strategies in fund-raising campaigns, grant administration, major gift and/or charitable development programs for the Ascension St. Vincent Foundation in Evansville, IN.
Responsibilities:
Portfolio Management & Fundraising
-
Portfolio Management: Manage an active portfolio of 75–100 individual, corporate, associate, and grateful patient donors through strategic cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal, and upgrade activities to achieve annual fundraising goals.
-
Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships: Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate sponsors and community partners to secure philanthropic support and strengthen long-term partnerships.
-
Major Gift Pipeline Development: Identify annual giving donors with major gift potential and partner with the Foundation Director to develop and implement individualized cultivation strategies.
-
Grateful Patient Fundraising: Collaborate with Foundation colleagues, hospital leadership, physicians, and clinical staff to expand grateful patient philanthropy through meaningful outreach, recognition, and donor engagement.
-
Philanthropic Awareness: Promote a culture of philanthropy by educating associates, physicians, and hospital leaders about grateful patient giving opportunities and the impact of charitable support.
Annual Giving & Donor Engagement
-
Annual Giving Strategy: In collaboration with Foundation colleagues, develop and implement annual giving strategies to acquire new donors, retain and upgrade existing supporters, re-engage lapsed donors, and increase philanthropic participation through direct mail, digital communications, personal outreach, and other fundraising initiatives.
-
Associate Giving Campaign: Lead the local Annual Associate Giving Campaign, including strategy, communications, volunteer engagement, recognition, and reporting to increase associate participation.
-
Donor Communications & Impact Stories: Collaborate with Foundation and hospital colleagues to identify and share compelling patient and program impact stories that inspire giving, demonstrate philanthropic outcomes, and strengthen donor stewardship.
Fundraising Events & Community Partnerships
-
Signature Fundraising Events: Coordinate Foundation signature fundraising events from planning through execution, including timelines, logistics, committee support, volunteer coordination, sponsorship fulfillment, donor recognition, and post-event stewardship to achieve fundraising objectives.
-
Community Fundraising Partnerships: Cultivate relationships with third-party event organizers and community partners to expand fundraising opportunities that benefit the Foundation.
Operations & Performance Management
-
CRM & Data Management: Maintain accurate donor records, gift activity, contact reports, and moves management within the Foundation CRM to ensure data integrity and effective fundraising management.
-
Performance Metrics & Budget Oversight: Monitor fundraising goals, campaign and event budgets, project timelines, and key performance metrics, preparing reports that evaluate progress and support strategic decision-making.
-
Team Collaboration: Collaborate with Foundation leadership and colleagues to advance philanthropic priorities and perform other duties that support the Foundation's fundraising mission.
What minimum qualifications you'll need:
Licensure / Certification / Registration: Certification specializing in Fund Raising preferred.
Education: High School diploma equivalency with 2 years of cumulative experience OR Associate's degree/Bachelor's degree OR 4 years of applicable cumulative job specific experience required.
What additional requirements you'll need:
- Bachelors degree required.
- Must have excellent relationship building skills.
- Prefer a minimum of 3 years previous or current foundation development experience.
- Position will require strong project management experience.
- Prefer some event planning experience.
- Some evening and weekend commitments required during fundraising events.
Life at Ascension: Where purpose meets opportunity:
Ascension is a leading nonprofit Catholic health system with a culture and associate experience grounded in service, growth, care and connection. We empower our 97,000+ associates to bring their skills and expertise every day to reimagining healthcare, together. Recognized as one of the Best 150+ Places to Work in Healthcare and a Military-Friendly Gold Employer, you’ll find an inclusive and supportive environment where your contributions truly matter.
Equal employment opportunity employer
Ascension provides Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) to all associates and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, lactation, breastfeeding, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, all as defined by applicable law, and any other legally protected status or characteristic in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. For further information, view the EEO Know Your Rights (English) poster or EEO Know Your Rights (Spanish) poster.
Fraud prevention notice
Prospective applicants should be vigilant against fraudulent job offers and interview requests. Scammers may use sophisticated tactics to impersonate Ascension employees. To ensure your safety, please remember: Ascension will never ask for payment or to provide banking or financial information as part of the job application or hiring process. Our legitimate email communications will always come from an @ascension.org email address; do not trust other domains, and an official offer will only be extended to candidates who have completed a job application through our authorized applicant tracking system.
E-Verify statement
Employer participates in the Electronic Employment Verification Program. Please click here for more information.
Benefits:
- Paid time off (PTO)
- Various health insurance options & wellness plans
- Retirement benefits including employer match plans
- Long-term & short-term disability
- Employee assistance programs (EAP)
- Parental leave & adoption assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
- Ways to give back to your community
Benefit options and eligibility vary by position. Compensation varies based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, education, performance, location and salary range at the time of the offer.
See all OPT Foundation Director Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Foundation Director Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship in Foundation Director
Target nonprofits with established HR infrastructure
Large foundations and university-affiliated nonprofits are more likely to have immigration counsel on staff and experience sponsoring work visas after OPT. Smaller family foundations rarely have the infrastructure to navigate H-1B visa sponsorship, so prioritize organizations with 50 or more employees.
Apply early in your OPT window
Foundation Director roles often have multi-round hiring processes lasting two to three months. Starting your search at least four months before your OPT expires gives you enough runway to complete interviews, negotiate an offer, and begin any H-1B sponsorship paperwork without a gap in authorization.
Frame your international background as a fundraising asset
Many foundations prioritize global giving, international programs, or cross-cultural community engagement. Your international perspective and language skills are genuine differentiators in these contexts. Emphasize them explicitly in cover letters and interviews rather than treating them as incidental background.
Pursue STEM OPT extension if your degree qualifies
If your degree in data analytics, information systems, or a related STEM field supports this role, a 24-month STEM OPT extension gives you significantly more time to secure H-1B sponsorship. Confirm eligibility with your DSO early, as the extension must be filed before your standard OPT expires.
Highlight measurable fundraising outcomes in your resume
Foundation Director candidates are evaluated heavily on revenue generation and donor retention results. Quantify your past impact clearly, such as grant portfolios managed or donor campaigns led. Concrete numbers signal readiness for the role and reduce employer hesitation about sponsorship investment.
Ask about sponsorship intent before final interview rounds
Raise the sponsorship question after an initial offer of interest but before final rounds. Framing it as practical planning, not a demand, avoids awkwardness. If the organization cannot commit to H-1B sponsorship, knowing early protects your time and lets you refocus on employers who can.
Foundation Director OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Foundation Director role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B sponsorship?
Foundation Director positions generally qualify as specialty occupations when they require at least a bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, public administration, business, or a related field. The role must require that specific degree, not just any degree. Positions where the employer accepts any educational background are harder to sponsor, so targeting roles with explicit degree requirements in your field strengthens the H-1B case significantly.
Can I work as a Foundation Director on OPT without employer sponsorship right away?
Yes. OPT authorizes full-time employment in your field of study without requiring the employer to file anything on your behalf, unlike H-1B. You can start working as a Foundation Director as soon as your OPT EAD card is valid and the role is related to your degree. Sponsorship only becomes relevant when you need to extend your authorization beyond the OPT period.
How do I find Foundation Director jobs open to OPT candidates?
Most general job boards don't filter for visa-friendly employers, which wastes time during a period when your authorization window is limited. Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and surfaces Foundation Director roles from employers with a demonstrated history of sponsoring international employees. Searching there gives you a much faster path to relevant opportunities than filtering through listings on platforms not designed for your situation.
What happens to my OPT status if a Foundation Director contract role ends unexpectedly?
You're allowed up to 90 days of unemployment during standard OPT, and up to 150 days if you have a STEM extension. If a contract ends early, that unemployment period begins immediately, so it's important to restart your search quickly. Notify your DSO and document your job search activity. Consistent records of applications and outreach can matter if your status is ever reviewed.
Is a master's degree required to qualify for Foundation Director roles on OPT?
Not universally, but most competitive Foundation Director positions expect a master's degree in nonprofit management, public policy, social work, or a related discipline, plus several years of development experience. A bachelor's degree alone may qualify you for associate or junior director titles. Pursuing this role directly after an undergraduate OPT period is possible but uncommon, and employers will scrutinize your experience level more closely.