Director of Partnerships & Development (Sales & Fundraising)

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS & DEVELOPMENT (SALES & FUNDRAISING)

Lincoln Sports Foundation (LSF Campus)

Lincoln, Nebraska

Full-Time | Base Salary Commission

www.lsfcampus.org

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Lincoln Sports Foundation is looking for a relationship-driven, entrepreneurial professional to lead partnership development, sponsorship sales, fundraising, and business development for LSF Campus.

This is primarily a revenue-generating position, but it goes well beyond traditional sales. We are looking for someone who can build meaningful relationships throughout Lincoln and turn those relationships into corporate partnerships, sponsorships, charitable gifts, and other opportunities that support LSF’s continued growth and nonprofit mission.

We are intentionally looking for candidates from BOTH the sales/business development world and the charitable foundation/nonprofit development world.

A successful candidate could come from corporate or B2B sales, business development, banking, insurance, media or advertising sales, sports sponsorships, hospitality, nonprofit fundraising, charitable foundations, donor development, philanthropy, community relations, or a similar relationship-driven field.

We’re less concerned with a specific career path than we are with finding someone who knows how to build relationships, create opportunities, follow through, and produce results.

ABOUT LINCOLN SPORTS FOUNDATION

Lincoln Sports Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating LSF Campus, Nebraska’s largest nonprofit sports complex.

LSF Campus brings together youth sports, tournaments, community organizations, nonprofits, athletes, families, and visitors from throughout Nebraska and across the country.

LSF welcomed 322,844 visitors in 2025, including approximately 115,000 K-12 athletes and 20,000 out-of-state visitors. LSF is projected to welcome approximately 520,000 visitors in 2026 and 700,000 visitors in 2027 — continuing a period of significant growth in the reach and impact of the organization. LSF is also projected to generate an estimated $39.1 million in economic impact in 2026.

LSF currently hosts 31 different sports and activities, works with 64 partner organizations and tenants, and has 63 tournaments and events scheduled for 2026. In 2025 alone, LSF provided more than $113,000 in facility rentals at no charge to local nonprofit organizations.

Our mission is to serve as a community-oriented sports complex that provides opportunities for athletic development, competition, personal growth, and community connection.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Prospect, develop, and close corporate sponsorships, business partnerships, charitable gifts, philanthropic support, and other revenue opportunities.

• Build strong relationships with businesses, donors, charitable foundations, community leaders, and organizational partners.

• Develop creative sponsorship and partnership opportunities that provide meaningful value to both LSF and its partners.

• Manage the entire business-development process, including prospecting, outreach, meetings, proposals, negotiations, closing, fulfillment, and renewal.

• Cultivate individual donors and philanthropic relationships and identify opportunities for charitable giving.

• Maintain and grow existing sponsor, donor, and partner relationships.

• Support fundraising campaigns, capital projects, grant opportunities, and other philanthropic initiatives.

• Actively represent LSF throughout the Lincoln business community, including attending at least 75% of designated Lincoln Chamber of Commerce events.

• Attend other relevant business, civic, charitable, networking, and community events to develop relationships and identify new opportunities.

• Maintain an organized pipeline of prospects, opportunities, commitments, and follow-ups.

• Work closely with LSF staff on proposals, partnerships, events, fundraising initiatives, and organizational priorities.

• Provide regular updates to the LSF Board of Directors.

• Bring new ideas to the table for expanding sponsorships, charitable giving, donor engagement, community partnerships, and other sustainable revenue opportunities.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

This position could be a great fit for an experienced sales professional who wants to use their skills and relationships to make a community impact, OR for someone from the nonprofit, charitable foundation, fundraising, or philanthropic world who is comfortable with the sales and revenue-development side of the position.

The ideal candidate:

• Is confident developing new relationships and initiating conversations with prospective partners and donors.

• Has experience in sales, business development, fundraising, charitable giving, sponsorships, donor development, or another relationship-driven field.

• Can turn relationships and ideas into measurable revenue opportunities.

• Is comfortable asking for the business or the gift, presenting proposals, negotiating, and closing.

• Has strong communication, organization, relationship-building, and follow-up skills.

• Can independently manage a pipeline and consistently move opportunities forward.

• Enjoys networking and wants to become a visible, active representative of LSF throughout the Lincoln business and charitable communities.

• Is comfortable regularly attending Chamber events, community functions, networking opportunities, meetings, and other events outside the office.

• Thinks creatively about partnerships rather than simply selling from a rate sheet.

• Can work independently while being an active and collaborative member of the LSF team.

• Is proficient in Microsoft Office.

POSITION EXPECTATIONS

This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position with a minimum of 20 hours per week in person at LSF Campus.

The remainder of the position may include meetings with prospective businesses, sponsors, donors, foundations, and community partners; Chamber of Commerce events; networking opportunities; and other activities directly related to developing relationships and generating revenue.

The Director of Partnerships & Development is expected to attend at least 75% of designated Lincoln Chamber of Commerce events in person, along with other relevant community and networking events.

This is not intended to be a traditional desk-based sales position. Being present in the community, developing relationships, and becoming a recognizable representative of Lincoln Sports Foundation are important parts of the role.

COMPENSATION

Base Salary: Up to $60,000

Commission: Up to 25%

Compensation structure will be based on experience, with flexibility in the balance between base salary and commission.

LSF is open to structuring the balance between base salary and performance-based compensation around the experience and strengths of the successful candidate. Final compensation, fundraising guidelines, and commission structure will be established as part of the agreed-upon role structure.

WHY LSF?

This is an opportunity to take a significant role in the continued growth of one of Lincoln’s largest community sports assets.

LSF is entering a period of substantial growth, from 322,844 visitors in 2025 to a projected 520,000 in 2026 and 700,000 in 2027. The person stepping into this role will have an opportunity to help translate that growth into long-term corporate partnerships, sponsorship revenue, charitable support, and community investment.

Rather than stepping into a narrowly defined sales position, the successful candidate will have an opportunity to help shape how LSF approaches corporate partnerships, sponsorships, charitable giving, philanthropy, and community engagement as the organization continues to grow.

We want someone who brings relationships, ideas, energy, and an entrepreneurial mindset — and who wants to help build what comes next at LSF.

TO APPLY

Please submit a résumé and brief introduction outlining your experience in sales, business development, sponsorships, fundraising, charitable foundations, philanthropy, donor development, relationship management, or similar work, and why you’re interested in helping grow Lincoln Sports Foundation.