The Director, Grant Writing and Communications (DGWC) supports Teach For America – New Jersey’s efforts to raise over $3M annually by individually overseeing a $1M grants portfolio comprised of both current and prospective funders. The Director is instrumental in ensuring the continued strength of our institutional donor base—including gathering data and stories that tell Teach For America’s impact in New Jersey, creating compelling grant proposals and reports, drafting meaningful stewardship communication, and setting forth a vision and strategy to expand the institutional giving base. As one member of a two-person development team, the ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to individually manage a major grants portfolio and an interest in supporting fundraising efforts across giving streams. The Director reports directly to the Managing Director, Development and regularly reports on progress to the Executive Director.
Portfolio Management (70%)
- Develop and write grant proposals to foundations and other grant-making organizations, persuasively communicating Teach For America’s mission and programs
- Assemble and submit grant requests, including letters, proposals, budgets, and presentations
- Establish and maintain personal contact and relationships with foundation contacts and program officers
- Ensure prompt acknowledgement of foundation gifts and meaningful follow-up stewardship
- Support and prepare senior leadership for meetings with donors and prospective donors and participate in meetings and phone calls as assigned
- Maintain calendar to ensure timely submission of letters of inquiry, proposal deadlines, and reports
- Conduct prospect research to surface new funding opportunities
- Prioritize projects to keep multiple projects moving in a timely manner, meet deadlines and manage supplemental material required for proposals
- Update Salesforce and tracking systems with pertinent updates, correspondence and documents related to funders and prospects and track progress towards revenue goals
Strategy and Planning (20%)
- Develop and implement a multi-year strategy for ambitiously increasing the size and number of corporate and foundation gifts
- Develop a compelling corporate engagement strategy and corporate benefits package
- As appropriate, collaborate with other New Jersey team members to execute on inspiring fundraising and cultivation efforts to steward corporate and foundation givers
Region-wide and Organization-wide Responsibilities (10%)
Teach For America thrives on cross-functional partnerships throughout our organization. Our staff members are skilled in working across layers, understanding and managing through the reality of competing commitments, navigating these situations with grace, and being culture leaders within our regional team. We do this by upholding an orientation towards flexibility and generosity while also remaining deeply committed to a sense of possibility and achievement. While some days we work independently to achieve milestones, realizing our goals requires regular collaboration at all levels. Everyone shows their support for region-and-organization-wide initiatives by actively engaging in the following:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness professional development
- Corps member induction
- Corps member professional development days
- Corps member hiring events
- Corps member acceptance confirmation
- Regional staff recruitment and talent cultivation
- Cross-functional special projects
- Corps member selection interviews
- All staff leadership development and team building
- Regional social events with staff, corps members, and alumni
- 3-5 years of aligned professional experience, preferably in nonprofit development or communications
Skills
- Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail
- Demonstrated ability to produce clear and concise formal and informal written communications
- Demonstrated ability to produce successful fundraising outcomes
- Ability to juggle multiple tasks and reprioritize within a rapidly changing environment
- Desire to be part of a small and dynamic team
- Ability to self-start and operate successfully in an entrepreneurial environment
- Knowledge of youth, education, social justice, and equity principles preferred
- Strong ability to build relationships and tailor approach toward the perspective of others across a variety of stakeholders
- Ideal candidates will have an interest in front-line fundraising and supporting fundraising efforts across giving streams
Work Demands
- Will need to be available for work activities 1-2 evenings a week and 1-2 weekends per month
- Will need to travel independently throughout Greater Delta for meetings and school visits
- Must live in the regional context