Grant Writer and Director of Institutional Funding

Title: Grant Writer and Director of Institutional Funding

Status: Hourly position. This is primarily remote position with the requirement to live within driving distance of the Yolo Crisis Nursery’s location in Davis, California. On occasion the IFM will be required to attend meetings at the Nursery and within various parts of Yolo and Sacramento County. Compensation will be commensurate with experience in the range of $50-$60 per hour. This position will require 20 – 30 hours per week, not to exceed 32 hours per week. Some evening and weekend work will be required. A background check will be required prior to employment.

The Yolo Crisis Nursery

The Yolo Crisis Nursery (the Nursery) has served Yolo County since 2001 by offering voluntary and free nurturing childcare for ages birth through five years 24 hours per day and 365 days a year to parents who are experiencing a crisis. Our dedicated and specially trained staff provide unique wraparound services and resources to the family to help parents work through the problems that brought them to our door and ensure that the family remains intact, healthy, and stable. Since the Nursery opened, we have served approximately 10,000 Yolo County Children. We are one of only four Crisis nurseries in the state of California. In 2024, the Nursery completed a $9.5 million capital campaign to build a new state-of-the-art 9,000 square foot facility that will triple the Nursery’s service delivery and programmatic capacity. Construction is estimated to be completed in spring 2025, with the new site becoming operational in mid-2025.

Position Summary

The Grant Writer and Corporate Relations Manager will oversee grant applications and proposals, corporate sponsorships, foundation relations, and agency contracts. The successful candidate will be joining the Yolo Crisis Nursery at a time of intense and rapid organizational growth. The IFM should be prepared to identify funding for a rapidly growing organization that is providing triple the services than it did the year prior; this comes with a dramatically increased annual budget.

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned institutional funding professional who is comfortable working independently. The ideal candidate will be an initiative-taker who is responsible for identifying a broad base of new funding opportunities. This includes both public (local, state, and federal governmental funding) and private foundation and corporate grant and sponsorship opportunities. Public funding for programs will constitute a large portion of future revenue, but because the Nursery has applied for and received minimal public funding in the past, the IFM will be responsible for building on previous work, including working with program staff to review programs and make recommendations, developing projects and submitting applications, and making recommendations to build capacity in necessary areas.

Additionally, the successful candidate will also maintain the Nursery’s existing portfolio of funders by developing applications, proposals, and sponsorship applications; performing funder stewardship; and submitting required reports.

The successful candidate will also implement approved strategies to meet revenue goals of the annual giving program and coordinate and complete grant documents, acknowledgment letters, and gift agreements with institutional funders. The successful candidate will report to the Executive Director, while working closely with Director of Development to ensure that revenue goals are met and exceeded when possible while maintaining an excellent can-do attitude in a team environment.

This position reports to the Executive Director with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Director of Development.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

Fundraising, Reporting, & Stewardship – 80%

§ Maintain existing portfolio of funders and ensure timely completion of applications and proposals and reports.

§ Work with the Executive Director, the Assistant Director, and program staff to identify areas of programmatic growth. Research and identify both public and private funding opportunities to support areas programmatic growth and develop and submit proposals and applications in support.

§ Work with the Director of Development to identify corporate entities and other organizations to sponsor special events, programs, and other special initiatives.

§ Proactively write and maintain communications, including grant and sponsorship requests, reports, and stewardship materials, to institutional funders and prospects.

§ Develop relationships with funders and funder representatives, both in person and remotely, to build funder affinity for YCN.

§ Identify and implement strategies to upgrade current funder when applicable.

§ Collaborate and participate in decisions regarding messaging to institutional funders.

Program Administration and Communications – 20%

§ Maintain comprehensive application and report calendar.

§ Maintain internal grant tracking and acknowledgement mechanisms and systems

§ Prepare reports as needed including the monthly board of directors report, annual year-end reporting and forecasts for prior year.

§ Collaborate with DD and others to prepare the institutional funder program budget, project revenues and expenses, and analyze program progress against goal, adjusting, as necessary.

§ Maintain and update donor database with all pertinent institutional funder information and communications and create a timeline of deadlines for requests and reports.

§ Ensure timely completion of institutional funder data entry, grant/gift entry, and funder inquiries.

§ Manage, review, and respond to questions, comments, and requests in a timely fashion by current and prospective funders.

§ Maintain strict confidentiality of all information and materials associated with the Board of Trustees and donors.

§ Manage and ensure best practice in stewardship of funders.

§ Manage the acknowledgment process for institutional grants/gifts, engaging the President of the Board, DD, and related staff and trustees as appropriate.

§ Compose and send acknowledgment letters and grant agreements to institutional funders and maintain records of acknowledgment activity within donor database.

§ Identify current and prospective funders to tour YCN facility and steward relationship with the Nursery. Work with staff and Board to extend invitations as appropriate.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Prior Experience 

§ Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

§ Commensurate knowledge of and demonstrated experience in development programs. Strong understanding of the role of Institutional grants/gifts and sponsorships, including an understanding of typical functions and aspects.

§ At least three years related work experience, showing increasing levels of responsibility.

§ Excellent research and grant writing skills to identify and strategically develop and procure successful grants and sponsorships to meet income goals.

§ Excellent and persuasive verbal and written communication skills.

§ Advanced proofreading and editing skills.

§ Excellent time management and organizational skills.

§ Detail oriented and excellent problem solving, planning and analytical skills.

§ Demonstrated understanding of public funding streams (locally, regionally, and nationally).

§ Demonstrated ability to present professionally to corporations, foundations and government funders, the public, and partner organizations.

§ Expertise in cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for institutional funders.

§ Expertise with donor database platforms, maintenance.

§ Strong ability to work independently with minimal supervision

General Job Competencies

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§ Positive “can do” attitude

§ Team Worker

§ Passionate about the mission of the Yolo Crisis Nursery

§ Endeavors at all times to achieve cost-effective, efficient work

§ Collaborative in finding solutions, achieving quality work, and delivering outcomes and materials on time

§ Integrity in dealing with colleagues, executing work in support of the mission, protecting confidential information and discretion in all matters

§ Sensitive to and respectful of YCN client concerns and needs

§ Capable of operating in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

How to Apply?

Please send a current resume with cover letter describing your experience and interest in joining the Yolo Crisis Nursery Team to: Becky Heard at bheard@yolocrisisnursery.org.