Gifts & Grants Officer

POSITION SUMMARY

Reporting to the Director of Gifts & Gratitude and working closely with all development staff, the Gifts & Grants Officer identifies, researches, cultivates and stewards funding opportunities for both individual and institutional donors. The Officer’s portfolio will include a mix of individuals giving personally or through donor-advised funds or family foundations, and key representatives of private foundations. S/he will be assigned a portfolio of active donors and prospects, and will be responsible for making initial contact, securing personal visits and working with the CEO, Director of Gifts & Gratitude, Programming and Finance teams, and others to manage, as applicable, the submission of letters of intent, proposals and online applications. S/he will act as a steward to funders and will work to establish long-term partnerships and strengthen existing relationships within the foundation and corporate sector as well as other key communities or individuals.

Kripalu is increasingly focused on building partnerships with organizations in the greater Berkshires, providing service to new and diverse communities, and supporting activists and servant-leaders working for a healthier society. We are seeking an ambitious and energetic candidate seeking to grow and hone the spectrum of skills necessary for effective philanthropic leadership, while building Kripalu’s capacity to grow our most impactful programs.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Manage a portfolio of individual and institutional donors in support of meeting annual fundraising goals.
• Manage proposal and grant writing process, including establishing schedules and coordinating with appropriate staff.
• Identify and develop key external alliances necessary to achieve financial sustainability and programmatic impact.
• Understand and speak knowledgeably about Kripalu’s growing schedule of “Impact” programming and scholarship initiatives.
• Coordinate efforts within Kripalu regarding appropriate staff for outreach to foundations or donors. Understand and hold knowledge of current foundation funding relationships within Kripalu.
• Research and prospect potential corporate and foundation funding opportunities.
• Willingness to travel to build and cultivate relationships with foundations and corporations.
• Monitor and report on progress on grant funded activity against schedule established in approved proposals and by funders. Coordinate with various departments on their grant reporting timelines to ensure that progress and final reports are delivered on time. Manage and improve existing grant tracking mechanism.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Possesses strong core ethics, integrity, and values consistent with Kripalu’s organizational principles.
• Builds effective relationships, identifies internal and external customer expectations, sees issues from their point of view; offers practical, mutually beneficial recommendations, solutions, and ideas.
• Demonstrates the knowledge and abilities necessary to perform required job elements to established standards, including writing and presentation skills, financial literacy, and decision-making.
• Learns and adapts quickly in new situations resulting in successful performance.
• Proven ability to work efficiently and independently.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and produce quality materials while achieving results and meeting deadlines.
• Articulates the vision and leads the work group in that direction. Must be a strong communicator both internally and externally.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in the field of fundraising, with demonstrated success as a 1:1 fundraiser, as a grant writer, and as a builder of productive internal and external relationships.
• Impeccable integrity, judgment, and discretion along with a professional demeanor and interpersonal style that elicits trust from leadership, funders, staff, public officials, and partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office business tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Experience with CRM tools; Raiser’s Edge NXT experience a plus.