What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Grant Writer position at YMCA of Greater Houston?
The Senior Grant Writer provides strategic leadership and oversight of all grant development, management, and compliance activities for the organization. This roleis responsible foridentifyingfunding opportunities, coordinating proposal development, and ensuring thetimelysubmission of high-quality grant applications and reports. The Director collaborates closely with program, finance, and philanthropy teams to align grant strategies with organizational priorities and outcomes, ensuring strong stewardship, accountability, and adherence to funder requirements.
The ideal candidate is a skilled writer and project manager with the ability to translate programmatic goals into compelling cases for support. They bring a deep understanding of grantmaking trends, data-driven storytelling, and nonprofit financials, and are adept at fostering cross-departmental collaboration to advance the organization's mission and impact.
Essential Functions:
Develop and write grant applications andgrant materials, proposals, letters of inquiry, acknowledgementletters,managestewardship reports and othergrantcommunication.
Research and analyze information and data for proposal development.
Prepare customized proposals according to eachgrant applicationguidelines.
Prepareattachments and other collateral materials for proposals.
Maintain communication withappropriate staffand departments on required reports and documentation.
Developandmaintaina comprehensive annual calendar to include proposal timing, tracking,follow-up, stewardship, recurring requests, etc.
Capture all relevantprospectsand donoractivitiesin the database.
Collaboratewith gift officers toensure the Ypresentsacompelling need around our case to donorswhich results in obtaining grant funding.
Coordination of operations and/or program staff delivering funded programs toensure grantcompliance.
Oversee the grant process to ensure compliance with Association and funder guidelines.
Coordinate United Way efforts and ensure proposals meet Association standards.
Research andidentifynew grant opportunities to developadditionalfunding resources.
Assist Y staff withreviewingsmaller value proposals.
YMCA Culture & Cause Expectations
Our mission and core values are brought to life by our culture. It's who are, who we aspire to be and how we show up every day. We are cause-driven. We don't just show up, we show up with purpose. As a cause driven leader you are expected to be:
Welcoming-Accept neighbors eagerly, warmly, hospitably, and as equal participants.
Nurturing-To care for, support, and help develop through encouragement.
Hopeful-Take an optimistic or positive view of future outcomes.
Determined-To devote full strength and concentrated attention to the cause.
Genuine-To be honest and open in relationships with others.
YMCA Competencies (Team Leader):
Mission Advancement: Models and teaches the Y's values. Ensures a high level of service with a commitment to changing lives. Provides volunteers with orientation, training, development, and recognition. Cultivates relationships to support fund-raising.
Collaboration: Champions inclusion activities, strategies, and initiatives. Builds relationships to create small communities. Empathetically listens and communicates for understanding when negotiating and dealing with conflict. Effectively tailors communications to the appropriate audience. Provides staff with feedback, coaching, guidance and support.
Operational Effectiveness: Provides others with frameworks for making decisions. Conducts prototypes to support the launching of programs and activities. Develops plans and manages best practices through engagement of team. Effectively creates and manages budgets. Holds staff accountable for high-quality results using a formal process to measure progress.
Personal Growth: Shares new insights. Facilitates change; models adaptability and an awareness of the impact of change. Utilizes non-threatening methods to address sensitive issues and inappropriate behavior or performance. Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills required to perform well; uses best practices and demonstrates up-to-date knowledge and skills in technology.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree or equivalentexperienceor equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Eightor moreyears ofrelated experience innonprofitgrant writing.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and Internet Explorerand donor database systems (NXT).
- Minimum age of 21years.
- Previousexperience with diverse populations.
- Strong organizational, planning, project management, time management,and problem resolution skills.
- Excellent written and verbalcommunication and service skills.
- Attention to detail, accuracy, and thoroughness.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
May directly supervise part time, non-exempt and exempt employees. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; reviewing and approving timesheets; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; monitoring and updating all required staff certifications; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
COMPUTER LITERACY
Skills are essential in all of the Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and Access. Ability to use these programs to lighten work load, develop reports and to automate procedures is very necessary. Ability to diagnose basic PC problems and to communicate those problems is very important.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25-50 pounds.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
TRAVEL
Travel is primarily local between assigned centers during the business day, although some out-of-area and overnight travel may be expected.
HOURS
Flexible with scheduling and availability to work operational hours of the YMCA and sites, which may include day, evenings and weekends.
The YMCA of Greater Houston provides Equal Employment Opportunities for employment to all employees and applicants, including disability and protected veteran status.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status.