Grant Writer

As an affiliate of an international membership organization, the YWCA Sonoma County has devoted the past 40 years to empowering women and affirming the worth of all people, regardless of gender or race.

At the heart of the YWCA’s programs is our domestic violence services. We provide a wide range of services to victims of domestic violence and their children so they can heal, become self-sufficient, and return productively to the community.

Position is 30 hrs per week/non-exempt.

Position Summary

Under the direct supervision of the Chief Executive Officer, the Grant Writer is responsible for managing a comprehensive grants program at YWCA Sonoma County, conducting the full range of activities required to prepare and submit timely, accurate, compelling, polished proposals to foundation, corporate, and government sources. This includes tracking program department funding needs and strategy; prospect research; maintaining the calendar of grant applications; project management for grant applications; writing, preparing, and submitting Letters of Interest (LOIs) and grant applications; calendaring, tracking, and submitting grant reporting on grant deliverables; tracking all documents and program information required by funders; maintaining grants tracking, filing, and database entries; summary of awarded applications & project management of award signature process; developing and fostering relationships with public and private grant makers; and ongoing funder communications in collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer. This position works close with CFO on budget submissions to funders.

Essential Tasks

• Responsible for tracking of programmatic funding needs and grant fundraising strategy for YWCA Sonoma County’s programs.
• Research prospective grant sources (private, corporate and government) compatible with YWCA Sonoma County’s mission, values, and programs in support of the agency’s strategic and program goals and calendaring those prospects into the annual grant strategy.
• Attend bidder conferences and grant application training sessions hosted by funders, as necessary.
• Coordinate the development of grant requests by establishing timelines that outline tasks, assignments, and deadlines; meet all deadlines; facilitate timely communications with program leadership; collect grant submission materials from Programs and Finance.
• Draft and edit high quality, compelling LOI’s, grant proposals, grant reports, and acknowledgement letters.
• Research and collect data and study findings to support grant proposals and reports. Special attention should be made in checking for completeness against grant instructions, spelling, grammar, and style; and to ensure compliance and regulatory requirements.
• Format agency and departmental budgets to meet grant sources’ budget requirements. Copy, collate, package, and submit final grant materials per grant instructions, and within funder deadlines.
• Respond to inquiries from funders and programs strategically and in a timely manner based on guidance from the Chief Executive Officer.
• Establish and maintain positive and professional working relationships with private grantors, corporate funders, and governmental agencies.
• Reviews, summarizes, and tracks data on grant awards received in database and file formats.
• Oversee and track all grant milestones including, but not limited to; proposals in development, proposals submitted to funders, proposals that have been issued or canceled, deliverable deadlines, communication and awards, in donor tracking software, ensuring that all content is complete and up to date at all times, and that calendar reminders are set up in Little Green Light.

· In collaboration with Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer develop an annual grants strategy.

• Establish and maintain positive relationships with YWCA Sonoma County’s program directors and staff.
• Perform other duties as assigned, including providing support for media and donor visits, assisting with special events, and general support to the work unit as directed.

Other Duties

These are tasks that are available for reassignment should the need for reasonable accommodation arise.

· Performs other duties as requested.

Key Behavioral Traits

The consistent display of these behaviors is essential to continued employment:

· Professionalism: Treats others with respect. Accepts feedback without defensiveness. Understands needs of the organization might outweigh personal feelings and still provides diligent and careful work product.

· Good Judgment: Considers impact of personal and professional choices. Consistently makes decisions in keeping with organizational values, supervisor’s direction and common sense.

· Problem Solving: Able to handle common problems without supervisor intervention while knowing when supervisor participation is warranted. Able to foresee when actions might have consequences to others and communicates appropriately before implementing changes.

· Organizational Culture: A commitment to the agency’s mission of the YWCA. Familiarity or experience with issues that impact the lives of people supported by the YWCA. Sensitive to issues of confidentiality and diversity.

Prerequisite Qualifications

The candidate must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for employment in this position:

· Three (3) years grant writing and reporting experience in a government/non-profit setting

· Bachelor’s degree in related field preferred

· Prior to employment, obtain fingerprint clearance and pass TB testing and physical

Knowledge & Skills:

· Strong written communication skills; demonstrated ability to write clear, structured, articulate and persuasive proposals.

· Attention to detail, strong editing and organization skills

· Ability to meet deadlines

· Motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently with purpose and accuracy in a fast paced environment.

· High proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

· Experience with reporting databases preferred.

Ability to:

· Learn and understand the dynamics of the cycle of domestic violence and prevention strategies.

· Maintain orderly work environment and perform tasks in a prescribed and safe manner. Maintain and improve professional skills and knowledge. Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and individuals contacted during performance of job duties. Be flexible and receptive to suggestions, input and change. Operate modern office equipment, including computer, phone, fax, copier, etc. Understand and carry out both oral and written instructions in an independent manner. Communicate effectively and tactfully in both oral and written forms.

Physical Requirements

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.

· Candidate must be able to lift up to 50 pounds

· Movement within office environment

· Ability to write by hand and use keyboard to perform general office functions

· Ability to communicate by speech and hearing continuously

· Visual acuity (close, distant, peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus and view accurate color perception) needed for detail work, and computer use

· Ability to sit for extended periods of time

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $28.00 - $32.00 per hour

Expected hours: 30 – 40 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Referral program
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Ability to Commute:

• Santa Rosa, CA 95404 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Santa Rosa, CA 95404: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $28 - $32