Operations / Administration Consultant Grant Writer
Job Description
Organization Profile:
Founded in 1999, BUILD’s mission is to use entrepreneurship to ignite the power of youth in under-resourced communities to build Career success, Entrepreneurial mindsets, and Opportunity. We help students become the CEO of their own lives
BUILD’s unique program offers students a four-year entrepreneurship experience designed to develop 21st Century Skills and motivate student engagement in school. Starting in 9th grade, BUILD students work with their peers and community mentors to develop business ideas, pitch to funders and launch real businesses. As students journey through high school and continue to grow their businesses, BUILD helps them explore college and career options, and assists students with the college application process. Entrepreneurship is the spark – college, career, and life success are the goals.
We recently launched and completed a $15M growth campaign called BUILDing Gen E to inspire a diverse new generation of entrepreneurial leaders and changemakers across America. Our BUILDing Gen E Campaign includes three core pillars:
- Digital Acceleration: reaching more students and educators with greater impact
- Geographic Expansion: bringing our work to new communities nationwide
- Systemic Change: making entrepreneurship a foundational course in under-resourced schools
BUILD currently serves over 2,000 high school students annually located in our Regional Hubs in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC, New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. Our new digital offerings are reaching over 8,000 students in more than 100 cities, and growing fast. In the next two years, we aim to serve 24,000 youth and eventually build a vibrant 100,000 person community including BUILD students, alumni, educators, mentors, and volunteers. For more information, please visit www.build.org.
Our Culture:
BUILD is made up of a diverse, results driven and passionate team who believe in the potential of every student and the power of entrepreneurship to transform the education landscape. We work in a collaborative environment where perseverance, flexibility, and an entrepreneurial spirit are encouraged and celebrated. Our culture thrives by embracing diversity, equity and inclusion, including cross-cultural understanding. Kindness, empathy and respect are at the forefront of the way we treat each other, our students, our teachers and our supporters. We believe in the potential of every student and are dedicated to breaking down the educational, economic and social barriers that stand in the way of their long-term success. The remarkable young men and women whom we serve are at the center of everything we do. We are intentional about our culture so that we can best support them.
Position Summary:
The part-time Grant Writer will primarily be responsible for writing and submitting compelling grant applications and reports that attract new institutional funders and inspire BUILD’s existing ones. The Grant Writer will inherit a robust portfolio of long-term and committed funders. This is an exceptional opportunity for someone looking for a mostly remote and flexible schedule to play a key role in contributing to the organization’s growth and ensure that BUILD has a vibrant culture of philanthropy. This position is a member of the Boston Development Team and reports to the Boston Director of Philanthropy. The Boston Grant Writer will be a part of a talented group of grant writer colleagues across BUILD’s regional and national departments who serve as thought partners and support to one another.
Scope of Work:
The Contract Grant Writer (CGW) will work with the Director of Development to secure funding from private and corporate foundations. The CGW will:
- Support BUILD in building relationships with new and existing funders through regular cultivation activities;
- Research, draft, and submit concept notes, LOIs, and proposals in coordination with your staff; and
- Participate in regular meetings to coordinate all identification, cultivation, and solicitation activities.
In turn, BUILD will provide the CGW with any necessary information to ensure it is able to be successful, including access to:
- All programmatic information, including updated information about activities, outcomes, and program evaluation;
- Financial information, including budgets, financial reports, and funder lists;
- Current and past funder conversations and communications; and
- Previous proposals and reports to funders.
This engagement is a collaborative one, and we will work together to support each other in achieving our goals.
Ongoing Activities:
Monthly
- Cultivation & Stewardship
- CGW will support new funder cultivation by providing strategic advice and drafting outreach and follow up email correspondences.
- BUILD will implement all funder cultivation activities
- Grant Writing & Submission
- CGW will draft, edit, and submit an average of 4 well aligned opportunities concept papers, LOIs, grant proposals, or reports per month;
- BUILD will ensure regular updates to programmatic information and financial attachments;
- Make program and other staff available to meet with CGW as needed; and
- Provide timely review and approval of all drafts in advance of submission deadlines
- Meetings & Check-ins
- CGW will meet weekly with Director of Philanthropy, program and development team for updates
Onboarding
- BUILD will:
- Develop onboarding work plan to outline major activities and timelines
- Provide relevant organizational materials and background information
- Make program and other staff available to meet with CGW
- Provide background on fundraising history and revenue goals
- Provide list or calendar of upcoming deadlines, if applicable
- CGW will:
- Review existing materials, including proposals and reports, marketing materials, budgets, evaluations, and organizational strategy and planning documents;
- Conduct phone or in-person meetings with relevant organizational staff, including program staff if applicable, to gather details on BUILD’s mission, outcomes, and programs
Qualifications:
- A superb writer and storyteller who’s mastered the ability to distill complicated ideas while artfully inspiring the support needed to solve problems
- Obsessed with doing top-notch work; you enjoy the writing process until you get it just right (you look forward to the opportunity to correct typos)
- The candidate must be highly organized, use independent judgment, and produce a consistently high-quality work product within tight time constraints and competing deadlines.
- 5+ years of proven successful grant and sponsorship applications at the $10,000 and up level
- Familiarity with donor management software, Raiser’s Edge preferred.
- Demonstrated knowledge of nonprofit organizational budgeting and/or creation of grant proposals and report budgets.
- Working knowledge of prospect research methods for institutional donors.
- Ability to work in partnership with others to complete assigned projects; experience in effectively collaborating with remote colleagues desirable.
- Ability to thrive in a creative, dynamic, deadline-driven environment with humor and flexibility.
- Passion and commitment to BUILD’s mission proven through professional, volunteer and/or personal experience.
Position Details:
- Status: This is an independent contractor position and will receive a 990 at the end of the year
- Timeline: October 2023 through January 2024
- Approximately 20 hrs/week.
Compensation:
This is a contract position and is budgeted for $60-90/hr commensurate with experience.
