What are the responsibilities and job description for the Grant Writer (FT) position at Cradles To Crayons Inc?
About Cradles to Crayons:
Cradles to Crayons (C2C), founded in 2002, provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive-at home, at school, and at play. We supply clothing, shoes, diapers, school supplies, and more, free of charge. Our vision is that one day all children will have the essentials they need to thrive.
Two in 5 kids in the United States are currently facing Clothing Insecurity, going without basic essentials like pants, shoes, diapers, and school supplies during their critical development years. Three of the top 10 reasons kids miss school are rooted in Clothing Insecurity-just one example of the significant short- and long-term social and economic costs when these needs go unmet. Cradles to Crayons keeps Clothing Insecurity at the core of our mission and is the only large-scale nonprofit organization to focus on this resource gap. Since its founding, Cradles to Crayons has distributed more than three million customized packages of essentials to children in Massachusetts, Greater Philadelphia, Chicagoland, and nationally, through Giving Factory Direct-a first-in-kind online product donation platform launched in 2021.
Cradles to Crayons takes a three-pronged approach to mitigating Clothing Insecurity:
- In-person Engagement - through tens of thousands of children and adults volunteering at our Giving Factory warehouses to sort and package high volumes of new and like-new donations from our communities for our Service Partners to distribute to the children they serve.
- Online Product Donations - Giving Factory Direct matches product donors directly to children who need the items they have to donate. GFD is currently available in a growing number of communities as we expand our reach nationally.
- Advocacy and Awareness - Cradles to Crayons is uniquely positioned to raise Clothing Insecurity as a national issue through awareness campaigns, data/evaluation, and legislative outreach.
Cradles to Crayons has earned the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator since 2009. Only 2% of charities nationwide have received this distinction. C2C has a budget of $16.5M for FY24.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
Reporting to the Associate Director of Corporate Relations & Foundations, the Grant Writer supports the overall fundraising efforts of the Development team at C2C. The primary focus of this position is to help C2C meet its annual budgetary goal for funding from foundations. The Grant Writer will work with other colleagues at C2C to manage the need for and collect useful data, testimonials, personal stories, and benchmarks related to the mission and work of the organization for appropriate use in grants and other pieces of writing.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Model and lead a positive “One Cradles” culture, underpinned by C2C’s Cultural Values and related behaviors.
- Serve as a member of the Development team to meet team and personal fundraising goals.
- Write/edit/review (as appropriate for each) letters of inquiry, proposals, and reports for private and corporate foundations related to C2C’s core initiative, programs, and events.
- Independently track and meet all foundation deadlines, planning work ahead when competing deadlines demand. Assure that relevant data is available in Salesforce.
- Maintain and build relationships with grant funders of all sizes.
- Work closely across other departments to maintain accurate and up-to-date data on C2C’s benchmarks and impact and maintain knowledge of current C2C programming.
- Support and lead other writing projects for the Development team, including but not limited to donor appeals, updates, and acknowledgements, and speaking remarks.
- Identify and research prospective grant funders with interests consistent with C2C’s programs by utilizing the C2C network of contacts and research methods. Support C2C’s leadership in soliciting foundation donors through preparation of research reports and other background materials.
- Attend C2C’s signature events, periodically lead C2C volunteers, and contribute to other departmental and organizational goals and activities as needed.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
- Meet deadlines and standards for best-in-class quality work and contribute to fundraising goals.
- Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to use online submission portals and procedures, as well as C2C’s online databases.
- Uphold knowledge of C2C programs, data, and impact.
- Successfully work independently as well as collaboratively with Development team members, other C2C staff, and external stakeholders.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
- Firm belief in the mission and vision of the organization.
- BA/BS degree or equivalent years of experience.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Minimum of five (5) years of grant writing experience in a nonprofit setting.
- Ability to work independently and think strategically as well as adapt to changing circumstances and various audiences for donor communications.
- Commitment to keeping track of and meeting deadlines.
- Experience with a CRM database; knowledge of Salesforce preferred.
- Experience with online submission platforms, such as Cybergrants.
- Basic understanding of budgets and financial statements.
- Ideal candidates are individuals who thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced and collaborative environment.
- Exemplary organizational and project management skills, attention to detail, and ability to execute multiple projects simultaneously.
DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH:
Diversity and Inclusiveness are core values at Cradles to Crayons, and we continuously strive to be a team where everyone feels welcome and supported. It is the policy of Cradles to Crayons to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Individuals from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.
Working Conditions:
This is primarily an office environment with time occasionally spent in our Giving Factory Warehouse. There are no hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions.
Accommodation:
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, accommodations will not be made by Cradles to Crayons which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others, or which impose undue hardships on the organization.
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