Senior Grant Writer

About Elevate

Elevate is a small business providing comprehensive grant writing support to nearly 100 nonprofit organizations working on a wide variety of issues. Our fully-remote staff work on teams and build long-term partnerships with clients to support every stage of the grant cycle: fundraising strategy & goal development, prospect research and cultivation, drafting and submission, and funder stewardship. All staff work remotely, with the option to visit our co-working space in downtown DC or meet with clients and teams in-person provided that these activities align with our COVID-19 policies. All candidates must be legally authorized to work for Elevate, and must work for Elevate, in the United States.

Staff benefit from flexible scheduling, built-in mentorship and support from colleagues on their client teams, a dedicated supervisor responsible for training and professional growth, established career development pathways that outline clear expectations for current and future positions within the company, and the opportunity to work with a portfolio of clients that align with their interests or provide exposure to new social change issues. 

For more information about our organizational culture and the clients we serve, visit our website here. 

Overview of the Position

In this role, we are seeking experienced grant writers to work with 4-5 clients whose fundraising strategy, program design, or internal infrastructure requires advanced skills in proposal development, work planning/time management, client coordination, and prospect research. Your day-to-day work for these clients will be overseen by an experienced team of Directors who are responsible for aligning the work of the team to the clients’ institutional fundraising strategy. Your professional growth will be supported by a dedicated Supervisor.

Ideal candidates will have at least 4 years of comparable experience with the key tasks and responsibilities listed below and demonstrated ability to meet the key competencies for the role.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities

• Plan, draft, edit, and submit approximately 4 written deliverables (LOI, grant proposal, reports, and concept papers) for each client;
• Identify new funding prospects aligned to your clients’ strategy and produce detailed research summaries to present viable opportunities to your clients;
• Attend and participate in weekly or bi-weekly client meetings;
• Prepare for and participate in internal team check-ins;
• Contribute positively to Elevate’s culture and community through All Staff and department meetings, as well as internal working groups and committees.

Key Competencies

Information Processing. You independently implement an efficient and effective system for tracking and updating information relevant to your work. You independently identify information and data needs and fill them by finding what you need in Elevate's information systems (Dropbox, Salesforce, Google Groups, etc.), asking targeted questions in internal check-ins, and reaching out directly to the client.

Timeliness & Prioritization. You demonstrate a strong, consistent track record of accountability to internal and external deadlines and you are developing skills to plan and manage complex, collaborative projects that incorporate team and client inputs while also consistently being completed on time.

Attention to Detail. You are accountable for all details in your work products. Directors and clients rarely identify missing or inaccurate information that you did not already flag for their review. You independently resolve issues with incomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent program information that impacts the quality of our grants.

Problem Solving. You independently work with the client to ensure deadlines are on track for a timely submission while keeping your team Director apprised of the situation. You are learning strategies for addressing your clients' barriers to fundraising success so that you can coach them to possible solutions or adjust your draft strategy to mitigate their impact.

Fundraising and Nonprofit Expertise. You develop strong proposals and reports in multiple issue areas and demonstrate exemplary, strengths-based writing skills. You efficiently research well-aligned funding opportunities for different organizational needs. You demonstrate a command of basic program design, nonprofit financials and program evaluation sufficient to guide clients in the development of competitive funding proposals. You request or compile strategically-aligned attachments independently. You can identify when materials may not support a successful application and seek support from a Director or supervisor to strengthen materials provided by the client.

Compensation and Benefits

The full-time annual salary for this position is $62,500 and is based on a market analysis of comparable job duties and positions within the nonprofit sector and across a variety of United States geographies. Due to our commitment to internal parity within each position and across the company, we do not negotiate salaries.

In addition to this base compensation and flexible work schedule, we offer a generous benefits package to all staff, including:

• Flexible scheduling
• 15 paid vacation and 8 paid sick days annually
• $500 annual professional development stipend
• Health/dental/vision insurance
• 401(k) with 2% match after one year of employment
• Winter Break: The office closes in the last week of the calendar year (between December 24 and January 2nd). Employees can choose to take the full break or apply some of this time for religious observance days (up to three) at other times of the year. 
• Summer Break: The office closes the first week of July. 
• STD/LTD/Life insurance
• Up to $50 monthly reimbursement for phone/internet costs
• $100 annual home office stipend and additional $100 home office set up stipend
• A $500 annual professional development stipend, in addition to a robust and growing internal training program provided free to staff.