Grant Writing Manager

  Job Description

 Title:  Grant Writing Manager

Department:  Investor Relations

Reports To: SVP, Investor Relations

Job Classification: Full-time, Exempt

Job Summary

For 30 years, HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute) has helped entrepreneurs, homebuyers, families and communities become more financially secure by providing affordable financial services; leveraging resources; and engaging in policy advocacy to strengthen communities, build assets, and improve lives in economically distressed parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.          

 The Grant Writing Manager will serve as part of HOPE’s Investor Relations team and will work with the Grant Writing Associate and colleagues to successfully submit philanthropic funding applications and public funding applications annually. The Grant Writing Manager will also serve as the first line of contact at HOPE to build and deepen relationships with new and existing funders. Each year, HOPE raises millions of dollars in the form of grants, loans, contributions, mission driven deposits and other resources from foundations, banks, public agencies, individuals and other sources.

 This position will be responsible for drafting whole and pieces of grant applications and reports, gathering submission components and reviewing them for completeness and accuracy before submitting to funders. Work requires that the employee make decisions, and use considerable judgment and creativity in organizing the workflow and assuring adherence to deadlines. 

Essential Functions

·        Manage full range of activities required to successfully submit grant applications, letters of interest, concept papers and other proposal narratives to private, philanthropic and government (federal, state and local) funders annually, including engaging colleagues across the organization to ensure application strategies are in line with departmental work plans.

·        Manage full range of activities required to successfully cultivate specific funder relationships, including:

·        Serving as lead contact for applications and funder check in conversations as well as first line review and recommendation of initial opportunities

·        Serving as lead contact of reports to write and/or coordinate with the IR Grant Writing Associate and Compliance team to complete various reporting components

·        Conducting prospect research and outreach to potential grantors/donors and rekindle relationships with donors when appropriate

·        Leverage technologies such as AI and project management tools to support team capacity

·        Assist and coordinate, as necessary, in developing IR special projects

·        Support team efforts to ensure that Salesforce is up-to-date with Funder opportunities and prospects and that information is shared with compliance team to appropriately recognize revenue and meet reporting requirements

·        Towards traditional Donor Development, assist SVP in developing and implementing a fundraising strategy that encompasses individual giving, major gifts, corporate partnerships, government and foundation grants, and gifts in kind

Secondary Functions

·        Perform general administrative duties such as attending meetings, report production

·        Other duties as required.

·        Lead and support Strengthening HOPE Initiative that values an organizational culture for open communication, innovation, associate engagement and other traits that contribute to collaboration and high performance.

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

·        Must comply with provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)

·        Confidentiality and applicable client/customer non-disclosure and confidentiality.

·        Must comply with all provisions of the Privacy of Consumer Financial Information regulations

·        Must comply with all provisions of the Right to Financial Privacy Act.

Competencies/Skills

·        Must be proficient with MS Word, Excel, and Outlook; past experience with Salesforce preferred.

·        Must be a continuous learner who enjoys taking on new challenges.

·        Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail.

·        Ability to write clearly and effectively.

·        Passion and dedication to HOPE’s mission and work.

·        Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out written or oral instructions, taking initiative to ask questions when something is not clear.

·        Ability to communicate and resolve minor problems and issues as may arise in a cheerful and customer oriented manner.

·        Ability to adapt when problems or tasks arise in daily work that may involve few concrete variables or are unexpected.

·        Ability to multi-task and function in a fast paced environment.

·        Ability to read and interpret documents, collect information for routine reports and correspondence.

·        Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

·        Ability to compute rate, ratio, percent, and interpret data.

·        Ability and desire to work as needed to complete certain quarterly, ad hoc, or monthly projects, including working on occasion after 5:00 pm and on weekends.

·        A professional and resourceful style; the ability to work independently, as a team player, and initiative to take responsibility to address issues as needs arise.

Desired Qualifications

·        Bachelor’s Degree

·        At least four years of experience performing the duties described in the Essential Functions above, especially grant writing and project management experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.