Development Consultant

Job Title: Development Consultant

Organization: Durham Literacy Center (DLC)

Location: Durham, NC (Remote, with occasional in person sessions)

Job Type: Part-Time, Contract (1099)

Hours: up to 20 hours per week

About the Durham Literacy Center

The Durham Literacy Center (DLC) empowers Durham residents to improve their lives and the lives of their families through literacy. We provide free educational programs for adults and youth, including adult basic education, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and GED preparation. Our programs help students gain the essential reading, writing, and language skills needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency and fully participate in the community.

Position Overview

The Durham Literacy Center is seeking a skilled, self-motivated Development Consultant to help secure funding to sustain and expand our vital community programs. In this role, you will lead funding research using GrantWatch and prepare compelling grant proposals and assist in pursuing Corporate sponsorships. Rather than creating financial models from scratch, you will collaborate with our leadership team to gather existing organizational budgets and program data. This part-time contract role reports to the Executive Director and will also play a key support role in our annual fundraising and year- end appeal.

Key Responsibilities

• Prospecting & Research: Utilize the GrantWatch platform to research, identify, and evaluate potential funding sources, including local and nationwide foundations, corporations, and businesses.
• Proposal Development: Write, edit, and oversee the submission of persuasive, clear grant proposals, letters of inquiry (LOIs), and concept papers.
• Information Gathering: Proactively collaborate with administrative and program staff to collect required financial data, student statistics, and programmatic details for submissions.
• Impact Reporting: Assist staff in compiling data and drafting detailed impact reports required by current grantors and funders to showcase program success.
• Event Support & Sponsorships: Assist as needed with the organization’s annual fundraising event.
• Year -End Appeal: Assist in developing content and design of year-end campaign and help ensure effective targeting donors.
• Sponsorship Collateral: Design and write compelling sponsorship packages to pitch to local and national business prospects for the event.
• Pipeline Management: Track and manage grant calendars, submission deadlines, and reporting timelines.

Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum of 2–3 years of development experience, preferably supporting education, literacy, or human services nonprofits, and a proven track record of securing funds.
• Research Skills: Proficiency using GrantWatch or similar online databases to find and vet local and national philanthropic prospects.
• Grant Preparation: Experience writing, editing and preparing grant submissions to public- and private - sector funding sources.
• Fundraising Collateral: Experience creating corporate sponsorship decks, letters, or benefit packages for nonprofit events.
• Writing Skills: Exceptional storytelling and persuasive writing skills.
• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to efficiently gather data and budget inputs from busy program staff.
• Local Context: Familiarity with the Durham and Triangle philanthropic and business landscape is highly preferred.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and two writing samples, (such as a successful proposal or LOI- redacted as appropriate). Applications may be submitted via email to jobs@durhamliteracy.org and should include “DLC Development Consultant Application” in the subject line. Please note that we will only be able to follow up with those candidates under consideration. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to applications submitted by July 31, 2026. Only qualified applicants will be considered.

English fluency required