Development Director - Grants

About Person to Person

Established in 1968, Person to Person (“P2P” – www.p2phelps.org) P2P is a community-supported agency that provides assistance to families and individuals as they move toward stability with healthy food, clothing, housing assistance and a path to economic opportunity. The vision that guides P2P’s work is “thriving, hunger-free homes.” With a financial budget of approximately $6MM, an additional $10MM in annual “in-kind” donations, and over 35,000 volunteer hours donated annually, P2P is a well-established and innovative agency. More than 90% of all donations go directly to programs, which include four full-time food pantries including two mobile food pantries (P2P on Wheels), a Clothing Center, a Financial Opportunity Center™ wraparound casework services, summer camperships for children, and college and vocational scholarship aid to students seeking to change the trajectory of the next generation.

Job Summary

The Development Director – Grants provides high-level, strategic support to P2P’s efforts to secure funding from Foundations, Corporations, and Government and other Institutions for both unrestricted and restricted purposes. In this capacity, s/he is responsible for researching, writing and assembling grant proposals, materials and reports to foundations and other grant-making organizations, and will communicate P2P’s goals, mission and programs to potential funders in a compelling and strategic manner.

S/he will actively conduct research, create and submit grant requests to position P2P to secure new funding and renew and upgrade existing support. This position will represent P2P to current and potential funders by making presentations, developing proposals and reports. S/he will continually seek out opportunities for stewardship and cultivation of both current and potential funders, including arranging and leading site visits.

Key Responsibilities

• Reports to the Chief Philanthropy and Strategy Officer to support the functions of the Philanthropy Office.
• Optimize grant management process by:

o Developing an annual grants agenda that identifies funding and project priorities based on program plans and budgeted organizational needs, priorities in partnership with the CEO and Chief Philanthropy and Strategy Officer.

o Maintaining an annual grants calendar and budget for soliciting annual grants, application deadlines, including timelines and projected revenue.

o Maintaining monthly and annual tracking and filing system of all cultivation, solicitation, acknowledgments and reports to funders.

o Creating and maintaining the case for support and need statements for the organization and its programs and adjust these statements when necessary to align with the interests of potential funders and specific funding opportunities.

o Actively monitoring deadlines and ensuring compliance with all funder guidelines in grant submission and reporting.

o Conducting research and maintaining knowledge of issues such as poverty, hunger, education and child development, current trends, publications and key data, as well as a deep understanding of P2P’s programs, evaluation and effectiveness.

o Maintaining regular communication with program staff to ensure that information and data is accurate and updated on a regular basis.

o Familiarity with financial and audit processes.

o Representing P2P at meetings and conferences.

• Grant Writing for Funding Opportunities, including:

o Researching, writing and submitting comprehensive and persuasive letters of inquiry, grant proposals, acknowledgments, and reports for programs, services, general operations and special projects in a timely fashion.

o Closely monitoring progress of all grant requests after they have been submitted and coordinates/conducts all necessary follow-up activity, including site visits, interviews, funder recognition, etc.

o Collaborating with internal stakeholders to ensure the accuracy of the materials incorporated into proposals, reports, budgets, and financial reports.

o Working with Director of Stewardship to ensure grant prospects, funded opportunities, and reports are entered into Salesforce accurately and that progress and reporting on grants is accessible to all.

o Assisting in securing grant-based event sponsorships.

o Creating acknowledgment letters, project updates, and other correspondence to grant funders.

• Flexibility to work some evenings and weekends.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• A minimum of five (5) years of direct grant writing, research and management experience.
• Proven track record with demonstrated success in writing and submitting grant applications, particularly for 5 and 6-figure grants.
• Thorough knowledge of Connecticut social service resources, data, impact and trends, including issues related to economic stability, equity and diversity, food security, education, and other aspects of social service.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio of 80-100 funders, minimum goal of $1.2M-$1.5M, high volume and fast pace for grant applications and reports.

Skills and Requirements

• Commitment to the Mission and Vision of P2P and to the community being served.
• Belief that a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion will provide the best environment, experience and services for everyone, and especially the P2P community.
• Outstanding editing, writing, and oral communication skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Solid educational background; bachelor’s degree required.
• Thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of writing, grammar, syntax, style, and punctuation.
• Strong skills to write clear, lively, engaging and compelling copy in a variety of styles appropriate to target audiences and / or the broader public, while ensuring adherence to the location's message.
• Proficient knowledge of computer applications for publishing, image handling, and/or web production.
• Demonstrated research and fact verification skills.
• Strong interpersonal communications skills, including active listening and effective collaboration skills.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Thorough attention to detail, project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate with stakeholders on project timelines and provide written and oral reports to the team and stakeholders on the status of active projects and action items.
• Computer literate including internet research and online applications and tools, MS Office products, and knowledge of Salesforce or donor databases a plus.
• Knowledge of Salesforce is a plus.
• Responsible and accountable, can work unsupervised. Must enjoy working with others on a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to work both independently and in a collegial team environment.
• High ethical standards, comfort dealing with confidential information.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent timelines and projects.
• Experience with budget management and preparation of financial reports.
• Willingness to learn new skills and work on different and evolving projects.
• Possess warmth, sense of humor, honesty and compassion.
• Ability to lift 40 pounds, while twisting and bending.

Compensation & Benefits

• P2P offers competitive compensation, excellent benefits, paid time off and a supportive workplace culture. The salary range for this position is $80,000. Benefits include health, dental, vision, 403(b) retirement, life and disability insurance, FSA, and supplemental insurance. This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule to be negotiated.
• P2P is committed to creating a diverse environment. We believe that a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion provides the best environment, experience and services for everyone, and especially the P2P Community.

P2P reserves the right to make changes to the job responsibilities at any time. This document is representative of responsibilities. Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Candidates should submit resume, cover letter, and writing sample by e-mail with Development Director - Grants as the subject line to: jobs@p2phelps.org attention: Debra Ritchie, Chief Operating Officer.