Grant Writer and Major Gifts Officer

JOB PURPOSE:

Founded in San Francisco in 1902, the LightHouse’s purpose is to promote the independence, equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or visually impaired. The LightHouse is currently in a period of growth, increasing our capacity to serve more low-vision and blind clients. We seek a dynamic professional to help us grow our individual and institutional support. This is an 80% part-time position. Approximately half time (.04 FTE) will be spent researching, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major gifts. Approximately half time (.04 FTE) will be dedicated to grant writing: researching opportunities for public and private grant funding; preparing grant proposals; maintaining relationships with grant funders and submitting reports to grantors. This position also serves as a primary agency editor and copywriter, and performs other development duties as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience:  Three years of experience in non-profit fundraising, grant writing, and/or implementing a major gift program. Familiarity with blindness and/or broader disabilities issues is a plus.

Skills:  Superior written communication. Excellent organizational skills with capability to prioritize and meet multiple deadlines with minimal oversight. Proficiency in MS Word MS Excel required. Experience with Raiser’s Edge donor management software preferred. Enthusiasm for LightHouse services and the transformative effect we can have on the lives of individuals who are blind or low vision. Dedication to learning the latest trends and practices in the blindness field, including review of current literature; attention to the wisdom of various blindness groups; and familiarity with the history of the blindness and disability movements.

Education:  Bachelor or graduate degree.

Other:  Excellent attendance and punctuality expected.  Experience in giving presentations helpful.  Bilingual or multilingual abilities a plus.  Ability to lift or otherwise transport 25lbs.

ACCOUNTABILITIES:

  • Prepare and submit grant proposals within funder-specified and organizationally set timelines.
  • Coordinate with organization managers and staff to gather information for proposals and reports, including budget/expense information; assist in creating grant budgets and expense reports.
  • Track current grantors to assure compliance with reporting requirements, new deadlines, priority updates, etc.
  • Proactively research new public and private grant funding opportunities for programmatic and project priorities to assist in fully funding organization’s operating and capital budgets.
  • Maintain relationships with funders and prospective funders by providing stewardship of grant gifts; inviting to special events and programmatic functions; keeping them abreast of major organizational changes; and assisting in periodic check-ins over the grant year.
  • Coordinate meetings and site visits with individuals and grantors; assist in visits.
  • Stay current with grant funding trends in the blindness and disabilities community, as well as the broader philanthropic community, to inform proposal writing and major gift cultivation.
  • Serve as a primary organization editor and copy writer for newsletters, flyers, blog posts and other written content
  • Strong organizational skills, ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously and to meet deadlines. Ability to develop long-term plans, set objectives, and track progress towards achieving objectives. Familiarity with moves management preferred.
  • Personal initiative, curiosity about people, a sense of humor and a strong team-oriented style.
  • Occasional weekend and evening assignments.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Equal opportunity to all regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, or sexual orientation.

TO APPLY:

Please submit cover letter and / or résumé as Word attachments (no PDFs, please) to hr@lighthouse-sf.org, including the job title in the subject line. We will not consider videos or hyperlinks to online profiles at this time; thank you.

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