Director, Grants & Funder Impact

Position Title:  Director, Grants & Funder Impact (A2)

Reports to: Vice President, Development & Engagement

Location: Preference for candidates based in Portland, OR; open to remote work from WA, OR, and CA with quarterly travel to Portland.  

Starting Salary: $85,000 - $96,000 → Starting placement will not exceed this starting salary range and is based on qualifications, experience, and internal equity

Full salary range for level 2: $85,000-$129,000

Posting Date: 12/20/23

Application Deadline:  Open until filled, hiring team will begin reviewing applications January 16

Anticipated Start Date: February 21, 2024

***Learn more about this position by attending an Information Session on January 8, 2024. Scroll to bottom of posting for details.***

Ecotrust Overview 

Ecotrust creates and accelerates triple-bottom-line innovations to benefit our region and inspire the world. On the farm, at the coast, in the forest, and across our cities, we work in partnership towards an equitable, prosperous, climate-smart future. Since 1991, we have created durable change and sparked ideas across the globe. Ecotrust holds a deep commitment to equity and diversity as core principles integral to the work we do. As we add new members across all levels of the organization, we seek diverse perspectives and lived experiences that we believe foster learning, creativity, innovation, and equity. Learn more at Ecotrust.org. 

Job summary 

The Director, Grants & Funder Impact plays a key role on the development team, leading the strategy for funder engagement and the creation of fundraising initiatives to support Ecotrust. They directly engage with and provide strategic support for private foundation and government grant identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. They work collaboratively to facilitate funding partnership opportunities in alignment with Ecotrust’s mission, values, and strategic plan. The Director, Grants & Funder Impact also designs the systems and strategy for funder management at Ecotrust, and manages grants deliverables and funder development activities through coordination with executive leadership, development, program, and finance teams. They are an active contributor to Development Team and organizational strategies and policies, and they also manage, mentor, and support the career development of the Grants Coordinator.

Who you are

You are a leader with a track-record of independently and collaboratively managing nonprofit funder engagement. You have experience creating fundraising strategies and building relationships that advance social equity, economic opportunity, and environmental well-being, and the knowledge and confidence to win major private and government grants. You enjoy collaborative processes, are an adept facilitator and delegator, and have proven experience as a manager and mentor. You have the utmost integrity, and the ability to nurture a culture of transparency and belonging. You are proactive, analytical, curious, creative, and solutions-oriented. You have a commitment to and passion for Ecotrust’s mission and are eager to use your experience and influence to build a robust grants program and funder community to make our programs as impactful as they can be.

Primary Responsibilities  (The activities listed below represent the core functions of this position.)

• Collaborate effectively and equitably across teams, and maintain awareness of programmatic work and impact.

Creatively engage with colleagues and facilitate cross-team conversations to understand the value of our programmatic work, align and focus on priorities, and identify and develop funding opportunities. 

Maintain knowledge and expertise in issues relevant to Ecotrust’s organizational priorities, strategic plan, and business model. 

Engage in our organization-wide Racial Equity Action Plan and strive for racially equitable processes and outcomes. 

Manage grant deliverable processes and policies (in coordination with development, program, and finance teams) including clarifying workflows and roles, and ensuring key data points for funders are consistently tracked and outcomes are evaluated and reported on quarterly.

Develop, monitor, and articulate the value of fundraising strategies, and integrate the wisdom of colleagues and practitioners to test, improve, and expand fundraising successes.

Oversee the onboarding, engagement, project management, and offboarding of contract grant writers, when appropriate.

• Lead a portfolio of funder relationships that provides an average of $3M+ in annual support for Ecotrust programming and partnerships.

Develop and maintain foundation relationships, and work closely with the VP of Development & Engagement, Chief Impact Officer, Executive Director, and key members of the leadership team to develop strategy and implement cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities. 

Communicate regularly with funding partners and support funder deliverables, including the development of engagement strategies, content creation, editing of proposals and reports, and advising on and participating in personalized funder cultivation and stewardship activities.

Employ community-centric and partner-centric fundraising approaches to strategies and activities.

Maintain landscape knowledge of funder audiences, track on lessons learned, and share emerging opportunities to inform program strategies and fundraising effort.

Build and maintain a robust pipeline of funding prospects based on program priorities and budget needs.

Support general fundraising communications, events, special projects, and campaigns as assigned.

• Supervise the Grants Coordinator

Manage, mentor, and support the Grants Coordinator to build and maintain strong grants processes and administration. 

Provide guidance and accountability for the Grants Coordinator’s workplan. Ensure annual goals are tracked and advanced, and essential supports are provided for their success.

Support the Grants Coordinator’s career development, and help them in identifying their strengths and interests to co-create growth opportunities, including trainings and other relevant resources. 

Responsibilities and tasks outlined in this document are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the organization or employee.

Key Qualifications and Transferable Skills Transferable skills may be gained through education, work experience (including the military) or life experience that are relevant for this position. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for positions where they do not meet 100% of the listed skills and qualifications. Even if you do not meet all of the requirements described, if you believe you are a good fit for the position, we encourage you to apply. A candidate will be assessed on their ability to successfully fulfill or quickly learn these functions.

• Authentic commitment to Ecotrust’s mission to inspire fresh thinking that creates economic opportunity, social equity, and environmental well-being. Demonstrated experience advancing racial equity and addressing climate change. 
• 8+ years of development experience with a record of success in independently and collaboratively managing foundation and government grant identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• 3+ years managing direct reports, leading with empathy and collaboration. Demonstrated ability to manage with a racial equity and social justice lens.
• Experience integrating equity and inclusion practices into strategic planning and project management.
• Fluency in cultural constructions, awareness of social inequality, and demonstrated knowledge about the relationship between fundraising practices, inequality, and their impacts on communities of color.
• Demonstrated initiative and achievement with annual revenue goals of $1,000,000+.
• Shown skill with database applications (Raiser’s Edge a plus), Microsoft Office suite, Google Suite, and digital project management tools.
• Experience collaborating and building generative partnerships with staff and board leadership.
• Proactive and solutions oriented, with the ability to anticipate and identify gaps in information, prioritize and meet deadlines, and take action to find solutions. 

Other Useful Qualifications The items listed below represent qualifications that are desirable in a candidate, but are not required.  Some of these may be gained through professional development and coaching once in the role.

• Proven success in identifying, developing, submitting, and overseeing government grants, particularly complex USDA and/or EPA grants.
• Familiarity with Ecotrust programming and our communities of partners (programmatic, philanthropic, etc).
• Experience with virtual collaboration tools that build transparency and foster collaboration, including Asana, Mural, Slack, and Zoom.
• Experience with large, collaborative grant proposals (cross-team, and with external partners).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This is a full-time, exempt position.

We believe great benefits make work better: Ecotrust offers equity-centered benefits that strive to recognize employees as whole people and prioritize their overall wellbeing. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance with employee contributions scaled to income, tax-deferred and Roth retirement plans with employer base contributions, term life insurance, and disability coverage. Ecotrust invests in employees' professional development and personal growth. We also offer plentiful paid time off, retreats, and summer fun days.

At the discretion of Ecotrust, relocation expenses may be reimbursed to the selected candidate. 

Working conditions: 

• Occasional travel and evening work to attend site visits, events, or other external engagements. 
• At least quarterly travel to Ecotrust office in SE Portland. 
• Long periods of time spent at a computer.
• Engage in regular communication through electronic channels and in person.
• Flexible hybrid schedule available: remote (from home or suitable work space) and/or in-office in SE Portland (open cubicles). 

Ecotrust is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a diverse staff of qualified, highly-skilled, and creative individuals is necessary to achieve the vision and mission of the organization. Individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, or other People of Color, people who are queer, trans, non-binary, people with disabilities, people who are immigrants, veterans, people from poor and working class backgrounds, and people who are/have been system-impacted are strongly encouraged to apply.

Click here to learn more about equity at Ecotrust. 

Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act: We gladly provide reasonable accommodation to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing an application or participating in this recruitment process. Please reach out to ssobell@ecotrust.org  in advance to request assistance. 

How to Apply:  Apply via our careers page and submit a cover letter. Your cover letter should clearly explain your commitment to Ecotrust’s mission and how you meet or exceed the key qualifications for this position. Please limit your cover letter to 1-page maximum.

The Selection Process: In an effort to be as transparent as possible in our selection process as well as to help expedite bringing new staff on board, below is a tentative timeline of key events:

• Review of Resumes: January 16 - 18
• First Round Interviews: January 22 - 26
• Second Round Interviews: January 29 - February 2
• Reference checks: February 5 - 9
• Extend offer: February 5 - 9

While we will proactively communicate these dates and any changes to you throughout the process, please consider placing tentative holds on your calendars for the initial screening and face-to-face interviews.

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Learn more about this position by attending an Information Session: Ecotrust is hosting an informational webinar about this position. You can call in to listen and ask questions.

• Date:  Monday, January 8th at noon PT
• Click this link to join by computer audio/video: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89516745790 
• Webinar ID: 895 1674 5790
• Dial this number to join by phone and enter the meeting ID:  +1 669 900 6833

We will record the session and post the recording to the job posting shortly afterwards.

To mitigate privileged access to information about the position, our policy is that hiring team members may not meet with candidates who are considering applying for that role. Instead, we offer the information session as a way to equalize access to information about the role for all candidates.

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