Foundation Relations Assistant

Fundraising Vision: Groundswell is committed to cultivating a vibrant and engaged, multiracial and multigenerational community of donors and funders who connect their values to their resources. We believe generosity and intention go hand in hand with the success of the RJ movement and that giving at every level empowers individuals, families and entire communities to create a better world. Groundswell’s values around authentic and respectful partnerships undergird our relationships with grantees and donors and funders alike. Our mission to support grantee organizations as they build their grassroots power mirrors our fundraising mission; supporting the power of our donors through learning about RJ and collaborating for greater collective impact.    

Position Summary: The Foundation Relations Assistant works with the Foundation Relations Manager, Donor Relations Manager, and Chief Development Officer as part of the Funder Organizing Department to support the growth and stewardship of Groundswell’s vibrant and engaged community of funders, donors, and philanthropic partners. The Foundation Relations Assistant will manage the day-to-day operations of the Funder Organizing Department and provide administrative support on all ongoing fundraising cultivation efforts, including support to the grant reporting activities of the department. Candidates should have a deep alignment with Groundswell’s mission and values and an interest in a career in foundations relations, fundraising, or operations. This position requires a detail-oriented, flexible, and energetic individual with a high degree of professionalism, strong self-motivation, verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.  

Responsibilities:

Foundation Fundraising & Grants Support

• Process, acknowledge, and track all incoming grants in a timely fashion. 
• Support the FO Dept to ensure that all reports, proposals, and other requested materials are submitted in a timely manner and in compliance with grant requirements. 
• Grants processing including documentation of proposal/report submission processes, grants intake, updating grants tracker and calendar, and filing funder communications in database/file storage platform. 
• Support preparation of supplemental materials for grant requirements
• Support funder meetings, including creating preparation briefs for meetings, scheduling, and note taking. 
• Ensure that all funder inquiries and communications receive a timely and professional response from the appropriate staff member.
• Conduct and synthesize research on institutional funders, funder networks, and affinity groups.

Administrative & Operations support 

• Manage scheduling, filing, note-taking, and other administrative tasks for the Funder Organizing Department
• Support monthly reconciling of development data with finance department data
• Support the writing and copy editing of content for funder communications via mail and email.
• Collaborate with other staff to ensure messaging consistency across funder communications. 
• Support the planning and execution of annual funder briefings
• Implement annual mailings of dockets, reports, and other materials to funders
• Support the planning and execution of the annual end-of-year fundraising campaign

Database Implementation & Data Management 

• Maintain funder data to ensure all funder information is current and well organized, ensuring data integration and quality control. This includes - Data entry, cleaning, and (re)organization. 
• Interfacing with IT & Operations Manager, implementation consultant(s), and staff in other departments as needed to achieve optimal CRM system functionality & data integration with other departments. 

Other duties: All other duties as assigned.  

Qualifications:

We seek results-oriented candidates who are driven by a strong commitment to movement-building at an ambitious scale. Experience in/knowledge of the philanthropic sector is highly valued.  

You should have:   

• The ability to prioritize and manage ever-shifting duties and be deadline driven and personally accountable. 
• Good problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot.  

• Impeccable judgment and discretion in dealing with sensitive information. 
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to work gracefully under pressure and meet tight deadlines.   

• Excellent writing skills. 
• Experience working in social justice movements. 
• At least 2 years prior foundations and/or grants administration experience.  
• At least 2 years project management experience. 
• Familiarity with CRM systems and funder/donor information management best practices. 
• Ability to work both independently and within a team on multiple projects and across time zones. 
• Strong relationship-building skills.  
• Demonstrated ability to engage in strategic analytical thinking and planning. 
• Expertise in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).  

• A willingness to learn new skills, systems, and frameworks and to innovate concepts and systems.  

Travel: When travel is safe again, must be available to travel at least 6 times a year for overnight events/meetings across the U.S.

Compensation/Benefits: Annual salary is $60,000 annually. Very generous benefits include fully paid for employee and family health, dental, vision, matching 401K plan, as well as additional employer-provided reimbursements for fertility expenses, transgender health care costs and midwifery/doula expenses that are not covered by traditional insurance. Three weeks of vacation upon hire and a generous holiday schedule including the last week of December, as well as a flexible work schedule.

To Apply: Please email a resume, three professional references, and a cover letter that includes your salary expectations and describes why you feel you are a strong candidate for this position to: hr@groundswellfund.org, subject line: Foundation Relations Assistant Application. Applications received by January 15, 2021 will be given preference but applications will be accepted until the position has been filled. Due to the high volume of applications, only those selected for further discussion will be contacted. Please, no phone calls.