Dream Corps

Reports to:  VP of Growth & Partnerships

Location:  Bay Area, CA or Washington, D.C. preferred; remote considered

Status: Full-time Exempt

Salary Range:  Bay Area CA or Washington DC:$115,000-$127,000, depending on experience and location

Dream.Org operates in a hybrid environment with headquarters in Oakland, CA. Candidates must be able to train in person for 3-4 days within the first month after hire.

Agency Overview

Dream.Org brings people together across political, racial, and economic lines to pass legislation and build systems that shape an America beyond prison, poverty, pollution, and polarization. We close prison doors, open doors of opportunity to make the American dream accessible to everyone. Dream.Org is a unique space for big thinkers and bold doers. We move quickly, we take risks, and we believe the future belongs to those who build it.

Purpose

The Director, Institutional Giving owns Dream.Org's institutional funding engine. Reporting to the VP of Growth & Partnerships, this role is bottom-line responsible for a high volume of grant writing and funder outreach that maintains and grows our foundation and corporate revenue goals, for ensuring no missed reporting deadlines, and for the systems and data that make our pipeline legible.

The VP of Growth & Partnerships leads overall development strategy and holds the organization's major gift and corporate partnership portfolios. This Director makes that work possible by owning proposal strategy, funder stewardship, reporting compliance, and development operations with a high degree of independence.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Grant and Report Management and Writing 

• Responsible for all aspects of grant and report writing, including prospecting, internal planning meetings, drafting, submission, and tracking, with minimal supervision
• Provide high-quality, close-to-final drafts for grants, reports, and letters of intent annually, within an organizational portfolio of 75+ submissions
• Develop grant work plans and timelines, own the submissions calendar and task boards in Asana, and drive staff toward internal deadlines
• Interview program and organizing staff to surface the obstacles and turning points behind each result, then translate them into proposals and reports that are accurate and compelling
• Comply with all foundation and corporate grant reporting requirements, and ensure program teams build funder deliverables into their plans and execute against them

Institutional Relationship Management and Pipeline Growth

• Serve as a first point of contact for a portfolio of foundation relationships and as development lead on external funder calls, managing prep and materials so all staff are ready
• Lead relationship mapping across the organization, identify leads with Dream.Org Directors, and maintain the research and outreach cadence that surfaces new prospects, stewards existing ones, and recommends ways to grow revenue streams
• Assist and advise program teams on submission of federal and state government grant opportunities
• Prepare the VP of Growth & Partnerships, CEO, and program leadership for cultivation and solicitation meetings, and support the VP in advancing five- to seven-figure institutional opportunities

Revenue Planning, Systems, and Data Integrity 

• Partner with the VP of Growth & Partnerships on revenue planning, forecasting, and performance tracking for institutional funding; set and manage against institutional revenue KPIs
• Own implementation and day-to-day use of Salesforce for prospect and opportunity tracking, keeping records and funder communications current
• Create reports that demonstrate prospecting pipelines and progress toward grant revenue goals, and ensure the data integrity needed for accurate reports

Department and Organizational Leadership 

• Serve as a thought partner to the VP on department priorities, capacity, and risk, including donor concentration, pipeline gaps, and reporting exposure
• Supervise development staff and/or consultants as department needs evolve, including hiring, training, and managing workloads, schedules, and deadlines

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible grant writing, grant management, and institutional or foundation relationship management experience at a nonprofit, with preference for social justice organizations, including full ownership of the submission cycle from prospecting through reporting
• Demonstrated relationships in the social justice philanthropy field
• Track record of securing at least six-figure grants from private and corporate foundations as the lead author or lead strategist
• Experience contributing to revenue planning, forecasting, or KPI tracking in partnership with senior leadership
• Experience developing and reviewing proposal and grant budgets in partnership with finance staff
• Exceptional narrative writer who can convey the stakes and significance of incremental legislative and organizing work, and who reports on multi-year campaigns with precision and candor. Meticulous editor. Candidates who advance will be asked to submit a writing sample and may be asked to complete a short writing exercise.
• Experience tracking prospect management using Salesforce or a comparable CRM, with the ability to own the system
• Confidence making program pitches and direct asks for funding, and comfort playing varying roles on internal and external calls
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and Dream.Org’s mission and values

Preferred Education/Skills/Experience:

• Funding experience in criminal justice or closely related reform areas; experience with climate, workforce, or tech equity funders also valued
• Lived experience or deep connection to the communities most impacted by the issues Dream.Org addresses
• Experience building or improving development operations infrastructure, such as pipeline reporting, revenue forecasting models, or submissions calendars
• Experience supervising staff, or managing consultants/contract grant writers
• Experience using Asana for project management

Travel:

Up to 15% for funder meetings, philanthropic conferences, and periodic in-person team gatherings

To Apply

Include a resume and a cover letter addressed to the VP of Growth & Partnerships which details your best practices in grant management; your relationships in the social justice funding field; and a specific example of how a stewardship practice led to grant funding. Consideration will only be given to those who follow these application instructions.

Employee Benefits

Dream.Org pays 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for employees, spouses, and dependents, and offers a retirement plan with up to a 5% match, pre-tax flexible spending, four weeks of vacation, 12 sick days, 10 paid holidays, and paid closure from December 24 through January 1. Full benefits details are provided during the interview process.

Dream.Org is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, sex, gender identity, age, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or record of arrest or conviction. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strive for a workforce that reflects the populations that we serve. Additionally, upon job offer, each candidate is required to provide evidence of your eligibility to work in the United States.