**Building For Democracy**
**Title:** Development Writer
**Overview**
Many Americans feel increasingly isolated and discouraged by the civic process — refusing to talk to canvassers, ignoring phone calls, and disengaging from civic life. We know that misinformation and disinformation is rampant — distorting everything from the work of elected leaders and our government to how and when and why to vote. We also know that resources needed to combat these challenges and to advance and protect democracy are not meeting this moment, and in some cases, drying up quickly. Indeed, charitable giving overall experienced one of the sharpest declines in history last year (by more than 10%, adjusted for inflation).
To combat these challenges, as leading donor networks, we have launched Building For Democracy (BFD), a collaborative campaign to engage new funders and expand funding for the pro-democracy and non-partisan civic engagement field as a whole. Our goal is to increase overall funding for nonpartisan civic engagement capacity in multiple states by a factor of two or more in the next 18 months, and to grow the financial capacity needed to fight authoritarianism over the long haul, and in the lead up to the next census and redistricting in 2030. The funding partners leading this unified effort, including the Democracy Alliance Pooled Fund, Movement Voter Fund, Strategic Victory Fund, and Way to Rise, will identify and engage new donors by promoting the most imperative, priority gaps across tactics and infrastructure in a targeted group of states.
**RFP Information:**
Our team is looking for a highly motivated and experienced grant writer and communications specialist to work with our development team on all necessary donor communications. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in writing persuasive grant proposals and crafting
compelling communications tailored to high-net-worth individuals, institutional partners and foundations and other donors and prospects. This work will include writing all development related materials including but not limited to grants, donor updates, prospectus and summary memos and more related to the Building for Democracy campaign. The consultant will be responsible for managing a grants and communications calendar, working closely with the operations team on all grants and reports, and the States team on priorities and updates. This role will be a contracted position and report to the Development Strategist.
**Duties and Responsibilities**
_Grant Writing:_
- Research, identify, and pursue funding opportunities from foundations, and other grant-making organizations.
- Develop comprehensive grant proposals, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and funder priorities.
- Work closely and collaborate with State team to understand programmatic goals and outcomes, to gather necessary information and data for grant applications.
- In coordination with Operations, maintain a calendar of grant deadlines and submission requirements.
_Donor Communications:_
- Create engaging content for ongoing donor communications, including prospectus and summary memos, updated state work alerts, decks and presentations specific to unique supporters needs, and other donor engagement writing.
- Create and manage a communications calendar to ensure regular donor engagement, cultivation and updates.
- Work closely with the States team to create a regular cadence for updating institutional materials to ensure they have the most up to date information.
- Tailor messaging to different donor segments, ensuring personalized and meaningful communication.
- Collaborate with the development team to implement donor cultivation and stewardship strategies.
- Monitor donor engagement metrics and adjust communication strategies accordingly.
**Qualifications:**
- Proven experience and expertise securing grants from diverse funding sources.
- Exceptional writing and editing skills, with a keen eye for detail and accuracy.
- Strong research skills and ability to synthesize complex information into clear, compelling narratives.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to meet tight deadlines and work independently
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple deadlines and priorities
- Familiarity with the political landscape and current events
- A passion for equity, human rights, and democratic ideals
**Compensation:** Competitive retainer rate ~6-10K/month
** **
**Time & Start Date:** This role is expected to take 10-20 hours per week and an immediate start date will be expected.
**Proposals Due By: **March 22, 2024 Please send all materials to [
[email protected]](mailto:
[email protected]) Please be sure to include previous writing sample(s) as they relate to this experience
All qualified consultants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status, or other characteristics.