Grants and Development Manager

Brooklyn Book Bodega; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid model

Retirement matching

Company laptop

Paid time off

Job summary

Brooklyn Book Bodega seeks a Grants and Development Manager to execute a strategic fundraising plan to reach $1.3M in annual revenue. You will lead grant lifecycle, maintain donor CRM, draft compelling funder narratives, and collaborate with leadership to grow institutional giving and special events.

Reporting to the Executive Director, you will coordinate across teams, ensure compliance and timely reporting, and optimize donor data to drive sustainable growth for NYC kids’ literacy initiatives.

Qualifications

• Professional fundraising experience (4+ years) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong writer and editor who translates program information into funder-facing narratives.
• Experience managing donor databases and grant reporting processes.
• Proficiency with donor CRM systems such as Bloomerang and research tools.

Responsibilities

• Grant management and proposal development, including reports and inquiries.
• Track grants, budgets, timelines and reporting requirements.
• Manage individual giving campaigns; donor stewardship workflows.
• Collaborate across teams to align funding with program outcomes.
• Contribute to fundraising strategy for grants, individuals, and events.
• Monitor systems and portals to keep records current.

Skills

Fundraising experience

Grant writing

Proposal writing

Donor stewardship

CRM systems

Communication

Organization

Research skills

Tools

Bloomerang

MS Office

Google Workspace

Job description

About Brooklyn Book Bodega

The mission of Brooklyn Book Bodega is to increase the number of 100+ book homes for kids 0-18 in NYC. BBB provides access to and ownership of books, builds community, and creates a passion for learning through free events and literacy-based community programming. Founded in 2018, its work has expanded and grown each year. Learn more at www.brooklynbookbodega.org.

Overview

Brooklyn Book Bodega raises funds from public and private sources to support its mission. The Development Team is responsible for executing a strategic fundraising roadmap to secure $1.3M in annual revenue for FY26 while positioning the organization for sustainable future growth. The Grants and Development Manager plays an integral role in driving this growth. Reporting directly to the Executive Director & Cofounder, this position serves as the organization’s lead writer and grant lifecycle owner, while simultaneously anchoring the systems that power individual donor campaigns and special events. This is a dynamic, execution-heavy role designed for a system-focused fundraiser. Working closely with leadership, you will research foundation and government RFPs, craft highly compelling narratives, manage compliance tracking, and optimize our donor database. You manage our grant pipeline, ensure deadlines are met, write excellent proposals and reports, proactively share information across teams, ensure donor data is clean and useful, and actively identify opportunities. You will be the engine of our institutional giving pipeline and the steward of our donor operations, directly supporting a rapidly growing, mission-driven non-profit.

Key Responsibilities to Include

• Grant Management and Proposals: Identify grant opportunities, write proposals, and manage reporting requirements – effectively managing the "life-cycle" of a grant. Develop and lead drafting of persuasive letters of inquiry, grant proposals and applications, and related materials.
• Tracking and Compliance Maintenance: Maintain the grant administration process. Utilize the established, appropriate systems to manage and track grants, proposals, budgets, and timely, accurate report submissions. Establish and calendar project plans for grants; manage timelines and deliverables to meet deadlines for grant submissions and reporting requirements. Keep relevant staff informed about upcoming deadlines and deliverables, ensuring smooth completion of tasks and responsibilities.
• Individual Giving and Database Administration and Donor Stewardship: Anchor the operational systems for individual giving campaigns by accurately managing the donor CRM, tracking donor giving history, and executing segmentation pulls. Oversee back-end stewardship workflows to ensure timely acknowledgement and receipt of donations.
• Cross-team Collaboration: Take the lead on internal collaboration to ensure proper allocation, tracking, and reporting of grant funding. Coordinate with program staff and management to aggregate impact metrics, narratives, and field deliverables for compliance reports. Ensure all application and reporting materials are ready when needed and resolve open issues relating to monitoring grants, deliverables, reports. Proactively identify potential challenges, identify gaps, and make a plan to resolve open issues.
• Fundraising Strategy: Contribute to the development and execution of plans to raise funds through grants, individual donations, and special events, under the guidance of senior team members.
• Systems Monitoring: Audit and maintain organization profiles across key government portals (e.g., grants.gov, New York Statewide Financial System, Passport) and all online rating agencies (e.g., GuideStar) to ensure records are current and accurate.

Education, Skills, and Experience

• Experience: Professional, institutional fundraising experience (4+ years preferred) or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position (4+ years required). Brooklyn Book Bodega 141 Flushing Avenue, Suite 606 Brooklyn, NY 11205
• Organization and Project Management: Strong organizational and time management skills; ability to handle multiple tasks and prioritize. Detail-oriented.
• Communication: Exceptional writer and editor who can quickly understand complex program information and translate it into clear, persuasive funder-facing narratives.
• Technologically savvy: Proficiency in donor CRMs or Bloomerang, research systems, MS Office, and Google Workspace.
• Mindset: Proactive problem-solver with critical-thinking abilities to address challenges. Constant learner who is responsive to and able to incorporate feedback. Able to take initiative combined with the ability to work as part of a team.

Salary

$67,000-75,000/year (exempt, full-time)

Availability

Full-time, Monday-Friday, with occasional evening/weekend work as needed Location: NYC; this role is hybrid, with a minimum of 1-day in office weekly, and travel to funder visits and meetings, etc.

Start Date

Rolling Reports to: Rebecca Cohen, Executive Director & Cofounder Brooklyn Book Bodega

Benefits

• Work flexibility: Hybrid model with a minimum of 1-day per week on-site in Brooklyn Book Hub
• Retirement: Eligible for retirement plan with matching contributions
• Tech provided: Dedicated laptop and Google voice number provided for business use
• Time Off: Paid Time Off (PTO), annual paid holidays, and sick days

You may be a great fit, if you are:

• Passionate about Brooklyn Book Bodega’s mission of expanding access to books and literacy for NYC kids,
• Resourceful and creative-energized by identifying new funding opportunities and translating program ideas into compelling proposals,Collaborative and energized by working cross-functionally-collaborating with program, operations, and leadership to bring grant applications and reports across the finish line,
• A proactive problem-solver who anticipates and plans for challenges.

Disclaimer

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee in this position. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of a person in this position. Brooklyn Book Bodega

Employment Opportunity Statement

Brooklyn Book Bodega is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome qualified applicants to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.