Manager, Grant Writing & Partnership Communications - National Office (Remote)

YMCA of the USA; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 75,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits package

Remote-friendly workplace

Job summary

YMCA of the USA is seeking a Manager of Grant Writing & Partnership Communications to lead the national grant lifecycle, craft high-quality funding proposals, and guide donor communications. The role entails coordinating across departments, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, and developing compelling cases for organizational priorities.

The position emphasizes writing leadership, strategic storytelling, and collaboration within the Financial Development team to secure resources for

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 4–6 years of grant writing experience.
• Demonstrated success in grant writing across multiple funding sources.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills; detail oriented and deadline driven.
• Experience collaborating with staff at all levels and providing technical assistance.
• Competence with MS Office; familiarity with Teams and design tools a plus.
• Excellent attention to detail and customer service.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong project management and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to YMCA values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Write and manage approval of grant applications and related documents across departments.
• Ensure proposals, donor reports, letters of inquiry, etc., meet style, brand, and compliance standards.
• Coordinate proposal and report development activities across Y-USA departments.
• Ensure donor materials comply with donor formats and standards.
• Maintain knowledge of YMCA strategies to connect work across initiatives.
• Lead donor reporting with data input and coordination with budget team.
• Coordinate updates for partnership reports across staff.
• Design and develop visual presentation materials for proposals and reports.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Grant writing

Proposal development

Communication

Project management

Attention to detail

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Teams

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Overview

The Manager, Grant Writing & Partnership Communications is part of Y-USA’s fundraising team and supports the organization’s ability to reach and sustain its annual fundraising goal in service to organizational priorities through the writing and on-time submission of high-quality funding proposals and other related documents. This role is responsible for coordinating and providing guidance and tools related to the writing and coordination of grant applications and the development of proposals and donor reports. This team member supports the entire organization as a lead writer on their grant efforts and is responsible for written articulation of funding cases for Y-USA’s organizational priorities. This includes letters of inquiry, proposals, concept papers, white papers, case statements, donor reporting, some presentation materials, and other documents as assigned. This position is responsible for managing all stages of the proposal development process for assignments within assigned portfolio, including any required research and cross-departmental collaborations to secure content.

The Financial Developmentdepartment secures and sustains the philanthropic resources that power the organization’s mission on a national scale. Connecting donors and their resources directly to transformative programs and people at both Y-USA and the local community level, the department leads comprehensive fundraising strategies across corporate and foundation partnerships, individual giving, major and principal gifts, and plannedgiving. Through strong donor relationships,data drivenpractices, andcross organizationalcollaboration with YMCAs across the country, Financial Development aligns philanthropic investment with strategic priorities, driving urgent and measurable impact in service to millions of individuals and families every day. Its work ensures the organization’slong-termfinancial strength not only for today but for years to come

YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) embraces a remote-first working environment which means most employees work remotely from a home office within the continental United States.

Responsibilities

• Write and manage approval of public and private partnership applications among all departments, including gathering supporting materials, in accordance with Y-USA and partner requirements.
• Write and manage approval of all written documents (within assigned portfolio) needed to contribute to annual fundraising goal for organizational priorities (e.g., grant applications, proposals, concept papers, case language, donor reports, letters of inquiry, etc.), assuring adherence to style guide parameters, Y brand, voice, and compliance requirements.
• Manage coordination of all assigned proposal and report development activities across all Y-USA departments
• Ensure funding proposals and reporting (including photos, media samples, etc.) is compliant with donor format/standards.
• Maintain a working knowledge of Y strategies, priorities, and historical initiatives to connect work across initiatives, departments, and partner communications
• Synthesize various initiative inputs through meetings, briefs, prior proposals, etc. to develop a robust written or visual expression Y-USA strategies and initiatives.
• Responsible for donor reporting including narrative and data input. Coordinate with Manager, Financial Development Data & Budget on donor budget reporting.
• Lead coordination across Y-USA staff members across departments to obtain necessary project updates for partnership reports.
• Design and develop visual presentation materials for partner proposals and reports
• Perform other duties as assigned.

EFFECT ON END RESULTS/STRATEGIC IMPACT

As the YMCA advances our ambitious new national strategy and ten-year vision of change—to improve individual and community wellbeing by intentionally strengthening connection and belonging—this is an exciting and critical moment to join our national office at Y-USA. This specialized role offers a meaningful opportunity for a highly-skilled and passionate candidate to contribute to nation-wide impact by supporting the ongoing success of the Y’s national strategic plan. Through compelling, fact-based storytelling, the grant writer will help communicate Y-USA’s strategic priorities across diverse and ever evolving projects, programs, and subject areas. Translating vision and impact for external partners and stakeholders in ways that resonate and inspire support, this position will play an integral role in helping Y-USA secure the resources needed to drive positive community change. As a member of Y-USA’s high-performing philanthropy team of talented grant writers and fundraisers, this position will bring important technical knowledge to the full grant lifecycle, from solicitation and application through fulfillment, while strengthening Y-USA’s capacity to raise and renew contributed revenue.

Qualifications

A successful candidate will possess a majority of the following professional and personal attributes and competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree is required. Master’s degree is preferred
• Minimum 4-6 years of successful experience related to grant writing is required
• Must possess a demonstrated record of success in grant writing across a variety of funding sources, public and private, as well as knowledge of the institutional funding community
• Demonstrated superior verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills are required
• Demonstrated superb organizational skills; diligent attention to detail; ability to manage, plan, track, and complete long-range project deadlines and goals is required
• Demonstrated experience working well with staff at all levels and providing technical assistance is required
• Competence across Microsoft Office Suite of programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc. is required. Familiarity with Microsoft Teams and/or other project management software, as well as visual design and formatting applications is a plus.
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational, and customer service skills are required
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, as well as within a team and take initiative to complete assignments is required
• Demonstrated strong project management and problem-solving skills are required
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task, prioritize, meet deadlines and work in a fast-paced work environment is required
• Requires a commitment to the YMCA character development values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility

Benefits

We offer a full benefits package including medical, dental, vision, defined benefit plan (retirement savings), defined contribution plan (403(b) plan, life and disability insurances, technology stipend, and generous paid time off, all in a work from anywhere in the U.S. workplace.

Posted Salary Range

USD $75,000.00 - USD $89,000.00 /Yr.