Senior Director of Institutional Advancement

Philaymca; Conshohocken (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free YMCA membership

Flexible work schedule

Discounts on child care and summer cam

Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, &

Life Insurance

Generous PTO + 7 holidays

Retirement planning options

Supplemental insurance benefits

Job summary

Greater Philadelphia YMCA Association seeks a Senior Director of Institutional Advancement to lead foundation and grant fundraising, coordinating external grant writers and advancing community development across the region.

The role requires 10+ years in grant writing and fundraising, with deep knowledge of local foundations and strong collaboration across departments to meet deadlines and outcomes. Flexible schedule and comprehensive benefits are provided.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of grant writing, research, and fundraising experience with a track record securing public and private grants.
• Strong knowledge of Philadelphia-area foundations, institutions, corporations, and nonprofit funding opportunities.
• Experience researching, developing, writing, and managing grant proposals, budgets, reports, and communications.
• Collaboration across departments to identify funding priorities, set outcomes, and meet grant deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all corporate and foundation fundraising activities including prospect research, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and donor engagement.
• Develop and implement corporate and foundation giving strategies with senior leadership.
• Collaborate with YMCA branches and program teams to identify funding opportunities and align grants with priorities.
• Oversee private grant submissions and support public grant opportunities as needed.
• Maintain prospect, cultivation, and stewardship strategies for donors at all giving levels.
• Conduct funder meetings to strengthen relationships and identify future funding opportunities.
• Research and develop targeted donor lists; maintain grant profiles and funding information in systems.
• Write, edit, and coordinate grant proposals, budgets, attachments, and related materials.
• Prepare interim and final grant reports ensuring compliance and deadlines.
• Coordinate with Finance, Operations, Government Relations on reporting and compliance.
• Lead EITC program fundraising efforts (NPP, NAP, LLC, Pre-K credits).
• Evaluate grant opportunities and guide funding decisions with leadership.
• Maintain donor databases and track funding activity for planning.
• Lead efforts to coordinate fundraising activities across the association.
• Mentor grant-writing professionals and volunteers.

Skills

Grant writing

Fundraising

Prospect research

Budgeting

CRM systems

MS Office

Salesforce NPSP

Communication

Project management

Collaboration

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

CRM software

Salesforce NPSP

Job description

We believe that great people build great communities.

We are seeking a Senior Director of Institutional Advancement to lead foundation and grant fundraising focused on fundraising and community development across the Greater Philadelphia YMCA Association. This role will oversee institutional fundraising strategy, manage Institutional Support staff, and coordinate external contract grant writers as needed.

Some rewards for joining our team:

• Free YMCA membership - access to all branches!

• Flexible work schedule

• Sweet discounts on child care and summer camp programs

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurances

• Generous Paid Time Off + 7 paid holidays throughout the year

• Planning for your future? Ask us how we do it at the Y- it's awesome!

• Supplemental insurance benefits

What is needed for this job as our Senior Director of Institutional Advancement:

• 10+ years of experience in grant writing, research, and fundraising, with a proven track record of securing public and private grants

• Strong knowledge of Philadelphia-area foundations, institutions, corporations, and nonprofit funding opportunities

• Demonstrated experience researching, developing, writing, and managing grant proposals, budgets, reports, and communications

• Proven ability to collaborate with multiple departments and teams to identify funding priorities, develop measurable outcomes, and meet grant deadlines and reporting requirements

• Previous project management experience and experience managing or mentoring grant-writing professionals preferred

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, editing, spelling, and grammatical skills.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; experience with fundraising software and Salesforce NPSP or other CRM systems preferred

• Strong understanding of development operations, budgeting, grant compliance, and funder communications

• Ability to work effectively with legal, accounting, government relations, program, and development teams

The responsibilities we will trust you with as our Senior Director of Institutional Advancement:

• Lead and manage all corporate and foundation fundraising activities, including prospect research, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and donor engagement

• Develop and implement corporate and foundation giving strategies in partnership with the Chief Development Officer and senior leadership

• Collaborate with YMCA branches and program teams to identify funding opportunities and align grants with organizational priorities and program areas.

• Oversee all private grant submissions and provide support for public grant opportunities as needed

• Develop and maintain comprehensive prospect, cultivation, and stewardship strategies for corporate and foundation donors at all giving levels

• Conduct funder meetings, including introductory, check-in, post-award, and decline meetings, to strengthen relationships and identify future funding opportunities

• Research and develop targeted lists of new, lapsed, and prospective foundation and corporate donors; prepare and maintain prospect summary profiles and funding opportunity information

• Write, edit, and coordinate grant proposals, letters of inquiry, budgets, attachments, and other required materials for general operating and program support

• Prepare and oversee interim and final grant reports, ensuring compliance with funder requirements, deliverables, and deadlines

• Partner with Finance, Operations, Government Relations, and other departments to track funding requirements and ensure timely reporting and compliance

• Lead fundraising strategy and outreach for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program, including NPP, NAP, LLC, and Pre-K tax credit opportunities

• Evaluate grant opportunities and lead decision-making regarding funding prospects in collaboration with the CDO, CMO, CHRO, VP of Operations, VP of Government Relations, and other leadership

• Maintain accurate and current databases, donor profiles, grant records, and funding information in Salesforce NPSP

• Track and report grant submissions, awards, declines, deadlines, and funding activity to support organizational planning and decision-making

• Lead efforts to streamline and coordinate foundation, corporate, program, and development fundraising activities across the association

• Manage, mentor, and provide direction to grant-writing professionals, consultants, direct reports, and volunteers

• Work collaboratively with donor relations, annual giving, special events, development, and other YMCA staff to maximize fundraising opportunities and strengthen donor relationships

What you can expect:

• Support from an amazing team

• Opportunities to learn & grow

• Being a part of a non-profit organization that works to make the community stronger

• The opportunity to build strong community relationships while building our community