About the Role
This is an opportunity for a talented communicator to join one of the premier fundraising teams in the free market movement. FGA has grown from a start-up investment of $50,000 in 2011 to more than $13 million in 2021, and is known for its fundraising model of partnering with high-impact, entrepreneurial donors and foundations to build strong multi-year relationships. These relationships have grown over time as FGA executes on big ideas at a record pace.
If you’ve ever found yourself having to make up grant impacts out of thin air for a report—and hating it—that will never happen at FGA. The challenge will be rather to figure out how to summarize all the incredible impact and results in just a few pages.
The Development Grants Manager will be responsible for the management of the grant development and submission process for current donors and prospects to help meet FGA’s fundraising goals. Responsibilities will also include the writing of annual reports, development explainers/one-pagers, quarterly prospect emails, state-specific policy updates for donors and ensuring messaging is aligned with FGA’s mission.
This is an exciting position with a great opportunity for professional growth, as FGA has big fundraising goals over the next three years. The successful candidate will play a key role in building the strategy, systems, and relationships necessary to sustain rapid growth.
The ideal candidate has at least 3–4 years of relevant experience in communications and/or development and has developed strong writing and research skills and the ability to explain how FGA’s mission works with the priorities and interests of prospective partners. The Development Grants Manager will report to FGA’s Development Director.
Culture and Fit
Success at FGA depends not only on a person’s skills, but also on their ability to fit the culture of FGA. We describe our culture with five Core Values:
- Candid to Solve—being willing to have tough conversations in order to solve issues or build trust.
- Grow or Die—we don’t have a neutral gear; we must consistently challenge ourselves and each other to grow in our talents and skills.
- Politically Savvy—policy doesn’t change in a vacuum, but in a political reality that we must understand and account for.
- Partnership-Oriented—internal and external relationships are not transactional. That starts with our team members and the perspective that we need the rest of the team to succeed in order to win personally.
- Bought in to Win—we’re at FGA because we want to change policy. No one is counting hours or widgets, we are here to get results, and sometimes that will require going the extra mile or doing a job that isn’t technically ours.
It might help to think about the following list of questions. If you answer “yes” to all of them, you may be a fit for the team if your skill sets match the requirements below. The vast majority of those who don’t get hired or don’t last at FGA are due to a lack of fit with these values. Be prepared to have very candid conversations about them in our interview process.
- Do you wholeheartedly agree with the policies that we advocate (see thefga.org for a full description) and the underlying principles that people’s lives are made better through work, not government welfare, and that a free market creates greater freedom and equality than any command-and-control government system?
- Do you agree that embracing the realities of politics is necessary to have success in changing public policy?
- Do you tend to be the one who initiates conversations with colleagues, rather than waiting for them to come to you?
- Are you comfortable creating your own structure for work, such as setting work hours, your own priorities, and creating clarity and a workplan from a broad goal?
- Does it motivate you to think about working with a team of world-class professionals who are held to a very high standard of achieving results?
- Do you seize opportunities to try new things or improve a skill that’s relevant to your company or role?
- Are you able to build meaningful relationships (creating trust) with people you only see face to face a few times a year?
- Do you tend to lead teams by creating clarity about goals and progress, rather than proscribing the steps they need to take?
- Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and do you have a practice of getting help from others to mitigate your weaknesses?
Responsibilities
The Development Grants Manager will have three primary roles:
- Drafting all grant, donor, and prospect proposals.
- Managing every phase of the grant and proposal process, including the collection and distillation of relevant data and policy information necessary for drafting and subsequent management of the internal cataloging systems as well as communication with grantors as needed.
- Writing communications for donors, including an Annual Report, Fall Update, quarterly prospect emails, one-pagers for donors and prospects, and other state-specific policy briefs as needed. This includes performing the first round of edits on all written donor communications.
Requirements
- Minimum of 3-4 years’ experience in writing persuasive sales documents in development or communications at a think tank, private organization or a government affairs organization
- Ability to write persuasively to attract and retain partners to support FGA’s ongoing mission
- Ability to pay attention to detail and to perform both line and copy editing
- Ability to travel 6-8 times a year (10%)
- Familiarity with Salesforce and Basecamp preferred but not required
- Alignment with FGA’s Core Values (described above)
- Agreement with FGA’s mission and policy solutions
Timing, Location, and Compensation
FGA is seeking to fill this position as soon as possible. Location is flexible. While FGA’s headquarters are in Naples, FL, nearly all of FGA’s staff work remotely. It is important to note that almost all our staff currently live in the Central or Eastern time zones, therefore, candidates in another area may face more lengthy travel requirements. FGA offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including a retirement program, a health benefit, and a generous paid leave plan.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials in one PDF document:
- A cover letter detailing your philosophical interest in the organization, why the position interests you, how your experience has prepared you for this position, and your salary requirements
- Resume
- Writing sample of a letter of inquiry or grant proposal (does not need to list specific organization)
- All submissions will be kept confidential
Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talent market.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.
There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.
Questions can be directed to Lydia Ocampo, Outreach Specialist at Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: [email protected]
While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.
Talent Market is a nonprofit entity dedicated to promoting liberty by helping free-market nonprofits identify talent for critical roles. We provide free consulting and recruiting services to free-market think tanks, policy organizations, research centers, and capacity-building institutions dedicated to advancing the principles of limited government and free enterprise.
