Development and Grants Associate

Organization Overview

The Elba Hope Foundation is a nonprofit organization. At the heart of our mission lies a steadfast commitment to sustainable progress and better futures for Africans and the African Diaspora through the interconnected tools of agriculture, conservation, food security, education, youth advocacy, and social justice. Our mission is to drive transformative change by fostering innovation, empowering communities, and forming strategic partnerships that will have a lasting impact on these sectors, both today and for future generations.

Position Overview

The Development Associate will be an execution and owner role within the Development Department, ensuring that the research, assets, and systems that underpin fundraising are strong, reliable, and proactive. This role is responsible for independently driving fundraising production forward, owning timelines, and delivering concrete outputs each week. This position is hands-on in grant writing, proposal ownership, prospect research, donor communications, and stewardship administration.

The role is ideal for a detail-oriented, highly organized, proactive professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is eager to build the infrastructure of the development function while actively owning grant applications, contributing to donor communications, and developing recurring giving campaigns. This role requires urgency, follow-through, and comfort working against firm deadlines. Candidates who require step-by-step direction, have difficulty meeting deadlines, or prefer highly structured environments will not be successful. This role is best suited for someone who enjoys building systems from scratch, moving quickly, and being accountable for results.

Key Responsibilities:

Prospect Research & Pipeline Management

• Conduct research on foundations, individuals, and grant opportunities aligned with EHF programs.
• Build and maintain a live pipeline in Asana and Hubspot, ensuring all records are current and actionable.
• Track deadlines, touchpoints, and follow-up tasks, ensuring timely and accurate follow-through.

Grants & Proposal Development

• Own and advance a live grants pipeline with weekly progress updates and clear next actions.
• Independently identify, prioritize, and move forward 5–10 qualified prospects per month.
• Maintain a grants calendar that is at least 6–12 months forward-looking at all times (deadlines, LOIs, reporting).
• Draft LOIs, proposals, concept notes, and supporting documentation for institutional funders.
• Maintain a library of boilerplate text, budgets, attachments, and narratives (e.g., mission, theory of change, program descriptions).
• Coordinate with program and operations teams to gather necessary data and impact stories.
• Ensure proposals align with EHF’s brand guidelines and strategic priorities.

Donor Communications & Stewardship

• Draft donor communications for leadership (solicitation emails, thank-you letters, follow-up notes).
• Ensure all donor acknowledgments are completed within 72 hours from the donation.
• Prepare briefing notes and backgrounders ahead of donor meetings.
• Draft, finalize, and manage distribution of donor updates, quarterly impact reports, and stewardship packages.
• Ensure high-quality, timely acknowledgments for all gifts.

Development Operations & Assets

• Maintain development collateral: sponsorship decks, giving menus, case-for-support one-pagers.
• Ensure consistency with EHF brand guidelines.
• Support the events team with donor guest lists and post-event follow-up tracking.
• Produce weekly development status reports summarizing progress, blockers, and next steps.

Recurring & Mid-Level Giving Program

• Co-create the design and launch of Give Hope, Build Futures recurring donor campaign.
• Track donors, manage acknowledgments, and generate reports on growth and retention.
• Develop donor journeys and segmented stewardship plans for mid-level and recurring donors.
  
  

Qualifications:

• 3–5 years of nonprofit development experience with demonstrated ownership of grants, pipelines, and donor communications from start to finish.
• Self-starter with strong organizational and project management skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Familiarity with CRM and project management systems (Hubspot, Asana, or similar).
• Research skills: ability to identify, evaluate, and summarize prospect information.
• Experience drafting and submitting grants to foundations, institutions, or government.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial nonprofit environment.
• Proactive and resourceful, able to anticipate needs and take initiative.
• Surface risks, delays, or gaps early, with proposed solutions, not just problems.
• Operate with minimal oversight and proactively recommend improvements to systems, templates, and workflows.
  
  

Compensation & Time Commitment:

$25/hour, up to 15 hours per week, with the expectation of meaningful ownership and accountability. This is a contracted, part-time, and high-accountability role with the potential to grow in scope and hours based on performance.

Application Instructions:

To apply, submit a resume, cover letter outlining relevant experience and interest in the role, and a short writing sample relevant to fundraising by clicking the Apply button. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

We are seeking candidates who bring deep contextual understanding of Africa and a strong alignment with our mission and values. This may come through lived experience, long-term professional engagement, or meaningful personal connection to the regions and communities we serve. Our work is rooted in respect for local leadership, cultural knowledge, and community-driven solutions, and we prioritize applicants who demonstrate humility, accountability, and a clear commitment to working in partnership with diverse stakeholders. The Elba Hope Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.