Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC), a national nonprofit organization based in Chicago, is seeking a part-time Development Writer (24 hours per week) to help further its mission of making schools healthier places for all children. The Development Writer will serve as a key member of HSC’s grants and development teams, and will also work closely with the communications team.
The successful candidate will bring strong experience advancing a nonprofit’s mission and goals via grant writing and donor communications; excellent writing skills; strong project management skills; a commitment to HSC’s mission; an understanding of the connection between health and learning in a public school K12 context; a hands-on, collaborative approach; and a demonstrated commitment to racial equity.
HSC advocates for policies and programs that support schools in creating the conditions of health for all students, and has a focus on historically under-invested schools and communities. HSC’s key strategies are to empower school stakeholders (including parents, caregivers, school health service providers, teachers and administrators) to be agents of change at the school and district levels; advocate for district, state and federal policies that support healthy school environments; and build the capacity of schools, school districts and government agencies (including educational agencies) to better support student health. This work takes place at the intersection of health, education, equity, community and sustainability.
HSC has an annual operating budget of $2.6 million and a staff team of 16. This position reports to the Interim Executive Director (Senior Vice President).
Responsibilities
- Serve as a key member of the grants team, collaborate with development, program and communications staff and provide substantive input on the organization’s overall development and grant strategies.
- Ensure that HSC’s mission, values and commitment to racial equity are reflected in the organization’s grant proposals and reports, as well as outreach and communication with donors.
- Write grant reports, proposals and updates for foundations, corporate partners, family foundations, government agencies and other philanthropic partners.
- Gather input and data from program staff and partners to inform grant requests and reports, and collaborate with finance staff to finalize budget narratives and budget reports.
- Research potential funding opportunities and conduct donor prospecting.
- Work closely with the grants team to ensure that all deadlines are met and grant documents are reviewed and archived on a regular basis.
- Write and edit communications to individual and corporate donors including updates, appeals and proposals for strategic partnerships.
- Develop content for invitations and collateral for fundraising events and campaigns.
- Help build HSC’s individual donor program, and work across teams to create effective communications strategies for a broad range of individual, corporate and other philanthropic donors.
- A commitment to HSC’s mission, vision, values and equity priorities.
- 5+ years of post-college experience in a grant writing role with nonprofit organization(s) required
- Very strong writing skills for a diverse set of audiences is required.
- Fluency with the Google Workspace and experience using CRM/data management systems (HSC uses Salesforce) required; experience using Trello, or similar workflow management tool, preferred.
- Analytical and team-oriented person who can effectively work across teams with a sensitivity to deadlines, organizational capacity and competing priorities required.
- Proven ability to effectively project manage, work in collaboration, integrate constructive feedback, prioritize work, manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
- Chicago-area candidates are preferred, but excellent candidates living anywhere in the United States will be considered. Applicants must have a functioning home office space for virtual work.
- Candidates must be able to travel/participate in occasional in-person meetings and events in Chicago three to four times per year.
- Candidates must be willing to submit to background checks.
The salary range for this part-time (24 hours per week) position is $42,000 to $54,000, depending on experience. Generous benefit package includes an employer-provided healthcare stipend; 6% employer matching contribution to a retirement plan after one year of employment; paid holidays; and paid vacation and sick leave.
To Apply
HSC is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability or veteran status. HSC strongly encourages Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), women, LGBTQIA+ people and members of other marginalized communities to apply.
Please send your resume, cover letter, two grant or report writing samples (with any sensitive information removed), three references and your answers to the application questions below to writer@healthyschoolscampaign.org. Please include all items as separate attachments to your email.
No phone calls please. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
- How do you prepare to write a grant proposal? Please share the steps you take – both to gather information internally and to ensure that you submit the most competitive proposal possible.
- Please give an example of a challenge working in a team environment that you have successfully met, and detail the steps you took to be successful. For this question, you can give an example from any area of your work experience.
- How do you ensure that the language and references you are using are current, equitable and antiracist? What are your go to resources and how do you stay current?
