Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director

Description

Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Scope of Work: Cultivate Charlottesville’s Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director position is part of our Integrated Systems and Strategies (ISS) Team. The Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director is primarily responsible for implementing Cultivate’s philanthropy, communications, and evaluation efforts in alignment with Cultivate’s mission and in order to provide support to enhance program, organizational, and community goals.

The Cultivate Charlottesville team recognizes the impact of systemic racism, individual bias, and white supremacy has on the Charlottesville community and all team members work to recognize, respond, and dismantle inequities in the work we do.

Position Description

The Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director core functions include:

1. Manage Cultivate grants and foundation portfolios

• Manage all aspects of Cultivate’s grants portfolio of around 25 grants per year and the majority of our income. Prospect, write, submit, coordinate, track, and report on grants.
• Collaborate with Cultivate Leadership to ensure grants align with program strategy and to ensure timely and accurate submission of grant proposals, reports, and financials.
• Develop grant support tools including template development, program descriptions, project budgets, and grants calendar.
• Work with our grant writer consultant as needed for support during busy grant seasons2. Coordinate Cultivate organizational and program evaluations
• Work with Cultivate’s evaluation consultant to establish protocol and tools for evaluation organizational and program impact in alignment with our goals and grant commitments.
• Collaborate across staff to ensure accurate tracking, collection, and reporting of impact results.
• Provide opportunities for team and community feedback loops and organizational and program modifications to respond to evaluation results and improve impact.
• Create an annual report that includes program impacts, financial indicators, and participant feedback and share with Cultivate stakeholders, partners and community.

3. Implement Cultivate philanthropic outreach including events and appeals

• Manage Cultivate special events to support philanthropy and align with our mission outreach.
• Support the Co-Executive Director and Board Philanthropy committee as they develop appeal themes and timelines.
• Manage the development and distribution of bi-annual direct mail and social media appeals.
• Keep website donation pages up to date.
• Ensure personal thank you notes are timely and meaningful4. Strengthen and build Cultivate philanthropic partnerships with foundations, businesses, and individuals

• Partner with Cultivate’s Co-Executive Director to build relationships with individuals, businesses and foundations that enhance Cultivate’s mission and provide needed resources.
• In partnership with the Co-Executive Director, implement a plan to reach our 5-year fundraising goals for philanthropic partnerships.
• Update Cultivate database regularly to ensure efficient use and philanthropic activity tracking.

5. Provide support for Cultivate’s Outreach and Communication 

• Support Cultivate’s social media across multiple platforms including our monthly newsletter and program blasts.
• Act as an ambassador for Cultivate and coordinate team participation in community outreach events.
• All staff are responsible for collecting and submitting evaluation data on activities and impacts.

6. Strengthen Organizational Goals and Values

• Contribute as part of the Cultivate Charlottesville team with organizational activities such as community events, social media and community outreach, evaluation tracking, lesson design, etc.
• Engage in a robust culture of inquiry where critical thinking, self-reflection and ideas on effectiveness, improvements, and building equity are welcome.

• Work to transform racial inequities in all aspects of your work with strategic and intentional action.
• Cultivate health and environmental sustainability in all program strategy and implementation.

•   Each staff member is also responsible for collecting and submitting evaluation data.

All Cultivate staff are responsible to uphold values and practices that support reaching our mission with integrity and which utilize our core organizational strategies including: Engage and educate youth in nature through garden based experiences; Grow and share food to enhance access, connectivity and health; Collaborate with partners and community; Dismantle racial inequities and actively build equity; Amplify community power, leadership and action; Mobilize with partners for policy change; Cultivate sustainability, equity, capacity, and leadership.

Organizational Structure

Supervisory Structure: The Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director reports directly to the Co-Executive Director and works closely with the Integrated Systems and Strategies program as well as across the whole Cultivate team.

Project Hours: The Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director is an exempt salaried position at 100%FTE (40 hours/week). Hours are typically during the school/workday with regular community meetings on evenings or weekends.

Compensation: The Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director holds strategic visioning, planning, and implementation for specific functions that are evident in the practices of the organization across all levels and programs. Systems Directors may be active on the leadership team and provide specific roles in finance, organizational development, and human resources.

The Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director annual compensation is $55,000-$63,652 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) with a generous leave policy and robust benefits including health, dental, vision, and life insurance and an IRA savings match program. New employees generally start at the beginning of the range depending on experience.

Skills Required

The Grants, Evaluation, and Outreach Systems Director requires multiple skill sets including a high level of organization and communication, the ability to design effective systems and structures, characteristics such as flexibility, highly autonomous, and innovative, and a commitment to the Cultivate vision and values. The preferred candidate will have:

• A minimum of 5-7 years’ experience or a bachelor’s degree in a related field with 2-3 years experience (grants management, organizational development, project and event planning, communications). It is helpful to have experience with nonprofit organizations.
• Excellent communication and organization skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities with flexibility and alignment to our mission.
• Experience working in diverse communities with a clear understanding of multi-cultural contexts and racial equity practices.
• Computer competence including MS Office Software. Other online tools such as Canva and Bloomerang

Candidates that have racial equity analysis skills, anti-racism backgrounds, or are members of Black, Indigenous, LatinX, LGBTQI+, and other historically marginalized communities, as well as long-time Charlottesville residents, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Additional Info

To apply, please submit a résumé, cover letter, and contacts for two references to Katrina Beitz at admin@cultivatecharlottesville.org. Include “GEO Systems Director’’ in the subject line. In the cover letter, please address: How your experience is relevant to the GEO Systems Director; What interests you about this position with Cultivate Charlottesville and what is your familiarity with Charlottesville in the context of racial equity. If you have the software, please bundle your cover letter, résumé, and references into one PDF.

Organizational Description

Launched in 2010, Cultivate Charlottesville aims to create a healthy and equitable future – personally, in community, and across systems and structures. We do this through nine City Schoolyard Gardens and garden programming at Charlottesville City Schools and neighborhoods; the Urban Agriculture Collective farming and community markets; and the Food Justice Network advocacy and collaboration.   We believe that working together to grow gardens, share food and power, and advocate for just systems – cultivates a healthy community for all. Core Values: Self-Determination, Partnership, Environmental Justice, Community, Respect, Discovery, Equity – Racial, Social & Economic, Inclusiveness, Collaboration, Humility, Compassion, Health and Wellness.

Cultivate Charlottesville is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from BIPOC, bilingual and bicultural individuals, women, people who have experienced poverty, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender communities, and long-time Charlottesville residents. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, color, veteran status, religion, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition, national origin, ethnicity, political affiliation or, marital status, or any other characteristics protected under Federal or State laws or local ordinance. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified applicants with disabilities may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.