Philanthropy Services Associate

Summary: Responsible for supporting the Philanthropy Services group including assisting clients with the management of their grant portfolios and foundation administration, online application retrieval and verification of nonprofits, performing due diligence on nonprofit organizations, interfacing and communicating with grantees and client board members, preparing board meeting materials and meeting minutes, creating records and files associated with the foundations and grants, and assisting with regulatory compliance requirements and filings. This incumbent will also attend and co-facilitate board meetings on weekends or after hours on average up to twice a month or more as needed.

Salary Range: The salary range budgeted for this position is $68,600/yr to $85,000/yr and represents the Company's good faith minimum and maximum range for this role at the time of posting. The compensation offered to a candidate may vary depending on several factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location.

The Company also offers various benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and a 401(K) match. Other rewards may include annual performance-based bonuses and wellness days.

Applicants must have current work authorization when accepting a First Foundation Inc. position. Currently, we cannot sponsor or take over the sponsorship of an Employment Visa.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Understand and comply with requirements of all laws and regulations applicable to the position
• Assist the Philanthropy Services team with managing multiple foundation clients and donors
• Provide grant and scholarship administration services on behalf of clients, including the following:
  1. Work with and on behalf of donors and foundation clients to facilitate their grant decision-making process
  2. Manage the online grant application process, including updating application forms, conducting outreach and assisting both nonprofit and scholarship applicants, and following up to ensure all materials are correct and complete
  3. Utilize grants software (Blackbaud Grantmaking) to pull in requests and verify charity status, and capture and maintain all grant and contact information in the grants database
  4. Review applications and progress reports and work with a Philanthropy Advisor to conduct due diligence, conduct interviews and site visits as needed, and summarize findings on nonprofit applicants to share with clients verbally and in writing
  5. Prepare board meeting materials (“board books”) of applications, reports, and spreadsheets before client board meetings to help facilitate clients’ review and approval process
  6. Work with the Philanthropy Advisor and bookkeeper to help process distributions
  7. Prepare grant declination, notification, and disbursement letters
  8. Update and maintain the grants database and payment records
  9. Prepare correspondence, and projection spreadsheets for the department and foundation clients
  10. Maintain records in CRM and grants database, Blackbaud Grantmaking, formerly “GIFTS Online”
  11. Prepare pre- and post-client meeting materials including board minutes, grant agreements, and disbursement letters
  12. Check for receipt of grantee progress reports and prepare progress report books. Verify that all grant requirements have been fulfilled and information is complete. Contact grantees to request additional items needed. Close out completed grants.
• Conduct site visits and identify which applicants need to be visited vs. called or declined for funding due to lack of fit.
• Conduct analyses of nonprofit programs or projects' effectiveness, feasibility, impact, and financial health
• Communicate and summarize nonprofit applicants” strengths and weaknesses both internally and to clients.
• Prepare curriculum and conduct training and presentations for foundation board and junior board members.
• For client and next-gen board engagement, conduct interviews to determine interests and skill sets as well as facilitate retreats and site visits to engage the next generation in their philanthropy.
• Collaborate with team members to accomplish departmental goals and manage multiple clients and deadlines
• Participate in regular staff meetings to discuss clients and ensure timely delivery of tasks
• Support the marketing of philanthropy services to develop new business; update materials and presentations, respond to requests for information, and coordinate follow-up with prospects and referral sources
• Help to connect clients and First Foundation employees interested in volunteering
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of 5 to 7 years of experience, preferably in the nonprofit sector

Skills:

• Strong work ethic, with dedication to attendance, responsibility, accountability, ethics, and integrity
• Strong knowledge of business English, spelling, and punctuation; ability to prepare and edit minutes/meeting materials
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate with all levels of personnel, the supervisor, and clients
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and detail-oriented
• Strong interpersonal skills with a team player attitude
• Present a professional image in dealing with customers, interdepartmental and external representatives
• Strong computer proficiency and knowledge of MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Adobe PDF; experience with grants software such as Blackbaud is a strong plus
• Ability to multi-task in a timely and efficient manner, prioritizing as needed and maintaining control over various projects and responsibilities;

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods; use hands to operate controls on a computer; reach with hands and arms for phone and computer work: and communicate on the phone wearing a headset for extended periods. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds (loan files). Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus (heavy use of a computer terminal).

First Foundation is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law