Volunteer Opportunity: Grant Prospecting with 826 Valencia

2023-24 Scope of Work 

Location: Remote 

Commitment: 2 to 5 hours per week

To Apply: Please fill out this short Google Form. 

About 826 Valencia: Founded in 2002 by acclaimed author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari, 826 Valencia is an award-winning nonprofit that aims to address educational inequities in San Francisco by offering free tutoring and individualized writing support for students and professional development support for teachers in under-resourced communities. We provide a creative environment that cultivates imagination and wonder. Our innovative and award-winning model has inspired over 40 like-minded organizations worldwide.

Our Mission: 826 Valencia is dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

Position Overview: 826 Valencia is seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Grants Research Volunteer to support our two-person Institutional Giving team 2 -5 hours a week. This role will be identifying and assessing potential new funding opportunities on top of our current corporate, foundation, and government sources. Our ideal candidate is a strong communicator (written and verbal), detail-oriented, and believes deeply in 826 Valencia’s mission and the power of partnerships between funders and non-profits to address educational and societal inequities.

This position will play a crucial role in funder prospecting and fundraising at an exciting time of organizational growth for 826 Valencia; as we recently completed a new Strategic Plan and have launched a three-year $25 million growth and sustainability campaign. The focus of strategic planning was to be explicit about how we could get closer to our Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal to serve every under-resourced student in San Francisco with the writing skills and publishing platforms needed to use their voice for positive impact in the next twenty years. 

“Stories have made me who I am and who I want to be in the future. Without them 

I cannot function or organize my own thoughts. I have worked on stories my whole life 

and still have more to learn. I know because of 826 Valencia and I know because I am 

ready. Ready to bring everything together. Ready to finally publish my stories to the world.”  

– Delara Armijo, 2023 826 Valencia Scholarship Winner 

Key Responsibilities:

• Funder Prospecting: Conduct thorough research to identify potential local and national funders, grants, and opportunities that align with our organization’s mission. Training to be provided by the Grants Team, using existing tools provided
• Grant Opportunity Assessment: Evaluate the relevance and suitability of potential corporate or foundation funders by reviewing their guidelines, requirements, limitations, and priorities that will lead to a steady pipeline of new grant prospects
• Record Findings: Maintain well-organized and up-to-date files about potential funding sources, including funding focus, eligibility criteria, contact information, deadlines, etc, to be reviewed by the Grants Team
• Maintain Files: Organize findings clearly to ensure the Grants Team has access to all necessary information and materials to log this information in our database and tracking documents
• Collaboration: Report to the Grants and Development Coordinator, and meet once a week to set goals, review progress, address challenges, and prepare updates for our Salesforce database

Desired Qualifications:

• An interest in nonprofit fundraising and grantmaking
• Excellent online research and prospecting skills, or relevant experience.
• Strong organizational and time management abilities
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal
• Attention to detail and accuracy in projects
• Ability to work independently and in collaboration
• An interest in education, writing, or literacy is a plus!
• Grant writing experience is a bonus

Benefits:

• Work in a flexible, remote environment.
• Gain experience in the nonprofit sector and grant donor prospecting and assessment
• Enhance your skills in research, writing, and communication
• Letters of recommendation and references are available upon request
• Contribute to the future of San Francisco students and make a positive impact on the community