Associate Vice President Government & Foundation Fundraising-Latin America

Job Description

PRIMARY FUNCTION OF POSITION:

The Associate Vice President, Foundation & Government Fundraising for Latin American Programs, will play a key role in securing support from foundation and government sources for Covenant House International’s affiliate sites in Latin America: Casa Alianza Mexico, La Alianza (Guatemala), Casa Alianza Honduras and Casa Alianza Nicaragua. Each of these programs is among the most distinguished human rights organizations across the Americas, having received numerous international honors and awards, including the Hilton Humanitarian Award, the Olof Palme Medal, the Vital Voices Award and The Merced Foundation’s Razon de Ser award. The Associate Vice President will play a lead role in developing and writing proposals in close collaboration with the SVP, Latin America and staff at each of the four sites and play a leadership role in stewarding new and existing sources of funding. The position requires a strong commitment to the mission of Covenant House International’s work in Latin America, and a deep cultural competence in working with, and representing, our teams in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico with existing and prospective funders as well as with NGO’s and other partners. The position will involve occasional travel to Mexico and Central America, especially in the first 18 months of service, to develop expertise in our programs and services, and familiarity with challenges, opportunities and needs. The work will involve collaboration with Covenant House International leadership and Foundations team to strategize and maximize funding opportunities; tracking and ensuring the timely adherence to proposal and reporting guidelines, deadlines and responsibilities; and maintaining and enhancing relationships to support Covenant House International and services for children and youth experiencing homelessness and human trafficking in Latin America.

DUTIES:

Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Take a strong, hands-on role in the development of proposals, and other written materials, to ensure a high-quality and timely submission. Will require close coordination with SVP, Latin America and collaborators in Latin America who will primarily communicate in Spanish, requiring verbal fluency and very strong written translation skills.
• Work and strategize with Latin American colleagues and Covenant House International leadership to meet and exceed annual fundraising goals for institutional giving. .
• Cultivate and maintain excellent relationships with Latin American teams.
• Write letters of inquiry, grant proposals, regular grant performance reports and other related communications.
• Primary responsibility for departmental project management, including tracking grant and reporting deadlines and ensuring timely submissions of all proposals and reports with respect to Latin American programs and services.
• Research and identify new sources of general operating and program-specific support.
• Work closely with Covenant House development and program staff to ensure compelling, high-quality submissions.
• Assist in the creation of presentations, reports, informational brochures and other materials.
• Play a lead role in coordinating site visits by Foundations and government grantors to Latin American sites, including managing executive level participation; site visit agendas, talking points, and materials; coordinating youth and local staff involvement in visit; and ensuring post-visit thank you correspondence and follow up.
• Representing Covenant House International, and Latin American sites, in meetings, site visits, phone conversations, and events, as needed.
• Play key leadership role in stewarding new and existing sources of funding and maintaining and stewarding relationships with foundations/government.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and strong attention to detail.
• Excellent English-Spanish bilingual fluency (written and verbal)
• Knowledge of the funding community and demonstrated skill in foundation and government grant writing.
• Mastery of Google Docs and tools, Microsoft Office (Word and Excel in particular) and Skype/Zoom.
• Exemplary interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Dedicated to the mission of Covenant House, and able to translate passion into compelling cases for support.
• Team player and able to work effectively with collaborators in other countries.
• Flexible schedule for occasional travel and occasional weekend or evening events or deadlines.
• Must hold a valid U.S. passport for international travel.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet a demanding schedule of deadlines. Experience managing J/TIP grants preferred.

MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s Degree; 5+ years of experience working with the foundation and government funding communities, including supervisory experience, grant writing, research and cultivation. Strong preference for candidates who have experience living in, or extensively traveling to Central America and/or Mexico.

About the Organization

Founded in 1972, Covenant House is the largest charity across the hemisphere serving homeless, trafficked and runaway youth. Located in 31 cities across 6 countries (Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) Covenant House offers a broad range of essential services to help youth move from poverty to opportunity and from homelessness to hope. These services include emergency shelter, transitional and supported housing, food, clothing, legal aid, medical care, educational services (including high school diploma programs and GED certificate programs), job training and placement services, childcare and parenting support programs.