About Girl Scouts of Western Washington

Girl Scouts of Western Washington is consistently and unapologetically committed to providing safe spaces for all girls* to belong. We build Girl Scouts of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. Founded in 1912, our organization has been committed to meeting the needs of our youth members for over a century. We uplift all Girl Scouts in a supportive environment where they can discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their very first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. They are the future leaders paving the way toward a brighter tomorrow. To learn more, visit www.girlscoutsww.org.

Girl Scouts of Western Washington values diversity, equity, and inclusion and we foster a welcoming, inclusive work environment. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, age, national origin, gender, veteran status, sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender expression of identity), marital status, or the presence of any physical, sensory, or mental disability, or any other protected classification under applicable laws. 

*Girl Scouts of Western Washington uses the term girl inclusively to speak to everyone who identifies with the Girl Scout experience, which includes cisgender girls, gender-expansive youth, transgender youth, non-binary youth, gender nonconforming youth, genderqueer youth, and any girl-identifying human.

About the Position

The Director, Institutional Relations, is responsible for developing and managing foundation and government funding strategies that support the mission and programs of Girl Scouts of Western Washington (GSWW). This position cultivates and stewards relationships with institutional funders, secures six- and seven-figure contributions, and aligns funding opportunities with organizational priorities. The Director collaborates with internal teams to coordinate proposals, reports, events, and funder engagement, and oversees grant development processes and compliance.

This is a regular, full-time, exempt position that requires residency in Washington State, preferably within our Council region of Western Washington. Work can be conducted remotely, but successful candidates must be willing and able to come into a GSWW office or alternative worksite as needed or when requested. Compensation for this position is $84,125 to $105,156 per year. Placement within this range is based on a variety of factors, including qualifications, relevant experience, specialized knowledge, skills, internal equity, and market considerations.

Girl Scouts of Western Washington offers an excellent work environment, meaningful mission-driven work and a competitive benefits package that includes employer-paid options for medical, dental, life/AD&D for employees. Additionally, access is available for our 403(b) retirement plan, as well as voluntary benefits that include vision insurance and flexible spending accounts. Our generous paid leave plan includes three weeks of vacation to start, sick leave, paid holidays, paid time off for personal development and volunteerism, AND nearly two weeks of paid leave for our winter break. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversees a high-functioning foundation and government funding program to advance the mission of Girl Scouts of Western Washington including creating strategy and managing its execution.
• Builds a robust base of private and public support by researching and identifying strong funding prospects aligned with the Girl Scouts' mission and increases high five- to seven-figure giving, while also researching, advocating, and applying for government grants with a deep understanding of the complex systems, strategies, and politics involved.
• Builds and maintains authentic relationships with institutional and government funders.
• Communicates and meets with funders as appropriate to represent the organization, explore potential funding opportunities, develop rapport and create strong partnerships, solicit funding, and steward relationships.
• Manages internal foundation/government budget, including budget creation, tracking expenses and creating reasonable income projections based on past funding and future opportunities. 
• Oversees the end-to-end proposal process for donors within personal and contract portfolios, encompassing research, writing, and preparation of grant proposals, reports, and letters of inquiry. 
• Effectively communicates organizational goals, mission, and programs to potential funders, develops logic models and budgets as necessary, and coordinates supplementary documentation.
• Administers the post-award process, including monitoring and reporting on grant and institutional funding activities, including deadlines and deliverables; manages and submits all progress and impact reports. 
• Ensures compliance with funder requirements; reconciles grants accounting and financial reporting with the Finance and Mission Delivery teams to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the award.
• Represents Girl Scouts and advocates for its strategic priorities at funding panels, leading site visits and delivering compelling grant presentations as required.
• Finds and facilitates strategic opportunities for prospects and funders to interact with the CEO and other Executive and Senior Leadership of GSWW; prepares background and briefing documents on foundation partners for the CEO and Executive Leaders.
• Ensures utilization of existing databases to track and manage grants, diligent and timely updating of CRM tools, maintenance of a detailed calendar of pending requests, future proposals, and report deadlines for internal audiences. 
• Maintains a strong understanding of funding and strategic priorities for Girl Scouts and communicates appropriately internally and externally.
• Stays up to date on external trends and best practices related to foundation and government giving and incorporates this knowledge into Philanthropy’s strategy and activities.
• Ensures current profiles in all government grant systems stay updated, including SAM.gov and Grants.gov. Stays current on news and policy that changes and affects these systems.
• Actively participates in the Council’s DEIRJB efforts.
• Establishes credibility throughout the organization as an effective listener and problem-solver for diverse people; contributes to a consistent customer service standard across all departments.
• Builds relationships with sister councils in GSUSA as appropriate to collaborate on mutual fundraising strategies and joint projects.
• Participates in the planning and implementation of Philanthropy fundraising and stewardship events. Integrates Philanthropy events with foundation and government portfolio as stewardship opportunities and for other strategic purposes.
• As a senior member of the Philanthropy team, participates in cultivating a culture of philanthropy within GSWW by educating staff about government funding and foundation giving; develops tools and processes to communicate funding opportunities to internal stakeholders in collaboration with the Philanthropy team.

This is a general description of the essential responsibilities of the position and is not inclusive of all job duties; other associated duties may be assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of and commitment to fostering a work environment that prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, racial justice, and belonging.
• Strong commitment to Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s mission and vision. 
• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Superior writing skills to develop compelling proposals.
• Confidence leading site visits, grant presentations, and speaking in front of grant panels as needed. Comfort with ambiguity and changing circumstances.
• Self-motivated initiator with superior organizational and time management skills and a focus on quality and strong attention to detail required. Strong ability to write and edit persuasive materials. 
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and to work with a wide range of external and internal constituents including staff, volunteers, and senior leadership. 
• Ability to translate program data into concise, compelling, mission-centered narratives.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
• High integrity and a commitment to personal and professional excellence; trustworthy and appropriately confidential; ability to maintain a high level of poise and professionalism in all circumstances. 

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not currently have direct supervisory responsibilities but may oversee the work of contract grant writers and other external partners.  Supervisory responsibilities may be assigned in the future based on organizational needs, including responsibility for hiring, coaching, performance management, and development of assigned staff. 

Education and Experience Required

• Five or more years of progressive non-profit development experience with proficiency in institutional relationship building and frontline fundraising, foundation research, government grant applications, requirements, and websites, grant making processes, program development, grant writing and grant stewardship.
• Experience collaborating with and influencing internal stakeholders, including senior leadership, to meet proposal and reporting deadlines.

Education and Experience Preferred

• Expertise with DonorPerfect or Canva preferred. 
• Bachelor’s degree in non-profit management or another relevant field preferred.

 Other Qualifications

• Must reside within Washington State, with preference for residence within our Council region of Western Washington.
• Access to reliable transportation and the ability to fulfill travel requirements across widespread regional geography as necessary.
• Satisfactory results from criminal background search.
• Willingness to maintain Girl Scout membership.
• Must be willing and able to come into a GSWW office or alternative work location as needed or when requested.