Manager, Institutional Giving

Promise Venture Studio

2h•$98,000 - $108,000

About The Position

Promise is an early childhood-focused nonprofit organization driving towards a vision of an abundant and just world where all children can fulfill their innate promise. To work toward that vision, we advance change through two mutually-reinforcing strategies: 1) activate and strengthen the early childhood ecosystem by aligning funders, policy leaders, and practitioners around a shared vision and collective action, and 2) nurture and grow the impact of proximate leaders and their social ventures by increasing resources, connections, and sustainability. What We Do Our strategies come to life through Promise's three programmatic buckets: Ecosystem: Ignites a cross-sector movement — uniting champions, capital, and collective will behind bold visions and narratives for America's youngest children and families Changemaker Communities: Drive the sustainability, social capital, and power of proximate changemakers across the early childhood field and in their communities The Promise Fund: Identifies, resources, and scales proximate-led social innovations that prove the future young children and families deserve is within reach Our Impact To date, we've supported more than 760 early childhood ventures nationwide through coaching, connections to capital, and community. We've catalyzed over $25M to social ventures, and among our most deeply supported organizations, 91% grew their impact, 80% increased budgets, and 72% expanded their teams. Through the Early Childhood Leaders of Color Collaborative, 500+ leaders across 40+ states are building collective power to reach millions of children – proof that when BIPOC leaders come together, they don't just survive, they thrive. Role Summary Promise seeks a Manager of Institutional Giving to join our growing Development team at a pivotal moment of scale and ambition. This role is ideal for a sharp, disciplined, and mission-driven fundraising professional who excels at grant writing, proposal development, and strategic funder communications—and who wants to play a central role in mobilizing capital for transformational early childhood systems change. Promise is entering an exciting new chapter as we launch our 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, with ambitious goals to raise $55M+ over four years, expand institutional partnerships, and help catalyze field-wide investment in early childhood innovation. The Manager of Institutional Giving will be a critical driver of this work—translating strategy into compelling written materials, managing proposal pipelines, and supporting deep, multi-year funder relationships. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, and working in close coordination with the Development Director, CEO, and program leaders, this role will help ensure that Promise’s vision, impact, and learning are communicated with clarity, rigor, and resonance to institutional funders.

Requirements

3-5+ years of experience in institutional fundraising, grant writing, and/or development communications
Demonstrated success writing and managing foundation grants (six- and seven-figure preferred)
Exceptional written communication skills—clear, persuasive, and detail-oriented
Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities
Experience using a CRM (Salesforce preferred) to manage pipelines, reporting, and funder records
Deep alignment with Promise’s mission, values, and commitment to equity, proximity, and justice-centered philanthropy

Nice To Haves

Experience fundraising in early childhood, education, systems change, or social innovation
Comfort translating complex strategies into compelling narratives for funders
Experience supporting or managing multi-year grants and renewals
Familiarity with diversified revenue models and growing organizations

Responsibilities

Lead the development, writing, and submission of high-quality institutional grant proposals, concept notes, LOIs, and renewals aligned to Promise’s strategic priorities
Manage a rolling institutional proposal pipeline, tracking timelines, requirements, and next steps in Salesforce
Support the cultivation and stewardship of multi-year institutional partnerships, ensuring consistency, follow-through, and strategic alignment
Collaborate with senior leaders to translate strategic initiatives into clear, funder-ready investment opportunities
Serve as the primary drafter and editor of funder-facing written materials, including: Grant proposals and renewals Interim and final grant reports Funder updates, learning briefs, and impact summaries Pitch decks, one-pagers, and FAQs
Ensure written materials are clear, compelling, equity-centered, and tailored to each funder’s priorities, voice, and requirements
Maintain high standards for accuracy, narrative coherence, and on-time delivery across all submissions and reports
Partner with the Chief Development Officer, Development Director and CEO to prepare meeting briefs, talking points, and follow-up materials for funder conversations
Support stewardship efforts through timely, thoughtful communications that reinforce trust, transparency, and learning
Help coordinate funder briefings, learning sessions, and ecosystem conversations as needed
Work closely with program, finance, and communications teams to gather inputs, data, and stories that strengthen proposals and reports
Maintain accurate records of proposals, grants, reporting requirements, and communications in Salesforce
Contribute to the ongoing improvement of development systems, templates, and processes to support scale and efficiency