Job Description

YellowTree Grant Services is a fast-paced grant writing and grants management agency with a fantastic team that works hand-in-hand with our clients. We are mission-driven and focused because we care deeply about what we do. We are genuinely committed to equity and inclusion, social justice, and environmental sustainability. We are seeking a Research Associate to join our growing team – someone who is passionate about supporting charities and non-profits so that they can secure their funding and achieve their goals.

You, the Research Associate, are a curious, proactive self-starter who will enjoy getting to know our clients and their funding needs. You’ll dazzle us with your uncanny research abilities to find funders that fit them like a glove, and to provide support to other team members who need research assistance.

At YellowTree, we offer a collaborative and supportive work environment, two weeks of paid vacation and extra time off between December 25-January 1.

Company Values: Integrity, Excellence, Professionalism, Compassion, Hope, and Justice

Position Summary

As the Research Associate you will play a pivotal role in identifying and providing strategic advice on potential corporate, family, and government grant opportunities that align with our clients’ missions. You will learn to use the YellowTree Grant Readiness Assessment Tool to help our clients understand if they are grant ready. You will also work closely with YellowTree team members to conduct secondary, online research to identify relevant information for grant applications. You will become our database guru, keeping our information up-to-date and keeping the rest of the team informed on best practices to maintain our client database.

List of Main Responsibilities

Grant Research For Our Clients

• Meet with our non-profit clients to understand their missions, goals, and funding priorities
• Synthesize client goals and funding priorities into appropriate database search terms
• Research aligned grant opportunities through subscription-based databases, general internet searches as well as Canadian federal, provincial and municipal website searches
• Complete an in-depth examination of potential grant opportunities to further assess grant alignment, which sometimes requires contact with funders.
• Exercise sound judgement in evaluating funder information to determine whether they are good fit for our clients
• Develop a summary of grants available for clients outlining a description of the funding body, their funding priorities, their grants available, deadlines, relevant gift histories and any strategic insights developed through the course of your research. Produce written reports which clearly and accurately synthesize information from multiple sources in a clear and coherent manner
• Meet with our non-profit clients to verbally outline and explain the alignment of funders selected for the report

Grant Research for the YellowTree Team

• Identify ongoing grant opportunities for the YellowTree team and our clients through analysis of online sources
• Work with YellowTree team members to conduct secondary, online research to identify and incorporate requested information into grant applications
• As required, create appropriate hyperlinks, citations and references (endnotes, footnotes, parenthetical citations) in APA form in grant-related documents
• Other research as required

Grant Readiness Assessments with Clients

• Work with the YellowTree team to complete a Grant Readiness Assessment form with clients to determine if they are ready to apply for funding
• Complete a gap analysis report for the client, identifying areas where information is missing and/or where document development is required for funding opportunities
• Collect all required background information from client to apply for grants and upload into our client management database
• Identify any ongoing information gaps to client and YellowTree CEO

Database Management

• Become the team subject matter expert in Grants Expertise Management System (GEMS) grant database
• Appropriately handle, sort and upload all Client and donor information in GEMS database
• Record all information in GEMS in a consistent and uniform manner
• Track client grant activity (# of applications, successes, etc) for internal research metrics
• Provide advice to the rest of the team for any database updates or ways to enhance database efficiency;
• Provide and manage client access to database, as required
• Safeguard the confidentiality of constituent information at all times by adhering to confidentiality guidelines and privacy policies
• Update, organize and manage other YellowTree internal files as needed.

List of Key Qualifications

• Exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to concentrate for long periods of time
• Outstanding research and analytical skills
• Critical thinking, good judgment
• Superior written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to work online to accomplish projects
• Proven capacity to work independently and meet multiple competing deadlines
• Experience working collaboratively in team settings (remotely or in-person) to accomplish goals
• Detail oriented and ability to quickly and concisely synthesize large amounts of information
• Demonstrated professionalism in ethically handling confidential information with discretion.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) and Adobe Acrobat
• Experience in grant databases (Grants Expertise Management System, Grant Connect, Grant Advance, Grant Watch & Grant Station) considered an asset
• 1-3 years experience in prospect research considered an asset
• Bilingualism (French/English or other) is considered an asset

This role is a 12-month contract with the possibility of extension.

How to Apply

Qualified applicants are encouraged to send their cover letter and resume to: [email protected] by April 6, 2022

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in the selection process; please let us know if you require a specific accommodation.

YellowTree encourages applications from members of equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to candidates who are racialized, Black, First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, LGBTQ2SI+, and persons with disabilities. Candidates are asked to please self-identify in their application.