Development & Communications Writer, Cultural Data Project

Posted by Cultural Data Project on December 01, 2014

The Cultural Data Project (CDP) is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower the nonprofit arts and cultural sector with high-quality data and resources in order to strengthen its vitality, performance, and public impact. We accomplish this mission by equipping arts and cultural organizations to collect, learn from, and use data effectively; by building critical infrastructure for the sector and being a trusted source of high-quality data and knowledge that advances cultural initiatives; and by convening and coordinating a national coalition for cultural data, dedicated to collective learning, leadership, and action.

CDP offers a powerful online management tool that equips cultural leaders with reliable longitudinal data on the financial, operational, and programmatic activities of their own and other nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. The CDP’s system collects, analyzes, and reports these data in order to provide arts and cultural organizations with historical trends and comparative benchmarks to inform and strengthen their business management practices. The CDP also seeks to streamline and standardize funding applications across multiple grant makers using its platform, while also providing funders with tools to understand and compare the financial health and operations of their grantees. Now used in 14 states and Washington, DC, the CDP is working to deepen its impact on the nonprofit arts and cultural sector and expand its reach throughout the United States.

Launched initially in Pennsylvania in 2004 and managed by The Pew Charitable Trusts since 2005, the CDP became a Philadelphia-based independent 501(c)(3) corporation on April 1, 2013.

The CDP Development and Communications Writer is a full-time position within the organization’s External Affairs department.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Development & Communications Writer

Summary/Objective

Reporting to the Director of External Affairs and working closely with the CDP fundraising and communications staff, the Development and Communications Writer’s primary responsibilities include:

• Writing grant proposals, reports, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship correspondence and collateral materials for current and prospective foundation, corporate or government funders of the CDP;
• Supporting the CDP’s external communications efforts by writing or editing news releases, articles, descriptive background materials, reports, and other marketing communications;
• Working with the Director of External Affairs and Development Assistant to manage the CDP’s deadlines to ensure that documents are submitted on time and in accordance with the CDP’s internal review procedures.

Essential Functions

The Development and Communications Writer will be involved in three principal clusters of activities: developing proposals and producing grant reports for funders; contributing to the writing, production and editing of other communications materials; and helping to manage the CDP’s systems for tracking its funder deadlines. The incumbent will:

• Conduct research to understand the giving focus, grant making procedures, level of funding and funding guidelines of prospective and current funders in order to draft compelling narrative proposals and reports that address each funder’s priorities. Work with CDP development officers and program staff to develop appropriate project deliverables, outcomes and timelines.
• In accordance with the reporting guidelines delineated in each grant agreement, work with staff to gather all relevant statistics and project information to produce detailed, informative, and factually correct interim and final grant reports.
• Partner with the finance manager and others to ensure that proposal budgets and financial reporting documents are appropriately submitted to funders.
• Contribute to the development of Moves Management communication strategies for each funder and cultivate, solicit, and steward donors in accordance with those strategies.
• Develop a strong understanding of the CDP and the cultural field, in order to marshal compelling evidence about the successes and relevance of the project.
• Contribute to CDP external communications efforts by writing or editing news releases, statements, descriptive background materials, reports or other fundraising and marketing communications.
• Contribute to department-related and organizational projects as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned by Supervisor.

http://www.idealist.org/view/job/ztcwNcS5xzMD