Grant Team Roles and Responsibilities

Grant Teams with Leads from Conservation/Organization, Donor Communications and Finance are responsible for all aspects of the lifecycle of the grant, from proposal development to final reporting. The Grant Team Lead roles and responsibilities are defined below.

The Stewardship Team works alongside the Grant Team to ensure TNC consistently accomplishes all promised deliverables, spends all donor funds, meets all deadlines, and delivers high quality materials to our donors.

Grant Team Lead:  Has ultimate responsibility for the development and delivery of quality proposals, reports and other stewardship products.  Is accountable for providing the team with the vision that will guide the development of proposals.  Outlines the scope of the proposal; determines the work that will be included and which Business Units (BUs) will be involved (where applicable). Communicates with BU Directors and Regional leadership, as appropriate.  Approves final versions of all deliverables to the donor, including proposals, budgets, reports and financials.  Monitors progress on grant deliverables  Works with the Project and Finance Leads to monitor spending against the approved grant budget.  Alerts the Prospect and/or Stewardship Manager of concerns (or good news!) that will impact the grant.  May delegate some or all of the above to the Project Lead or other staff, as appropriate, but retains ultimate responsibility for ensuring the quality of proposal/report content and on-time delivery. The Grant Team Lead is the main problem solver and primary spokesperson for the grant and is ultimately responsible for the implementation of the conservation activities.

Project Lead  Works with the Grant Team Lead to ensure that the Grant Team meets all deadlines.  Facilitates timely and effective communications between the Grant Team, Regional and BU leadership (where appropriate) and staff. The Project Lead often serves as a conduit between the Grant Team and others.  Anticipates glitches; checks in with the various Leads periodically to gauge progress.  Works with the Donor Communication and Finance Leads to ensure they have the materials they need to prepare proposals, budgets, written and oral reports and other stewardship products.  Serves as the first point of contact for the Donor Communications Lead in addressing challenges with the proposal and report development processes.  Responsible for convening meetings between the Grant Team, conservation staff and others to address proposal and reporting needs

Rev June 2016 1  Works with the Finance Lead to develop the proposal budget and to analyze spending rates throughout the life of the grant.  Is a critical thinker. Takes a very hands-on, proactive approach and works closely with the Donor Communications and Finance Leads and the Stewardship Manager. An effective Project Lead will result in a more efficient process.

Donor Communications Lead:  Works with other members of the Grant Team and Regional/BU staff to develop proposals, reports and other stewardship materials.  Works with the Grant Team Lead and Project Lead to ensure the accuracy and proper framing of all proposal and stewardship materials.  Sets Grant Team timelines in conjunction with the Stewardship Manager and Project Lead to ensure that proposal and stewardship content is received in a timely manner and that there is sufficient time to review drafts.  Works with the Finance Lead to ensure proposal budgets are consistent with grant narratives.

Finance Lead:  Works with the Grant Team Lead to determine the team members and BUs (when appropriate) that will be involved in the proposal.  Develops the proposal budget in conjunction with the Grant Team Lead and BU staff.  When a grant is awarded, the Finance Lead: o Requests Award ID (where applicable) o Works with the appropriate gift coder to record the pledge and pledge payments o Runs Insight reports and analyzes spending on a monthly basis. Alerts Grant Team Lead and Project Lead of issues or concerns. o When applicable, works with the BU Finance Reps to ensure that funds are being spent in a timely manner and in accordance with the grant proposal and grant agreement. o Prepares financials for donor reports (or performs a thorough review and approves financials prepared by others).

Prospect Manager:  Responsible for building life-long relationships with the donor and cultivating her/him towards the implementation of their philanthropic vision.  Takes the lead in developing the overall strategy for engaging the donor.  Coordinates the overall implementation of donor strategy, with the vital collaboration of volunteers and fellow colleagues. While our programs are strengthened as donors form multiple personal relationships with Conservancy staff, members, and volunteers, prospect management helps to make sure that we remain thoughtful, reliable, and consistent in our relationships.  Provides a common language that fosters communication among the Conservancy's geographically dispersed programs and helps ensure cooperation among those who have a stake in the relationship with the donor.

Stewardship Manager: Rev June 2016 2  Works alongside the Prospect Manager to strengthen the relationship between the donor and the organization.  Ensures the donor experiences high-quality and on-time interactions, including stewardship reporting.  Develops, in conjunction with the Prospect Manager, the donor’s Stewardship Plan, which is designed to foster long-term engagement and investment in the organization.  Ensures donor intent is honored.  Assists with maximizing the donor’s giving to the Conservancy.  Ensures programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.

Foundations Finance Lead:  Provides independent financial review of proposal budgets and financial reporting to ensure consistency and compliance with TNC and donor’s policies.  Ensures donor intent is honored.  Serves as a resource to Grant Teams and BUs on financial questions and TNC Finance Policies and Procedures.  Ensures programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.

Rev June 2016 3