Fundraising and Grant Development Consultant

About the Role

Dorchester Seniors, Inc. is seeking proposals from qualified fundraising consultants, fractional development professionals, and consulting firms to strengthen and diversify the organization’s revenue. The selected consultant will provide strategic leadership and hands-on support in grant development, donor cultivation, corporate sponsorships, fundraising campaigns, development systems, and board fundraising engagement.

Responsibilities

• Assess DSI’s current fundraising activities, systems, and opportunities.
• Develop a practical fundraising and revenue-diversification strategy.
• Research and prioritize foundation, corporate, state, federal, and local grant opportunities.
• Prepare letters of inquiry, grant applications, narratives, and supporting materials.
• Maintain grant submission, reporting, renewal, and compliance calendars.
• Develop strategies for individual giving, major gifts, recurring gifts, and donor stewardship.
• Identify corporate sponsorship and partnership opportunities.
• Assist with annual fundraising campaigns and special initiatives.
• Establish fundraising procedures, templates, dashboards, and tracking tools.
• Provide guidance and training to staff, leadership, and the Board of Directors.
• Build DSI’s internal fundraising capacity and support knowledge transfer.

Qualifications

• At least five years of professional nonprofit fundraising or grant-development experience.
• Demonstrated success writing funded grant applications.
• Experience with foundation, corporate, state, federal, or local government funding.
• Experience with individual giving, sponsorships, donor stewardship, and fundraising strategy.
• Strong writing, editing, research, communication, and project-management skills.
• Experience working with nonprofit executives, boards, program staff, and finance teams.
• Familiarity with aging services, healthcare, human services, nutrition, transportation, rural services, or publicly funded programs is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Contract Details

• Independent contractor engagement.
• Initial six-month term with the possibility of renewal.
• Approximately 15–25 hours per month.
• Hybrid arrangement with remote work and occasional meetings in Dorchester County, South Carolina.

Pay

Compensation is anticipated at approximately $100–$150 per hour or an agreed monthly retainer or fixed fee, depending on experience and scope. Percentage-based compensation will not be considered.

Schedule

Anticipated start date: September 8, 2026.

Required Submission Materials

• Résumé or professional biography.
• Formal response to the DSI Request for Proposals.
• Proposed six-month work plan.
• Fee proposal.
• At least two relevant writing samples with confidential information removed.
• Three nonprofit professional references.
• Examples of measurable fundraising or grant-development results.
• Conflict-of-interest disclosure.

Questions may be directed to: Melodi Amos, Executive Assistant at Mamos@dorchesterseniors.com.