Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Manager for Institutional Giving
at 350.org
🏢 About 350.org
350.org is a unique global grassroots movement that drives climate action through decentralized organizing across 188+ countries, rather than being a traditional NGO. Working here means contributing to a movement-led approach to climate justice that prioritizes frontline communities and systemic change over incremental reform. This appeals to professionals who want their fundraising work to directly fuel radical climate action rather than just organizational sustainability.
About This Role
This Senior Manager role is the engine for securing major institutional funding (targeting $8M+ annually) to power 350.org's global campaigns, with a strategic focus on diversifying revenue by cultivating non-US donors. You'll lead a grants team to secure multi-year, 6-8 figure gifts while developing sophisticated proposals that align funder priorities with 350.org's movement-building approach. Your work directly enables scaling climate justice initiatives worldwide, making this a high-impact position at the intersection of fundraising and activism.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve morning check-ins with your remote grants team across time zones to review pipeline progress, followed by drafting a 7-figure proposal for a European climate foundation that aligns with 350.org's campaign strategy. Afternoons could include strategizing with campaign directors about funding needs for upcoming initiatives, then researching new institutional donor prospects in the global south before ending with Salesforce updates to track cultivation moves and revenue projections.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who 350.org Is Looking For
- Has 5+ years leading international institutional grants teams that consistently generate $8M+ annually, with proven experience directly engaging major foundation program officers and decision-makers.
- Possesses 7+ years writing complex 6-8 figure grant proposals for environmental/progressive causes, with expertise in developing multi-year budgets that satisfy both funder requirements and movement needs.
- Has deep familiarity with the climate justice movement's landscape, terminology, and players, ideally through previous work at organizations like 350.org, Sunrise Movement, or similar grassroots climate groups.
- Is highly proficient with Salesforce for grants management, pipeline tracking, and reporting, and understands how to leverage it for institutional fundraising strategy in a remote, global context.
📝 Tips for Applying to 350.org
Quantify your institutional fundraising impact clearly: specify exact annual revenue you've generated, number of 6-8 figure grants secured, and percentage growth you've achieved in previous roles.
Highlight specific experience with non-US institutional donors (European foundations, multilateral agencies, etc.) since diversifying beyond US funders is a key responsibility mentioned in the job description.
Demonstrate your understanding of 350.org's movement-building model by referencing specific campaigns (e.g., fossil fuel divestment, Stop EACOP) and explaining how you'd frame proposals to align with their grassroots approach.
Provide concrete examples of how you've used Salesforce for institutional fundraising—not just as a database but for pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting to leadership.
Show climate movement credibility by mentioning specific environmental/progressive organizations you've worked with and how that experience translates to 350.org's unique theory of change.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your track record of securing 6-8 figure multi-year grants from institutional donors, with specific examples of complex proposals you've written and managed.", 'Experience building and leading grants teams in an international context, particularly focusing on non-US donor cultivation and diversification strategies.', "How your background in the climate/environmental justice movement aligns with 350.org's grassroots, decentralized model and campaign priorities.", 'Your strategic approach to developing an annual institutional fundraising plan that delivers $8M+ while balancing restricted and unrestricted funding needs.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → 350.org's current major campaigns and theory of change (study their website, recent victories like stopping the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, and their decentralized organizing model).
- → Their existing institutional funders (research foundations like ClimateWorks, European Climate Foundation, etc., and understand what projects they've funded previously).
- → The organization's structure and decision-making processes (how their global/regional teams operate, who leads institutional giving currently, and their recent growth trajectory).
- → Key climate justice movement terminology and frameworks 350.org uses (just transition, fossil fuel phase-out, frontline communities) to ensure proposal language aligns with their values.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using generic NGO fundraising language without demonstrating understanding of 350.org's specific movement-building approach and climate justice framing.
- Focusing only on US-based institutional fundraising experience without addressing how you'd cultivate EU and global south donors as specified in the job description.
- Presenting yourself as primarily a grant writer rather than a strategic leader who develops fundraising plans, manages teams, and engages directly with major donors.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!