Development Coordinator

Application deadline: November 23.

Company Description: Founded in 1973, the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) is a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization dedicated to perpetuating the art and science of traditional Polynesian navigation and voyaging. Through the voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa and her sister canoe Hikianalia, PVS uses ocean voyaging as a platform for education, cultural revitalization, environmental stewardship, and global leadership.

Role Description: The Development Coordinator is a full-time, on-site role based in Honolulu, HI. The Development Coordinator position will contribute to fundraising efforts with a focus on PVS’ grant fundraising program, identifying prospective funders, writing and submitting proposals and reports, and managing compliance and deadlines across the grants portfolio for the Moananuiākea Voyage and PVS’ broader programs. This is a focused, deadline-driven role: grant writing and grants management are the primary responsibilities, with secondary support to the various revenue streams as capacity allows.

The Coordinator works closely with the Director of Advancement, program staff, and PVS leadership to translate voyage and program activity into funder-ready narratives, budgets, and outcome reporting, and reports to the Director of Advancement.

As such, the Development Coordinator position will include, but may not be limited to, the following duties:

• Identify, research, and maintain a pipeline of grant prospects and funding opportunities aligned with PVS’ program priorities.
• Write and submit grant applications, letters of inquiry, and full proposals - including narratives, budgets, attachments, and letters of support.
• Manage the full grants lifecycle: track submission deadlines, award terms, reporting requirements, and renewal timelines so nothing is handled reactively.
• Write and submit interim and final grant reports, working with program and finance staff to gather accurate outcomes, metrics, and budget-to-actuals data.
• Maintain grant records and pipeline stages in Salesforce, keeping data current for reporting and forecasting.
• Collaborate with the Director of Advancement on donor cultivation and stewardship activities where grant funders overlap with major-gift prospects.
• Support major gifts, membership, events, and merchandise operations: help maintain and update tracking systems, assist with renewal and order processing, and support basic online-presence upkeep for these channels.
• Serve as a selfless member of the PVS team to support other PVS staff as needed to ensure voyaging success.

The Development Coordinator must thrive in the face of a variety of priority needs, particularly the competing deadlines inherent to grants work, and be adaptable when new priorities arise without much notice.

Required Experience:

The Development Coordinator must have the skills, training, and experience required to carry out the aforementioned development functions, ideally within PVS’ specific areas of need, competencies, and culture. The combination of relevant experiences (both professional and lived), along with relevant educational degrees and/or work experience that demonstrate a skill set appropriate to this position description, is required.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Write, assemble, and submit grant applications and reports, including all attachments, tables, support letters, signatures, and budgets.
• Organize and maintain a system for tracking grant requests, receipt of funds, and reporting timelines.
• Organize and maintain a system to track and update memberships.
• Support the online presence and day-to-day systems for fundraising, merchandising, and membership.

Displayed Skills and Qualities:

• Flexible 
• Extroverted 
• Customer-relations skills 
• Communication skills (written and verbal) 
• Logistics management 
• Personable 
• Problem-solving skills 
• Able to manage multiple and overlapping projects 
• High functioning 
• Detail-oriented 
• Strong organizational skills 
• Experience working with CRM databases, including managing and tracking data.
• Comfortable working with budgets and basic financial data

Salary Range: $50,000–$65,000 based on experience and skills.

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k)

Department: Advancement

Status: Full-time