ProPublica is hiring an assistant director of leadership gifts to expand major gift support of its groundbreaking accountability journalism.

About ProPublica

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force and that was founded with the belief that investigative journalism is critical to our democracy. We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we keep digging for as long as it takes to hold power to account. We focus on stories with the potential to spur real-world impact. Among other positive changes, our reporting has contributed to the passage of new laws, reversals of harmful policies and practices, and accountability for leaders at local, state and national levels.

The Position

ProPublica is seeking a dynamic fundraising talent to join our growing development team as assistant director of leadership gifts. This is a new position at ProPublica, and it represents a unique opportunity to help define and execute a strategy for expanding the organization’s network of major donors in the Western and Pacific regions. Reporting to the deputy director of leadership gifts, the assistant director will manage and grow a regionally focused portfolio of individual major donors and prospects and will solicit gifts in support of regional newsroom operations and other key organizational priorities.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and grow a portfolio of major donors and prospects; actively facilitate cultivation, solicitation and stewardship activities.
• Create compelling personalized and customized donor collateral, communications, solicitations and materials.
• Conduct prospect research and prepare donor profiles and meeting briefings related to individual donors.
• Ensure donor and prospect data is properly recorded in the Salesforce database and that all donor information is maintained with respect to confidentiality.
• Provide timely and accurate reports on all fundraising activities.
• Participate in ongoing portfolio review processes in collaboration with the director of development services and other stakeholders to maintain a moves management system in the Salesforce database.
• Assist in launching and managing major donor circles.
• Assist in planning and developing substantive experiences for groups of donors, both virtual and in person.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Substantial front-line fundraising experience with a proven track record of closing five- and six-figure, or larger, gifts.
• Creative, thoughtful and strategic approach to establishing and cultivating relationships with donors.
• Experience moving prospective donors through a pipeline, from identification, research and qualification, to cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Collaborative work ethic and keen ability to track and report out progress and results to management and senior leadership.
• Strong prospect research skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with proven experience creating persuasive and compelling cases for support.
• Ability to articulate ProPublica’s mission to prospective donors and inspire enthusiasm for our work and our goals.
• Excellent project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Must be organized, methodical and have a strong eye for accuracy and detail.
• Ability to work effectively across teams and time zones, and with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Willingness to travel to meet with and solicit donors as necessary and in accordance with public health guidelines.
• Experience managing donor giving circles is a plus.
• Must be proficient in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office suite and have familiarity with fundraising databases, preferably Salesforce.
• Must be committed to building a respectful, welcoming and inclusive environment.

This job is full time and includes benefits. ProPublica is headquartered in New York but we have offices across the country and will consider remote applicants. All applicants will be considered; candidates located in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The expected salary range for this position is $90,000-$115,000.

This is a good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The final salary figure will take into account a person’s experience, accomplishments and location. ProPublica is committed to paying its staff equitably, and these ranges should not be considered career salary limits or caps.

If all of this sounds exciting to you, you can apply using this form.

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. And we are taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or any other status protected under applicable law.

We will begin reviewing applications as we receive them, but we will continue to consider candidates as long as the posting remains live on our site.

Questions? Send an email to [email protected].

No phone calls, please.

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