The Nebraska Journalism Trust is looking for an experienced fundraiser to lead, implement and grow our philanthropic efforts. This leadership role will be responsible for identifying prospective donors, educating them on our mission and engaging them in support of our work. This is a newly-created position that will work closely with the Executive Director on individual giving and memberships, institutional giving, and eventually planned giving. The Director will build on our existing detailed database of constituents to cultivate relationships and grow our individual donations, including major gifts.
As we grow, we expect that the Director will be able to build a team of development specialists. In the meantime, the role will be supported by consultants who assist with grant writing, event planning, and other discrete tasks. At the same time, we are proudly a startup: if there are envelopes to stuff, you, the ED, editors and other staff may all throw in to get the job done.
The Director of Advancement’s role is to raise awareness and support for local journalism across the state, helping us realize our vision for a thriving local news ecosystem that serves all of Nebraska. The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor cultivation and relationship building, and donor communications. This is an opportunity to help a young, fast-growing nonprofit develop the relationships and systems for long-term sustainability. While you will be able to hit the ground running, we also hope you will come with ideas to strengthen and level up our approach.
The Director of Advancement will report to the Executive Director and work closely with the Director of Finance & Operations (a new position) and a Grant Writer & Development Consultant. The position requires a regular in-person presence at the organization’s headquarters in downtown Omaha, though we are extraordinarily flexible on what that means. Given the nature of the work, we do not expect you to be chained to a desk; a weekly or bi-weekly drop-in may be enough. The job also requires regular travel within Nebraska for several events throughout the year, typically in evenings or on weekends. This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position with scheduling flexibility. Eligible for full health, dental, vision, and retirement benefits.
Salary: $70,000-$85,000
Key responsibilities
Donor & partner relations
- Develop, manage, and implement the organization’s donor cultivation and stewardship plan.
- In partnership with the Executive Director, identify and approach major gift prospects.
- Develop and manage a portfolio of donors and prospective donors, and assign donors to the portfolios of the Executive Director, board members, and other volunteer advocates.
- Maintain detailed donor records.
- Identify and engage prospective corporate partners through sponsorship and other opportunities
Strategic fundraising
- Contribute fundraising expertise to strategies for organizational development and growth.
- Develop fundraising projections to help determine the scale and feasibility of new programs and products.
- Refine and evolve the organization’s case for support.
Donor communications
- Identify, plan and coordinate the development of all donor communications, including e-mail appeals, direct mail appeals, event invitations, and individualized appeals.
- Maintain and disseminate materials for the corporate sponsorship program.
- Manage a consulting grant writer in the development of grant proposals and reports.
- Manage event planners in the development of fundraising events.
Key qualifications
The Nebraska Journalism Trust is committed to building an inclusive team that reflects the full diversity of communities throughout Nebraska. Members of traditionally underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply, including people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. The list below is meant to provide a general overview of qualifications; people with nontraditional educational and career paths are also encouraged to apply:
- Five years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, marketing, or communications, with a preference for experience in major gift fundraising.
- Excellent written and in-person communication skills.
- Customer-service mindset and solutions-focused in working with colleagues, partners, subscribers, and donors.
- Willingness to anticipate future needs, develop and test creative solutions, learn from tests, and iterate quickly.
- Enthusiasm for the organization’s mission: To uncover truth, amplify diverse voices, and enrich life in Nebraska.
- Discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information.
About the Nebraska Journalism Trust The Nebraska Journalism Trust is Nebraska’s first and only statewide, independent, nonprofit news organization. Its flagship publication, the Flatwater Free Press, produces a combination of investigative journalism and feature stories that hold leaders accountable, explore solutions, and share the best of Nebraska. Stories are freely available online at www.flatwaterfreepress.org, in a weekly e-mail newsletter, and through partnering news outlets across the state. The Nebraska Journalism Trust is developing additional news publications and products. These include Silicon Prairie News, a digital publication focused on business and start-ups. Transparency is a core value; financials, policies, board and staff bios, and the donor list are here: www.nebraskajournalismtrust.org