Development Manager

Free Press and Free Press Action work to amplify the voices of people and communities in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what’s actually happening in their communities. We work at the intersection of media and technology to strengthen our democracy.

The Development Manager supports and collaborates deeply with the Senior Director Foundation Partnerships — as well as other fundraising staff — to secure institutional/foundation gifts. They are a key member of the development team, which works collaboratively across the organization and in close coordination with executive leadership, program leaders, and the finance and operations teams. Applying donor-organizing and relationship-based fundraising practices, the development manager will produce written material under deadline; support foundation strategy development; track deadlines and completion of grant-related tasks; manage information and relationships; and conduct the prospect research necessary to strengthen Free Press’ fundraising program.

Free Press views funders as key partners and collaborators, which means fundraisers work closely with program staff to build fundraising competencies and provide backbone support that bridges internal programs and external funders. As part of this structure, the Development Manager will become deeply familiar with Free Press’ work — with a focus on securing funding that undergirds general support fundraising, emergent pipelines and project-funding opportunities.

The Development Manager and institutional giving pipeline sit within a fundraising team that raises resources from individual, institutional and program service revenue sources. The Development Manager will have the opportunity to learn multiple fundraising strategies; share information on program deliverables and opportunities; and collaborate with development, program and leadership staff to navigate increasingly complex fundraising tactics that bridge individual and institutional giving.

The Development Manager reports to the Senior Director Foundation Partnerships. This job requires flexibility in work schedule, generally aligning to U.S. East Coast hours. It may also require occasional evening and weekend work during peak fundraising cycles or in the lead-up to special events. Occasional national domestic travel is required, including to staff retreats, events, or meetings hosted by others.

Free Press is composed of two separate organizations, Free Press (501c3) and Free Press Action Fund (501c4), which are supported solely through gifts from charitable foundations and individuals. Both entities share the same overall mission and employees will have time assigned to one or both entities. This job description refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “Free Press.”

Primary Responsibilities:

• Grant proposal, report and other deliverable production: Support foundation cultivation and stewardship activities as a key pillar of Free Press’ fundraising strategy and goals. Work in collaboration with the Senior Director Foundation Partnerships, Development Director, program leads and other staff to draft and manage the production and submission of grant proposals and reports, concept notes, program overviews and other cultivation materials that tell a compelling story of Free Press’ vision and accomplishments; underscore the pressing issues of media, tech and democracy; and clearly assert strategies, goals and objectives to achieve intended outcomes. Manage select foundation cultivation and stewardship processes that position Free Press for new and continued funding partnerships. Help translate program objectives into grant deliverables. Follow Free Press’ issues and maintain subject matter, program model and tactical knowledge, and help track ongoing program accomplishments and developments for future reporting.

• Prospect research and development: Drive overall institutional prospect research for the team, qualifying and identifying prospects for program support pipelines, tracking institutional relationships, and pushing forward prospect engagement strategies. Partner with the Development Director and the Senior Director Foundation Partnerships on cultivation strategies and assist the co-CEOs and program leads with stewarding funding partners and cultivating priority prospects.

• Fundraising and donor relations: Respond to funder inquiries; draft grant-acknowledgement letters; support successful fundraising and storytelling campaigns in collaboration with the development, marketing/communications and program teams; help develop and test new fundraising strategies in emergent or short-term campaigns; and support funder relations and logistics at special virtual and in-person events.

• Administration: Support the development team’s administrative and data management needs. Input information about donor interactions, grant deliverables and related tasks into the constituent and grants management system, pull reports as needed, help maintain data integrity, and document internal protocols. Participate in development team and cross-team fundraising strategy meetings, liaise with the finance team around budget requests, and help set and monitor internal fundraising goals.

• Advancing Race Equity: Clearly and consistently articulate an understanding of racial equity and structural racism and the centrality of this analysis to the work Free Press does and how we operate. Integrate that knowledge into work projects and interactions by addressing structural implications and disproportionate impacts of policies, activities and decisions on race, class, gender and other group identities within the context of job responsibilities and projects.

Experience and qualifications required to succeed in this position:

• No minimum education is required; a bachelor's degree may be an indicator of capacity for this position
• 3-5 or more years of fundraising experience, preferably for a nonprofit public interest organization or similar setting
• 3 or more years of grant writing and/or crafting narratives for fundraising reports, outreaches, or other collateral materials
• Familiarity with standard methods of foundation solicitation and cultivation
• Commitment to fundraising best practices and ethics including confidentiality and donor privacy
• Strong interest in media, journalism, and technology issues; and demonstrated experience working on those issues or other social justice, civil rights, or racial justice issues
• Excellent and quick writing, editing, and communication skills
• A strong affinity for and commitment to building authentic relationships, and an ability to provide top-notch customer service to funders and colleagues
• Impeccable project management skills and capacity for full-charge “ownership” of responsibilities that are integral to meeting day-to-day tasks and funder deadlines
• Proven ability to learn quickly, meet deadlines, and perform under pressure with keen attention to detail
• Experience in using a CRM as well as prospect research, donor wealth screening and similar tools
• Experience with Google Workspace, MS Office applications, and project management software
• Basic data analysis and presentation skills

You will thrive at Free Press if you bring:

• Dedication to Free Press’ mission of fighting for everyone’s rights to connect and communicate, in addition to the overall success of the organization
• A commitment to racial equity and experience working with communities of color.
• Value and respect for differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ability and socioeconomic circumstance
• Creative self-starter energy and you love working independently with limited oversight to accomplish agreed-upon objectives
• You’re also a team player with a low-ego approach.
• The ability to work under tight deadlines and navigate competing priorities
• Strategic thinking, and a commitment to excellence in your work while managing multiple projects
• You’re a problem solver who is tenacious and proactive, with the ability to get things done and effectively adjust work plans to respond to emergent challenges or opportunities.
• You have excellent interpersonal communication skills and remain positive, tactful and composed under pressure.
• You thrive in a predominately remote office environment, including working with an off-site manager, and you actively foster connection and community with colleagues located throughout the U.S.
• You adopt and maintain strong digital security practices.

Compensation:

Free Press is committed to offering competitive pay and generous benefits, including

• Annual paid time off is a total of ten weeks, including vacation, health-care leave, holidays and two organization-wide week-long closures
• Group medical, dental and vision insurance
• Monthly Health Reimbursement Account benefit
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Employer contribution to retirement plans (no matching required)
• Flexible health, commuter and dependent care spending accounts
• Paid family leave
• After 7 years of employment with Free Press, staff are eligible to apply for a paid two-month sabbatical
• Stipends for business use of personal phones and for home office locations
• All employees receive computers and equipment necessary for the job
• A flexible, supportive work culture

This position is categorized as a “career level 2” position, in the context of five classifications at Free Press, ranging from coordinator to executive.

The starting salary at Free Press for a Development Manager who meets the above qualifications is $75,000 - $82,500. Starting salary is based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience. To counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, we use a nonnegotiable starting salary system, while benchmarking our pay to competitive markets in the nonprofit sector.

Covid - 19 Safety:

All Free Press employees must be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus or have an approved medical or religious/ethical/moral accommodation.

Free Press is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We value excellence and diversity in our workforce. People of color, women, people with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, gender-nonconforming and formerly incarcerated individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know groups subjected to systemic oppression – including people of color, women, people from working-class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ+ – are less likely to apply unless and until they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other communities who are marginalized.

How to apply:

Complete our online application.  Fully answering the application questions is an important part of the application process; 4-5 sentences in response to each question will help us understand your thinking.

Our hiring process includes an initial 30-minute interview with one staff member, one or two hour-long interviews with three to four staff members, and reference checks after the final interview.

We provide reasonable accommodations for the application, interview, or any other aspect of the employee selection process to applicants with disabilities. Please email amartyn@freepress.net to request an accommodation.

Key dates:

Applications submitted by Monday, December 9, 2024 will be reviewed with priority; applications submitted after that date will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This search will remain open until the position is filled. The ideal candidate will be available to begin work in February or March 2025.

Keywords

FundraisingGrant writingRelationship buildingMediaJournalismTechnologyRacial equityProject managementCommunicationData analysis