Development Officer – Institution

Role Overview

• Own and manage a national institutional giving pipeline capable of generating $5 million or more in closed gifts annually, spanning foundations, corporate philanthropies, donor-advised funds, and public funding sources.
• Proactively identify, qualify, and cultivate new institutional prospects at the $250,000+ gift level, with a strong focus on securing multi-year commitments from funders aligned with Capital B’s journalism, racial equity, and community impact mission.
• Maintain a rigorous, high-velocity prospecting practice: continuously identifying new funders through research, sector intelligence, convenings, and relationship referrals, and moving qualified prospects through the funnel with urgency and consistency.
• Set and meet monthly and quarterly prospecting benchmarks; ensure the pipeline always reflects a realistic path to annual goal attainment.
• Own all aspects of the philanthropic cycle for an institutional portfolio: identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Develop and execute tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for each institutional relationship, including program officer meetings, briefing materials, site visits, and proposal strategy sessions with executive leadership.
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with program officers, foundation executives, and corporate philanthropy leaders, and represent Capital B’s mission with authority and authenticity.
• Develop and lead national and regional fundraising strategies that support Capital B’s current and future newsrooms, with particular focus on Georgia, Indiana (Gary and broader), and continued growth across the South, including the Mississippi Delta region and other emerging markets.
• Translate complex organizational priorities — newsroom launches, editorial initiatives, community engagement programs, and expansion milestones — into clear, compelling, fundable opportunities.
• Obsessively track all prospect activity, cultivation progress, portfolio movement, and next steps in the CRM so it is accurate, current, and a reliable source of truth for the development team and organizational leadership.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of experience in development work, including foundations/grants and donor relations; experience supporting place-based or community-centered work strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple workstreams with strong attention to detail, excellent organization, and reliable follow-through.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including the ability to produce compelling proposals, donor communications, reports, and briefing materials.
• Experience with prospect research, portfolio/pipeline management, and moves management.
• Ability to build trust with a range of stakeholders—foundation staff, major donors, journalists, community partners, and senior leaders—and to represent Capital B effectively in virtual and in-person settings.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and prioritizing action while maintaining quality.
• Familiarity with journalism organizations is a plus, but not required.
• Commitment to Capital B’s mission and a deep appreciation for the role journalism plays in Black communities and in our democracy.

Benefits

• Competitive salary ($70,000
• $80,000)
• Generous PTO and company holidays
• 20 weeks parental leave and 12 weeks caregiver leave
• 401(k)
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance and short-term disability
• Health and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Professional development fund
• Monthly phone and internet stipend