Position: Senior Major Gifts Officer, West

About News Literacy Project

The News Literacy Project (NLP), a nonpartisan education nonprofit, is building a national movement to advance the practice of news literacy throughout American society, creating better informed, more engaged, and more empowered individuals — and ultimately a stronger democracy. NLP is the leading provider of news literacy education to students primarily through our signature e-learning platform, Checkology®, and to the public through our website, RumorGuard™.

Our vision: News literacy is an integral part of American life, and people of all ages and backgrounds know how to identify credible news and other information and understand the indispensable role a free press has in a democracy, empowering them to play a more equal and active role in the civic life of the country.

To learn more, please visit the News Literacy Project’s website.

The Opportunity

This is an extraordinary opportunity for an experienced major gifts fundraiser to join a growing nonprofit that is helping to protect American democracy by combating the proliferation of misinformation in an increasingly digital era.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Development, this newly created position is a senior frontline fundraiser who will manage a West-coast based portfolio and closely support NLP’s founder, CEO, and other senior leaders on priority donor and partner relationships. This role will also work closely with the Major Gifts Officer, East and the Development Operations team.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Portfolio and Prospect Management

Develop and steward an active portfolio of 75-125 major donors and prospects (individuals, family foundations, corporate, and select institutional funders) to cultivate, solicit, and close gifts in support of NLP’s organizational priorities.
Cultivate meaningful donor connections through strategic in-person or virtual meetings (approximately 12-15 personalized encounters monthly).
Lead proactive and continuous prospect research to identify, qualify, and cultivate new prospects that expand regional pipelines.
Develop and execute strategies to identify existing donors with additional capacity and secure increased philanthropic support by deepening their engagement.
Collaborate with the development team to craft compelling, personalized collateral and proposals to cultivate, solicit, and steward relationships with a focus on multi-year commitments.
Implement major gift cultivation and stewardship plans, including major gift pipeline growth activities, in coordination with senior leadership.

Donor Engagement

Leverage existing events and lead new initiatives to curate and execute new West Coast in-person events focused on recruiting new prospects and strengthening donor engagement (i.e. panel discussions, cocktail receptions, salons, fireside chats, and other donor-directed initiatives).
Assist in developing and planning substantive virtual experiences for donors.
Collaborate closely with the SVP of Development and team to refine and implement cutting-edge stewardship practices for annual fund and Visionary Circle members, ensuring each interaction is meaningful and impactful.

Data Management

Ensure timely capture of fundraising data, share pertinent information with peers and senior leadership, and maintain impeccable donor records, including email communication, meeting notes, follow ups, written engagement, solicitation strategies, and giving projections.
Analyze and communicate major gift donor data, maintain accurate records and communications, and collaborate with staff and leadership to develop engagement strategies for optimal donor relations.
Develop annual revenue projections based on donor and prospect profiles, capacity, and engagement strategies.

Candidate Profile

NLP recognizes that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Passion for the Mission

A mission-driven fundraiser, you are excited by an opportunity to use your professional skills to join us in contributing to a thriving, more news-literate America. You see the deeply rooted connection between news-literacy and a robust, equitable democracy, and view this role as an opportunity to bring fresh fundraising solutions to a team that is collaborative, action-oriented, and aligned with NLP’s Theory of Change.

Major Donor Engagement

An experienced and ambitious fundraiser, you thrive by establishing and cultivating strong, meaningful relationships with high-net-worth donors. You bring a collaborative approach to your work with senior leadership to provide an exceptional donor experience and have a track record of personally closing five- and six-figure gifts from individuals, corporate donors, and/or foundations. An effective and timely communicator, you have the ability to identify potential donors, quickly and intuitively understand what motivates them, and build productive philanthropic relationships.

Flexible and Adaptive

As a senior development professional, you actively work towards an organizational culture of philanthropy and build relationships with your teams, leadership, and boards during times of growth or change. You bring Board or Committee management experience, particularly in supporting board or committee members’ efforts to create connections for your organization. You exhibit sound judgement and discernment in your interactions with prospects, donors, teams, and partners to manage competing priorities in a fluid, dynamic workplace.

Data-Driven Decision Making

An avid learner, you consistently leverage data analytics, use donor database systems effectively, and see technology as a tool to optimize major gifts strategies. You analyze and interpret qualitative and quantitative data and use your findings to inform strategic decisions related to major gifts and donor engagement. You extract meaningful information from data, track donor engagement metrics, and use data-driven insights to enhance fundraising outcomes.

Storytelling and Narrative Development As a storyteller, you leverage your verbal and written communication skills to develop compelling donor materials and pitches that inspire action and support. You look for and listen to internal drivers, connect prospects with organizational mission, and articulate your organization’s vision and mission into narratives that inspire a call to action. You develop clear and compelling communications, tailor your approach to donor interests and motivations, and effectively communicate the significance of philanthropic support.In addition, strong candidates will offer:

Experience growing and scaling a regional team is highly desirable.
Experience with Microsoft Office suite, fundraising databases and tools (preferably EveryAction and Wealth Engine), and working knowledge of tools like Notion, is strongly preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time position. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $140,000-150,000.

NLP also offers outstanding benefits, including bonus, health and dental insurance, a 401(k)-plan match and more. For an overview of our generous benefits package, check out our HR benefits summary.

This is a US-based remote position. This position requires frequent travel across the West Coast, particularly SoCal, for in-person meetings. NLP has an office in Washington, DC, where this person may also be expected to travel on occasion (for staff retreats, etc.).

The News Literacy Project welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. We offer equal opportunity in employment for all qualified persons and prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, ancestry, age, veteran status, disability unrelated to job requirements, genetic information, military service or other protected status.

We deeply value diversity in the workplace and strongly believe that a diverse team enriches our organization and strengthens our ability to realize our mission (read/print NLP’s Organizational Values [PDF] and Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [PDF]).

Contact

Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Molly Brennan, Malissa Brennan, and Gina Wrolstad. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.