Free Press Indiana seeks a director of individual giving to join an expanding development team for an ambitious nonprofit startup on a mission to close statewide information gaps and strengthen communities with quality, nonpartisan journalism.

With more than $11 million raised so far and growing momentum in support for local news across Indiana, this position presents an opportunity for an experienced fundraiser to help secure the resources necessary to create a lasting civic institution championing community-centered journalism for decades to come. The director of individual giving reports to the chief development officer and is responsible for implementing strategies and building relationships to increase donor engagement and financial commitment to Free Press Indiana.

The role will play a vital role in ensuring potential supporters understand our mission, vision, values and impact to motivate more Hoosiers to join our movement for local news and a stronger democracy.

Our journalism and storytelling are building meaningful connections with the community, and our development team is responsible for enthusiastically building the case for investors to support this vital work. The successful candidate will be an affable, motivated team player who is a meticulously organized, creative free-thinker. We need someone who is excited by building scalable systems from scratch, is driven by data, and is unafraid to take risks toward accomplishing our ambitious goals.

Free Press Indiana is a new nonprofit, statewide network of local newsrooms. It started with Mirror Indy, launched December 2023, which seeks to serve all of Indianapolis. More than $11 million has been raised so far from a dozen philanthropies and hundreds of individuals toward our mission to strengthen Indiana’s communities and preserve its democracy. Our organization fills information gaps with original, community-based non-partisan local reporting free to all to read and works collaboratively with the Indiana news ecosystem until every Hoosier has the information they need.

In 2021, a steering committee of local journalism, community and business leaders worked with the American Journalism Project to conduct a comprehensive statewide research study, working with 27 community ambassadors around Indiana and collecting input through text messaging and online surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Through the study, more than 1,000 Hoosiers across 79 counties said they needed more unbiased, fact-based information about their communities. Out of those findings, a coalition of organizations in and around Indiana, local community leaders, and the American Journalism Project, partnered to launch Free Press Indiana.

The organization, governed by a local board that is representative of Indiana’s diverse communities, inclusive of race and ethnicity, gender, and political perspectives, began by launching a robust 20-person newsroom, Mirror Indy, facilitating investments in journalism outlets around the state, and fostering collaboration among Indiana outlets to amplify local journalism for all Hoosiers, especially underserved communities. It has an innovative, community-focused structure and works directly with residents to report on and elevate voices and stories from their own communities in addition to providing much-needed accountability and service journalism across critical topics. It also houses Indianapolis Documenters, a program that trains and pays residents to participate in documenting and taking notes at local government and other public meetings. The statewide news organization network will continue to be sustained by a combination of philanthropy, membership and sponsorships.

• Develop and implement compelling strategies to attract and retain philanthropic support that supports our mission, community impact and fundraising goals to diverse audiences.
• Analyze stories crafted by the editorial team to identify key emotional hooks and compelling narratives that can be leveraged to develop targeted individual giving strategies, ensuring alignment with organizational fundraising goals and donor engagement priorities of major donors.
• Build and manage a dynamic portfolio of 100+ leadership and major gift prospects from across Indiana with a focus on securing gift commitments up to $50,000.
• Provide leadership throughout prospecting, cultivation and stewardship efforts, ensuring every element of engagement is strongly executed toward securing revenue.
• Deeply understand each donor’s philanthropic interests and capacity through data analysis, personal visits, regular communication through mail/email and telephone, and personalized interactions during events and other engagements.
• Maintain accurate, organized and up-to-date records of donor interactions, meeting briefs, research notes, written proposals, contact reports, and stewardship communications in the donor database to ensure effective tracking and reporting of all fundraising activities.
• Ensure proper stewardship of donors, including gift acknowledgement, recognition, and ongoing engagement to increase support and organizational involvement.
• Prioritize personal relationships with donors through personal, meaningful and impactful communication, guaranteeing a positive donor experience.
• Assist with the creation of unique fundraising events connected to mission and the communities we serve to maximize donor engagement in our work to strengthen relationships and deepen donor loyalty.
• Commitment to maintain confidentiality and a high degree of accuracy in donor records.
• Stay informed about trends and best practices in individual giving, philanthropy, and nonprofit management, and leverage this knowledge to continuously improve fundraising efforts.
• Support the development team & chief development officer with operational projects and tasks as necessary.

Who you are

• Exemplary communicator - Empathetic and persuasive in driving home our mission, values and priorities to peers, other staff and stakeholders. Able to interpret and convey thoughts easily to provide order and prioritization to projects at hand.
• You are passionate, positive and patient - You want yourself and your peers to achieve the biggest goals possible, and you foster a workplace where collective achievement is celebrated.
• Detail-oriented - Ability to organize, delegate and monitor projects with clear structure that also provides for flexibility for others to adapt and lead as well.
• Experienced - You have 5-7 years of experience directly engaging donors and demonstrated success closing large gifts.
• Mission-oriented - You’re committed to our mission to advance democracy and improve the lives of all Hoosiers.
• Strategic leader - You thrive at understanding and navigating through complexity and setting clear strategy and prioritization. You love to see a complex problem and come up with a clear solution.
• Self-starter - You’re a decisive critical thinker who can prioritize. You are ready to experience startup life and are ready to work hard.
• Multitasker - Your flexibility to move from task to task almost seamlessly is a must as we are ever-changing and adapting to improve our workflows.
• Willingness to travel across Indiana as necessary.

• Salary: minimum $75,000, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits: Full health benefits, including employee’s medical premium covered 100%; paid leave including two weeks of closures during the year for all staff, generous personal time policy, and a 401K with a 4% match.
• Training: $2,000 stipend toward outside training and professional development opportunities
• Hybrid role: Employee has the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays and is required to join the team in person at our Indianapolis office Tuesday-Thursday.

We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, veterans, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. Free Press Indiana is dedicated to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. We encourage people of all races, colors, national origins, ancestries, creeds, religions, genders, ages, disabilities, veteran status, sexual orientations, and marital statuses to apply. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

‍‍What to expect in the hiring process

‍We hope to fill this role as soon as possible. We will do our best to communicate with you about timing expectations throughout the process. Candidates who advance to later rounds of this process can expect several interviews, including with a panel of team members. Semifinalists will be asked to complete a written assignment designed to help us understand your thinking and approach to the role, and you will be offered an optional prep session to ask any questions that will help you put your best foot forward in this process. We aim to truly get to know you, to help you fully understand the role you’re applying for.