Free Press Indiana seeks a fundraising operations specialist to support an expanding development team for an ambitious nonprofit startup on a mission to close information gaps across the state 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 a motivated fundraiser to help build and implement the systems that will increase our local support base, ultimately creating a lasting civic institution serving Indiana with community-centered journalism for decades to come. The fundraising operations specialist reports to the chief development officer and is responsible for constructing and maintaining the organization’s donor database, conducting prospect research, developing compelling proposals, and supporting Free Press Indiana’s events and donor stewardship.

This role will play a key 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 is 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 that support thinking differently toward accomplishing our audacious goals.

Who we are

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.

• Manages, operates, and maintains the donor database – championing opportunities for improved information and utilization of the software system.
• Conducts ongoing donor research to build a prospecting portfolio of individuals and foundations to solicit for financial support.
• Designs and prepares gift acknowledgement letters.
• Assists with the creation of fundraising reports, developing, and following policies/procedures and serving as a liaison with the audience development team.
• Work closely with the rest of the development team to streamline fundraising processes, workflows, and procedures to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
• Drafts email and direct mail solicitations on behalf of the development team.
• Establishes and enforces data quality standards to ensure accuracy and reliability of data and analytics produced.
• Evaluates diverse and disparate datasets to identify trends, patterns, and insights to inform fundraising strategies.
• Assists with the development of compelling proposals, reports and presentations to effectively communicate Free Press Indiana’s impact and the value of philanthropic support.
• Gathers monthly reconciliations of fundraising financials with the finance team to prepare regular fundraising reports.
• Commits to maintain confidentiality and a high degree of accuracy in donor records.
• Assist with the development, management and promotion of fundraising events that maximize donor attendance and engagement.
• Stay informed about trends and best practices in fundraising operations, database management, and nonprofit technology, and recommend improvements and innovations to enhance fundraising effectiveness.
• Supports the development team & chief development officer with operational projects and tasks as necessary.

Who you are

• 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.
• Mission-oriented - You’re committed to our mission to advance democracy and improve the lives of all Hoosiers.
• 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.
• 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 all levels of organizational leadership to provide order and prioritization to projects at hand.
• Growth mindset - You are prepared to grow your role in a new organization and expand your responsibilities as our fundraising progresses and the pathways to new positions become available.
• You are passionate, positive and patient - You want you and your peers to achieve the biggest goals possible, and you foster a workplace where collective achievement is celebrated.
• Willingness to travel across Indiana as necessary.

• Salary: minimum $55,000, 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.