Hiring: FāVS News Development Director

Specifically, the Development Director position requires the person to:

Be able to focus on annual giving and cultivating donors.
Work with various gift-securing groups, such as WA Gives and Idaho Gives, among others.
Actively seek, identify, and write grants, plus provide follow-up when grants are given.
Cultivate and develop relationships with potential donors of all giving ranges (small to large donors).
Understand stewardship and be able to maintain proper development standards.
Work with the FāVS News Events Coordinator to develop plans for special fundraising events as well as an annual schedule of fundraising programs.

The successful candidates will, upon employment:

Lead, organize and track all projects and maintain regular communication with all funding partners, potential partners, and the FāVS News Board of Trustees.
Find and cultivate new donors/partners, including individual, corporate, and philanthropic. This will be both in-person and electronically.
Participate in setting goals then meeting those outcomes with the FāVS News Board of Trustees.
Research and apply for grants from a variety of organizations, specifically ones with a journalism focus under which FāVS News qualifies.
Provide insight and reports as necessary to gift-giving individuals and groups about FāVS News and, later, how the granted gifts were spent.
Maintain documentation of scope of project and timelines, track progress toward gift-giving endeavors, including but not limited to grants, estate gifts, continual individual donors, and corporate donors/sponsors.
Input sponsored program components into a separate project management software program and maintain the database showing gifts given and when reports are due. Also responsible for creating and delivering those reports.
Other duties as assigned.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

An existing record of accomplishment in obtaining grants, estate gifts, and/or other types of gifts.
An ability to organize work effectively, conceptualize and prioritize objectives, and exercise independent judgment based on an understanding of gift-giving ethics and grant requirements.
Professional editing and writing in business correspondence using proper grammar and punctuation as demonstrated in application materials.
Knowledge of and experience applying ethical development principles.
Knowledge of 501(c)3 IRS requirements.
Experience in project management software and a willingness to learn the News Management Hub system.
An open-minded and multidimensional approach to problem-solving.
An ability to evaluate organizational risk and how to implement appropriate policies or procedures to ensure compliance with gifts of various forms. This includes an ability to use metrics to help make development decisions.
A collaborative attitude and a willingness to work with people from a variety of backgrounds for the success of FāVS.
Extensive proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint plus at least one development software program.

FāVS News strongly believes in the benefits of diversity and inclusion in both the workplace and within its community. As such, qualified candidates of color and other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

Required qualifications:

BA or BS in public relations, marketing, or a related field.
At least 3-5 years of development experience.
Have excellent writing and oral communications skills.
A willingness to travel, plus spend some evenings and weekends at FāVS events.

Additional desirable qualifications:

Experience in estate gift planning.
Be able to build relationships with various gift-giving groups in the FāVS catchment area. Pre-existing knowledge of fundraising opportunities in the Inland Northwest is a plus.
An understanding of online, nonprofit news and/or religion reporting.
Supervisory or management experience.
Living within the Inland Northwest, which is the catchment area for FāVS News. Otherwise, living in the Pacific Northwest and willing to work remotely with extensive travel.

Pay and benefits:

Up to $50,000, depending on experience
Two weeks paid vacation

Applications should be submitted by Aug. 16, but the position will remain open until filled. To apply, submit a letter of interest and CV to [email protected].

Tracy Simmons

Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of FāVS.News, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.

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