Careers
We’re currently seeking:
New York Focus, New York’s only statewide nonprofit newsroom, is seeking a director of development to help take our organization’s fundraising efforts to the next level and expand our newsroom at a pivotal time.
New York Focus launched in 2020 to fill a critical gap in the state’s media ecosystem: almost half of New York’s newspapers have died in the last two decades, allowing elected officials and powerful individuals to increasingly operate in the dark — with the average New Yorker none the wiser. We’re on a mission to help change that: we publish reporting that investigates power and explains how the state really works, with the aim of making New York a more transparent and democratic place to live.
Our work has already shown what can happen when those with power know that someone is watching, with stories that have prompted policy changes and spurred legislation. Since launching three years ago with a small team operating on a shoestring budget, we’ve grown significantly: we’re currently a full-time team of 13, and on track to grow to nearly 20 by the end of 2024. Now, we’re looking for a director of development who will help take our newsroom to the next level, by allowing us to expand our presence throughout the state and tackle new topics where independent reporting is desperately needed.
We’ve received support from major national funders and developed a slate of key major supporters. We’re looking for someone to help us significantly grow our portfolio of major individual donors through continuous prospecting; to support us in deepening our existing relationships; to help oversee our small donor membership program; to coordinate regular fundraising events; and to craft fundraising appeals and strategize around general fundraising programming with the organization’s publisher, editor in chief and larger development team.
This position is pivotal to New York Focus’ sustainability and growth at a crucial time. As the organization’s first development director, this person would help define what long-term development strategy looks like at the organization, working closely with organization leadership and our board of directors. Their work would also help revitalize local news in a state where increased scrutiny is desperately needed, ultimately serving New Yorkers all over by enhancing our ability to publish investigative reporting on issues like criminal justice, housing, climate, education, and more.
We are looking for someone with a passion for local news and New York; who has a strong background in fundraising and major gifts cultivation; a self-starter who wants to help build new strategies and systems from the ground up; and who is excited about acting as a strategic partner with organization leadership.
Key Responsibilities
The Development Director will lead and manage fundraising across all contributed revenue streams, from individual major gifts and institutional support to small donor membership. They will:
Develop and execute a multiyear fundraising strategy to grow and diversify revenue
Oversee our entire major gifts portfolio and its expansion (organizing our major gifts program and supporting leadership to steward/cultivate 25-50 major donors and increase that number)
Work with the development and audience team to refine our giving pipeline; create materials for external stakeholders and potential supporters
Oversee our small donor membership program - which includes hundreds of one-time and monthly supporters - identifying opportunities for growth
Work with organization leadership and the larger business team to make revenue projections
Develop a plan to meet short and long term revenue goals for major gifts and membership, including initiating and executing virtual and in-person fundraising events
Collaborate with the larger fundraising team to track donor engagement, gift stewardship, and follow ups
About you
The ideal candidate will have:
At least 7 years experience working as a senior member of or leading a development team
Experience cultivating donor relationships which resulted in five and six-figure commitments
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; the ability to craft compelling narratives to donors and external stakeholders
Enthusiasm for working with a scrappy, young organization, amid an exciting growth phase
Passion for building systems from the ground up, a team player with a keen eye for detail
Compensation
$100,000 to $120,000 depending on experience level, plus medical, dental, and vision insurance and other benefits
To Apply
This position is based in New York City. It will work closely with our publisher, editor-in-chief and development team. Please submit a résumé, cover letter, and references to hires@nysfocus.com. We’ll be considering applications on a rolling basis.
About New York Focus
New York Focus is an independent newsroom investigating how power works in the Empire State. In three years, our stories have spurred legislation, shaped regulation, and driven national news cycles. The newsroom is small and collaborative, and this job is a chance to be creative and enterprising in a workplace that is still building its identity.
We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.
New York Focus, New York’s only statewide nonprofit newsroom, is seeking a growth and audience lead to help expand our readership, promote audience loyalty, generate brand awareness, and support our development team in building strategies to enhance our reader revenue.
New York Focus launched in 2020 to fill a critical gap in the state’s media ecosystem: Almost half of New York’s newspapers have died in the last two decades. Since launching four years ago with a small team operating on a shoestring budget, we’ve grown significantly. We’re currently a full-time team of 13, and on track to grow to nearly 20 by early 2025. Now, we’re looking for someone to take control of our digital growth and strategy by creating, directing and executing a full readership funnel strategy, overseeing our newsletter strategy, developing key insights about our audience and how to best connect with them, running our metrics and analytics program and setting readership goals, and helping to enhance our product to better serve readers.
This position is crucial to our mission of giving New Yorkers across the state the information they need to fully participate in local democracy. We are looking for someone with a passion for local news; who wants to help build new strategies and systems from the ground up; is a data and analytics wiz and loves to dive deep into detailed audience indicators; is excited to take a leadership role in a growing organization; and has a proactive and entrepreneurial spirit.
This position can be based anywhere in New York state. You will work closely with our audience engagement editor, publisher, and editorial team. Please submit a résumé, cover letter, and references to hires@nysfocus.com.
Key Responsibilities
In this role, you will:
Develop a strategy for how to get more readers to our digital products, creating a funnel for turning them into return readers and newsletter subscribers
Oversee our social media and SEO strategy, with an eye toward creating reader loyalty. Drive our newsletter strategy and interface with our website developer on updates and new initiatives
Track our audience data and work to turn this data into goals and action items
Work closely with our engagement editor and reporters around community listening initiatives, partnering with local newspapers to syndicate our work, booking our reporters on radio and TV, and designing other creative strategies to expand our reach
Support our development team in promoting fundraising campaigns, helping to identify areas for growth
Create a strategy for synthesizing audience data from the ground up, including producing regular analytics reports and working with reporters to design promotional strategies around their work
Direct and manage other staff in executing our audience strategy
About You
The ideal candidate will have:
At least 5 years of experience leading or working on a team dedicated to digital growth or audience development, or transferrable skills
An entrepreneurial spirit; the drive to set growth goals and develop creative strategies to meet them
An enthusiasm for audience analysis and translating data into actionable insights, and executing on those insights
A strong sense of mission and passion for helping readers find important stories
Enthusiasm to take part in building a young, growing publication
Compensation
$80,000 to $105,000 depending on experience level, plus medical, dental, and vision insurance and other benefits
To Apply
Please submit a resume and cover letter to hires@nysfocus.com. The cover letter should explain your reasons for wanting to work at New York Focus, the skills and experience you would bring to the role, and your vision for growing our audience.
About New York Focus
New York Focus is an independent newsroom investigating how power works in the Empire State. In three years, our stories have spurred legislation, shaped regulation, and driven national news cycles. The newsroom is small and collaborative, and this job is a chance to be creative and enterprising in a workplace that is still building its identity.
We are committed to an inclusive workspace, and we strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Consistent with federal, state, and local law, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, veteran status, or other protected categories.