NABJ DEVELOPMENT FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT

Job Description

NABJ is seeking an accomplished development executive who has personally managed, grown, and secured at least $1.5 million annually in contributed revenue for a national nonprofit organization.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

STRATEGY, FUNDRAISING & REVENUE LEADERSHIP

• Develop and execute an annual and multi-year fundraising and development strategy designed to achieve ambitious, board-approved contributed revenue goals.
• Lead a national nonprofit fundraising program with a demonstrated track record of generating at least $1.5 million annually in contributed revenue through a diversified portfolio of corporate, foundation, institutional, major gift, annual giving, and sponsorship revenue.
• Personally own and drive the organization's contributed revenue strategy, including forecasting, pipeline development, prospect cultivation, solicitation, closing, renewal, and stewardship.
• Forecast monthly and annual revenue, maintain a robust and qualified fundraising pipeline, and report performance and variances against established goals to the Executive Director and Board.
• Develop strategies to increase contributed revenue while diversifying the organization's funding base and reducing dependence on convention sponsorships, single-year corporate commitments, or any single revenue source.
• Identify and pursue new national funding opportunities, strategic partnerships, and revenue streams capable of generating significant and sustainable unrestricted and restricted support.
• Advise the Executive Director and Board on the fundraising feasibility, financial potential, and philanthropic strategy for new programs, campaigns, scholarships, capital initiatives, and endowment opportunities.
• Establish measurable fundraising benchmarks, performance indicators, and accountability systems for the development function.

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS & NATIONAL SPONSORSHIP

• Lead a national corporate partnership strategy targeting media companies, technology platforms, agencies, financial institutions, professional services firms, national brands, and other organizations aligned with NABJ's mission.
• Demonstrate a proven ability to cultivate, solicit, negotiate, and close significant corporate gifts and sponsorships, including five- and six-figure commitments.
• Restructure convention sponsorship opportunities into comprehensive, tiered, year-round corporate partnership packages designed to generate multi-year commitments and deeper organizational engagement.
• Develop and maintain a national prospect pipeline of corporate partners and decision-makers across philanthropy, diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, communications, media, technology, and executive leadership.
• Negotiate sponsorship and partnership agreements, including financial commitments, benefits, deliverables, recognition, activation, and renewal terms.
• Ensure all corporate commitments are properly documented, fulfilled, stewarded, and positioned for renewal and expansion.

FOUNDATION & INSTITUTIONAL GIVING

• Lead a comprehensive national foundation and institutional giving program, including prospect identification, qualification, cultivation, letters of inquiry, proposals, budgets, grant agreements, reporting, and stewardship.
• Build and manage a foundation pipeline capable of generating substantial annual support for a national nonprofit organization.
• Cultivate relationships with national and regional foundations focused on journalism, media, education, civic engagement, workforce development, racial equity, community impact, and related areas aligned with NABJ's mission.
• Develop compelling proposals and cases for support that clearly communicate NABJ's national impact, organizational priorities, and measurable outcomes.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant grant reporting in partnership with finance and program staff.

MAJOR GIFTS, INDIVIDUAL GIVING & CAMPAIGNS

• Build and personally manage a portfolio of high-capacity individual donors and major gift prospects, with demonstrated success securing five- and six-figure gifts.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive individual giving strategy encompassing major gifts, annual giving, recurring/monthly giving, planned giving, legacy giving, and special campaigns.
• Cultivate relationships with senior NABJ members, alumni of NABJ programs, industry leaders, philanthropists, corporate executives, and other individuals capable of making significant contributions.
• Develop and execute donor cultivation and solicitation strategies, including face-to-face meetings, proposals, briefings, events, personalized appeals, and stewardship activities.
• Grow scholarship funds, endowment assets, and other long-term philanthropic investments through major gifts, named funds, planned gifts, and sustained donor relationships.
• Establish and manage donor stewardship practices that increase retention, renewal, upgrades, and lifetime donor value.

BOARD PARTNERSHIP & VOLUNTEER FUNDRAISING

• Staff and provide strategic leadership to the Development Committee, including meeting agendas, fundraising reports, prospect updates, assignments, materials, and follow-through.
• Equip Board members with the tools and information necessary to serve effectively as fundraising ambassadors and relationship-builders.
• Provide Board members with prospect assignments, briefing materials, talking points, solicitation strategies, and coaching.
• Partner directly with the Board and senior leadership to leverage their national networks, relationships, influence, and access to philanthropic and corporate decision-makers.
• Engage NABJ chapter leadership, members, alumni, and volunteers as ambassadors, prospect identifiers, referral sources, and donors.

FUNDRAISING OPERATIONS, DATA & ACCOUNTABILITY

• Own the development function's systems, processes, policies, and performance infrastructure.
• Manage the organization's donor database and CRM, ensuring data integrity, gift entry, acknowledgments, moves management, prospect tracking, reporting, and stewardship.
• Produce regular development reports for the Executive Director, Fundraising Committee, and Board, including revenue performance, pipeline value, prospects, campaign results, donor retention, renewal rates, and cost to raise a dollar.
• Establish disciplined prospect-management and moves-management practices that ensure fundraising activity translates into measurable revenue.
• Partner with communications and marketing teams to develop donor-facing content, including the annual report, impact reports, appeals, case statements, campaign materials, and stewardship communications.
• Ensure fundraising practices comply with applicable IRS requirements, charitable solicitation regulations, gift acceptance policies, and nonprofit fundraising best practices.

TEAM LEADERSHIP

• Recruit, supervise, develop, and evaluate development staff, consultants, and contractors.
• Establish clear fundraising goals, performance expectations, and accountability measures for the development team.
• Build the organizational infrastructure and fundraising capacity necessary to support continued national revenue growth.
• Manage the development operating budget and demonstrate a strong return on fundraising investment.

FIRST-YEAR PERFORMANCE GOALS

Performance during the first year will be evaluated against measurable objectives established by the Board at the time of hire, including:

• Demonstrate the ability to manage and execute a national nonprofit fundraising program capable of generating at least $1.5 million in annual contributed revenue.
• Deliver a written, Board-approved multi-year development and revenue-growth plan within the first 90 days.
• Achieve the Board-approved annual contributed revenue target.
• Build and maintain a qualified fundraising pipeline representing a significant multiple of the annual revenue goal.
• Convert a defined number of existing single-year corporate sponsors into multi-year national partnerships.
• Secure new corporate, institutional, and foundation commitments not included in the prior year's portfolio.
• Launch and grow a comprehensive individual giving program and establish measurable donor retention and acquisition benchmarks.
• Identify, cultivate, and solicit a defined portfolio of major gift prospects.
• Establish a functioning Development Committee structure with measurable Board participation in fundraising.
• Implement or fully optimize a development CRM with clean data, documented processes, moves management, and standardized reporting.

Job Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible professional fundraising experience, including significant leadership experience directing development for a national nonprofit organization.
• Demonstrated success managing and/or generating a minimum of $1.5 million in annual contributed revenue for a national nonprofit organization. Candidates should be prepared to provide specific examples of the size, scope, and growth of the fundraising programs they have led.
• A documented personal track record of securing significant philanthropic support, including personally soliciting and closing five- and six-figure gifts, corporate commitments, grants, and/or sponsorships.
• Proven experience developing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies that generate $1 million or more annually from multiple revenue sources.
• Demonstrated success building a diversified revenue portfolio across corporate partnerships, foundation and institutional giving, major gifts, individual giving, and sponsorships.
• Demonstrated experience increasing contributed revenue, acquiring new donors and funders, renewing existing support, and converting one-time commitments into multi-year relationships.
• Experience partnering with and activating a national Board of Directors, development committee, volunteers, members, or other influential stakeholders in fundraising.
• Proven ability to cultivate relationships with corporate executives, foundation leaders, major donors, philanthropists, and other high-level decision-makers.
• Proficiency with a development CRM such as Salesforce NPSP, Raiser's Edge NXT, Bloomerang, Neon CRM, or a comparable platform.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with donors, corporate executives, foundation leaders, Board members, and senior organizational leadership.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

PREFERRED

• Experience leading fundraising for a national membership association or nonprofit organization.
• Experience in journalism, media, communications, education, civic engagement, or a mission-driven organization.
• Familiarity with corporate philanthropy and strategic partnership structures within the media and technology sectors.
• Experience generating significant revenue through national conferences, conventions, career fairs, or signature events.
• Experience with scholarship programs, endowment campaigns, capital campaigns, planned giving, or other long-term philanthropic initiatives.
• CFRE credential or demonstrated progress toward CFRE certification.

ATTRIBUTES

The successful candidate will be:

• An accomplished fundraising executive with a demonstrated record of generating $1.5 million or more in annual contributed revenue for a national nonprofit organization.
• A proven relationship-builder who can gain the confidence of CEOs, corporate executives, foundation leaders, major donors, philanthropists, Board members, and other influential stakeholders.
• Comfortable personally asking for significant financial commitments and closing major gifts and sponsorships.
• Highly accountable and comfortable carrying a substantial revenue goal and being measured against specific fundraising results.
• Strategic enough to build a long-term development infrastructure while remaining hands-on enough to personally cultivate prospects, make solicitations, write proposals, and close gifts.
• Entrepreneurial, proactive, persistent, and resourceful, with the ability to identify opportunities and turn relationships into sustainable revenue.
• An effective collaborator who can work across departments and engage Board members, chapters, members, volunteers, and external partners in fundraising.
• Comfortable operating in a lean, high-performing national organization where the development leader is expected to both set strategy and execute.
• Deeply committed to NABJ's mission and to advancing the careers, leadership, economic opportunities, and professional development of Black journalists and media professionals.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

$90,000 - $120,000 salary range, commensurate with experience and demonstrated fundraising performance.

The selected candidate will also be eligible for:

• Professional development allowance, including support for CFRE maintenance and relevant sector conferences.

WORKING CONDITIONS & TRAVEL

• Hybrid schedule based out of the NABJ national office in College Park, Maryland.
• Travel required for donor and sponsor meetings, chapter engagement, national partnership development, and sector conferences; estimated at 20% to 30% annually.
• On-site attendance and extended hours required for the NABJ Annual Convention and Career Fair and other signature events, including evenings and weekends.

TO APPLY

Submit a resume and cover letter demonstrating your fundraising leadership experience. The cover letter must include at least one specific example of a national nonprofit fundraising program you personally led, including the organization's annual contributed revenue, the amount you were responsible for generating, the starting and ending revenue figures, the timeframe, and the specific strategies you personally used to grow revenue.

Candidates should also provide specific examples of significant gifts, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, or sponsorships they personally cultivated and secured.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

NABJ is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations are available to applicants and employees with disabilities.

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