About Us

Prism is a BIPOC-led nonprofit news outlet launched in 2019 that centers the people, places, and issues currently underreported by national media. Prism is committed to producing the kind of journalism that treats Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and other invisibilized groups as the experts on our own lived experiences, our resilience, and our fights for justice. Read more about Prism’s mission here.

Development efforts at Prism have previously been held by our founder and executive director, Iara Peng. As a growing startup, we’re ready to expand our team in 2021 and are shifting from an Executive Director-led model to an Editor-in-Chief-led one, resulting in the need for a dedicated Development Director to guide our continued growth and ensure financial health.

About the role

The Development Director is responsible for raising the overall revenue goals for Prism, with active support from our board of directors and development chair. We are looking for a leader who has a strong fundraising and business development mindset. Previous experience in media is not required. For 2021, Prism’s budgeted revenue is $1.7M, with approximately reliant on new funding to be secured from active prospects.

As Development Director, you will:

• Manage the portfolio of current and prospective foundations and major donors, including the cultivation of relationships leading to invitations to submit proposals
• Write, prepare, and submit all grant materials, including proposals and reports in coordination with the Editor-in-Chief and other senior staff, and with the support of the Operations team
• Work with Operations Director/team to build, update, and report on organizational budget lines for income from foundations and major donors, and ensure all projected foundation and major donor revenue is on track throughout the year
• Maintain knowledge and expertise in current nonprofit journalism issues and trends, as well as Prism’s programs and priorities to be able to approach new funding opportunities
• Assist in the development of fundraising materials including emails, program updates, impact reports, slide presentations, and donor mailings
• Assist in the planning of board meetings, board development, and deepening of board members’ engagement in fundraising to support Prism and its mission
• Research and identify additional prospective foundations and major donors
• Work to grow our revenue generation initiative, the Reflective Journalism Project, by helping secure new, paying clients.

The Development Director role is a salaried, full-time position with benefits. Like all of Prism’s team, this role is fully remote, and we will consider candidates based anywhere within the U.S. Prism offers a generous benefits package including 100% employer-paid medical/dental/vision insurance; six weeks paid vacation plus nine paid holidays per year; 70 hours paid sick leave per year; 401(k) match; professional development support; home office stipend, and more. All staff are provided with a loaned MacBook Air, AirPods, and additional tech as needed.

Starting salary will be between $85-95K.

Who We’re Looking For

Our ideal Development Director has a proven track record of fundraising with foundations and major donors. We’re looking for someone who has experience raising between $1M-$2M from diverse funding sources, who will help Prism build a strong revenue pipeline, cultivate relationships within different philanthropy ecosystems, and build on its strong foundation of major donors, foundations and revenue generation. The right candidate will be a confident spokesperson for Prism and a seasoned communicator, with proven ability to focus, prioritize, and implement.

Key characteristics for hire:

Personable ● Passionate about Prism’s mission ● Persistent and resilient ● Organized ● Effective written and verbal communicator ● Data-driven ● Numerate and financially literate ● Creative and strategic thinker ● Attentive to detail ● Flexible and adaptive work style ● Entrepreneurial mindset

If you see yourself in some of the characteristics we’ve described—even if you may not have the exact experience you think we’re looking for—please reach out! We’d love to hear from you.

About Our Team

While we are headquartered in California, we are a fully-remote team—with staff member locations ranging from the Bay Area, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and the US South.

We’re a highly collaborative and nimble team. We embrace and learn from failure, and are able to quickly pivot as needed. We value accountability, joy, and transparency in all we do—from how we show up for each other to how we operate in the world.

Our team embraces diverse life experiences and quirks, and is currently home to several foodies, proud dog and cat mommas, Hamilton stans, scented candle enthusiasts, a fire-spinning performance artist, a novelist-in-the-making, and more. We’re excited to see what you’ll bring to the mix!

To Apply

To apply, email your resume and cover letter in a single-document PDF to [email protected] with the subject line Development Director by the conclusion of Monday, February 1. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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Consistent with our mission, we believe the experiences of BIPOC, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and other invisibilized groups should be centered in our work and we encourage people from these identities to apply to join us.

Prism is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, whistleblower status, or any other personal characteristics protected by state or federal law. Prism’s policies and practices are to reflect our commitment to nondiscrimination in all areas of employment.