WHO WE ARE

The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to covering America’s criminal justice system. The Marshall Project was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 and 2021. We have also been honored with the Goldsmith Prize, multiple National Magazine Awards, and for General Excellence from the Online Journalism Awards. We are not advocates — we follow the facts and do not pander to any audience — but we have a declared mission: to create and sustain a sense of urgency about the criminal justice system. We do not generally cover breaking news, although we curate the reporting of other news outlets in our morning newsletter. Our work includes investigative and explanatory projects and shorter pieces aimed at highlighting stories that other news organizations miss, underestimate or misunderstand. To ensure our work reaches a larger audience, we partner with other media outlets; we have worked with more than 200 newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and online sites.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity. We welcome qualified applicants of all races, ages, ethnicities, physical abilities, genders and sexual orientations, including people who have been incarcerated or otherwise involved with the criminal justice system.

Since our founding in 2014, we have drawn financial support from a wide variety of philanthropic communities who care about criminal justice, the ways in which so many causes intersect with the criminal justice system, and of the survival of independent media and therefore, of democracy itself. We are seeking to build upon that financial support through the role of The Deputy Director of Development, who will be a key part of the organization’s short-term and long-term financial sustainability.

We seek a passionate, dynamic, team player who is committed to our mission and values to add to our growing development team with an eye towards sustaining and expanding our financial sustainability over the short- and long-term. The successful candidate will be entrepreneurial, possess excellent presentation skills, and have the ability to deeply understand and communicate the importance of creating a top-notch newsroom focused on the criminal justice system and share in our team commitment to fostering a culture that is fun, honest, respectful, collaborative, accountability-based and mission-aligned.

The position of Deputy Director of Development will report to the Chief Development Officer (CDO) to execute the team goals, serve as a dynamic thought partner, and expand the team’s capacity in individual and foundation fundraising. In addition to having management responsibilities, they will be responsible for the cultivation and solicitation of leadership gifts of $250,000+. They will be a key member of a growing team of five fundraising professionals, including a Chief Development Officer, Sr. Development Writer and three frontline fundraisers.
 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

- Serve as a frontline fundraiser, managing a portfolio of current and prospective six- and seven-figure level leadership gifts, with the ability to move them through the pipeline and solicit them, either directly or by deploying the CEO, Chief Development Officer, or others at The Marshall Project.

- Manage frontline fundraising team (Major Gift Officer, NYC; Major Gift Officer, West Coast; Sr. Development Manager) to ensure goals are met or exceeded and to ensure they have the tools and support to be successful. This will include overseeing professional development, holding regular strategy meetings with individual fundraisers and the team, and ensuring the prospect pipeline remains robust and well-managed to support annual goals.

- Serve as a key thought partner to the Chief Development Officer, strategizing on short- and long-term fundraising planning both locally and nationally.

- Identify and create meaningful opportunities for donors to engage in our work, and regular gatherings to strengthen The Marshall Project community.

- Provide support to senior staff and/or members of the Board of Directors in preparation for solicitation and stewardship opportunities, including concise briefings for meetings with donors and prospects.

- Provide support and coach non-fundraising staff to successfully engage as champions with local and national funders.

- Maintain working knowledge of The Marshall Project’s programmatic priorities and issues as they occur.

- Work closely with and provide support as needed to all development team members.

- Other duties as assigned.

  JOB REQUIREMENTS

- Ten years of fundraising experience, ideally in a related field (criminal justice, journalism, strengthening democracy, social justice, racial justice, etc.)

- Knowledge of the national and New York-area philanthropic landscape, trends and key influencers, especially in the journalism and criminal justice space.

- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with proven experience creating persuasive and compelling cases for support.

- Keen prospect research skills.

- Excellent follow-through and organizational skills.

- Aptitude for tracking and moving prospective donors through a pipeline, from identification, research, and qualification, to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.

- Creativity in approach to major donor engagement.

- Organized, methodical approach, flexible, and able to tailor strategies to individuals’ proclivities and interests.

- Ability to educate prospective donors about The Marshall Project’s work in clear and compelling written and spoken language and to generate enthusiasm for our work and our goals.

- Ability to execute and manage multiple projects while meeting tight deadlines.

- A strong commitment to accuracy and attention to detail.

- Event-planning experience is a plus.

- Ability to develop and maintain productive relationships within a team and across the broader organization.

- Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.

- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, valuing all individuals and respecting differences regarding race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and socio-economic circumstance.

We do not expect every candidate to be equally skilled in all these areas, and this is not a complete list of all relevant qualifications applicants might bring to the job. Please tell us about your other assets not mentioned here that may be valuable to this role. Reaching talent across a range of backgrounds and experiences is deeply important to us. If you do not have the exact combination of skills listed here, but are still interested in this role and/or in The Marshall Project, we'd love to hear from you.

WHO YOU'D BE WORKING WITH

- Chavon Carroll, Chief Development Officer

- Shaunice Jordan, Major Gifts Officer, NYC

- AJ Pflanzer, Sr. Development Manager

- David Dexter, Sr. Development Writer
 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This job is full-time, with a competitive salary and benefits including:

100% employer-paid medical, employer subsidized vision and dental insurance; matching traditional and Roth 401k (immediate vesting). Voluntary benefits include: Health and Dependent Care FSA, commuter benefits, pet insurance, short and long term disability insurance, employee and dependent life insurance, AFLAC accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness coverage, legal benefits, personal excess liability insurance, and employee discount marketplace. We also observe 17 days of paid time off each year (in addition to office closure between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2), and provide paid parental leave.

Annual Salary Range: $175,000 - $200,000

This is a remote position, however, New York City candidates are preferred. 

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, use this form [INSERT LINK] to send a cover letter and resume. Please include in your cover letter - your connection to the mission and a brief description of your fundraising experiences that highlight your leadership and experience successfully cultivating and soliciting major donors.

Due to the expected volume of applications, we will follow up with the most promising candidates, but cannot respond individually to all applicants. Please know it usually takes us more than a month to review applications. [POSTING END DATE: February 14, 2025 ]