Development Manager
1 month ago
Whippany
Job Description Development Manager Corporation for New Jersey Local Media / New Jersey Hills Media Group Whippany, NJ • Hybrid • Full-Time • $65,000–$70,000, with benefits A Message from Our CEO I’m looking for a partner. Not just an employee. A builder. Someone who sees an emerging fundraising program and thinks, “I can help make this grow and thrive.” The nonprofit 501(c)(3) Corporation for New Jersey Local Media is a mission-driven organization with a committed board and a clear path forward. We engage and inform the towns we serve with independent, professional and fact-based local news that inspires civic participation, connects our communities and strengthens the fabric of our society. Our wholly owned local news organization, New Jersey Hills Media Group, has served New Jersey communities for more than a century. Today, we operate 14 websites and five weekly newspapers across 52 communities in Essex, Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset counties and continue to expand our reach. Recent partnerships have strengthened our advertising revenue, added statewide political coverage and introduced high school sports streaming. We’ve also launched Parsippany Daily, a digital-first pilot designed for replication, and are beginning work with BlueLena to grow audience engagement and build new reader-supported revenue streams. What we don’t yet have is a fully built development program. That’s the opportunity. Our board and leadership are committed to building this function the right way, with the right person, using innovative, modern approaches. We want to grow a membership program modeled on public media, convert loyal readers into financial supporters, expand our donor base of individual and institutional donors, and build the systems and communications that turn audience into community, and community into long-term sustainability. If you’re an entrepreneurial development professional who enjoys working with data, building systems, and creating something that lasts — and you believe in the power of local news to connect our communities and strengthen our society — I’d welcome the chance to meet you. — Joe Territo, CEO & Publisher The Role This is a hybrid position, with some days in our Whippany, New Jersey office, just outside Morristown, and some days working remotely. We are genuinely committed to work-life balance, and believe this flexibility enables people to do their best work. Reporting directly to the CEO & Publisher, the Development Manager will design and activate the systems, programs, and processes that drive sustainable donor and audience revenue, while the CEO leads face-to-face donor solicitation and cultivation. In this role, you will lay the foundation for a modern, scalable development program from the ground up. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building behind the scenes and takes pride in creating systems that are thoughtful, effective, and built to last. What You’ll Build Development Infrastructure & Data • Build and manage a donor CRM platform with clean records, accurate data, actionable insights, drawing from past donors, thousands of paid publication subscribers, and thousands of additional contacts, • Mine subscriber and audience data to identify prospective donors, using wealth-screening and philanthropic data tools to prioritize outreach, • Build and maintain fundraising calendars, solicitation schedules, and stewardship workflows, • Track progress toward revenue goals and provide regular reporting to leadership, • Manage donor email marketing programs including segmentation, campaign calendars, automated workflows, and performance optimization, • Draft donor communications, acknowledgment letters, and impact reports Membership & Direct Audience Support • Design and launch an NPR-style membership program that converts our loyal readers into recurring supporters, • Develop membership tiers, benefits, and messaging that resonate with our communities, including offers such as merchandise, events, and print publications, • Build and optimize acquisition, retention, and upgrade strategies across media platforms, • Create onboarding, renewal, and benefit fulfillment systems Events • Support the planning and execution of fundraising and civic engagement events, including the upcoming “America at 250” panel at the Morris Museum in Morristown, and our annual New Jersey Journalism Impact Awards program in November, • Manage event logistics, vendor relationships, registration, and post-event follow-up Who You Are • A strategic builder who sees undeveloped systems as opportunity, not obstacle, • Data- and technology fluent, with a love for digging into audience and donor data to uncover and activate opportunity, • A strong writer who can craft compelling appeals and donor communications, • Entrepreneurial and self-directed, while also genuinely collaborative, • Someone who enjoys working behind the scenes and takes pride in making things run well, • Passionate about local journalism and its role in a healthy democracy, • Comfortable with ambiguity and energized by building something new Qualifications • 4+ years of nonprofit development or fundraising operations experience, • Experience with donor CRM platforms; implementation experience is a plus, • Background in membership or sustainer program development strongly preferred, • Proficiency with email marketing platforms (e.g., Constant Contact or similar), • Enthusiasm for and commitment to our mission, • Experience in journalism, civic organizations, or mission-driven nonprofits a plus What We Offer • A hybrid schedule with genuine flexibility and a strong commitment to work-life balance, • Direct partnership with the CEO & Publisher — your work will matter from day one, • The opportunity to build a development program within a stable and growing organization, • A front-row seat to innovative initiatives, including Parsippany Daily and our BlueLena partnership, • Meaningful work in service of communities that depend on local news, • Paid time off, including sick days, vacation, company holidays, and floating holidays, • Access to health, dental, and 401(k) benefits To Apply Send a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to CEO and Publisher Joe Territo at . Tell us about a nonprofit fundraising development program, system, or event you helped build or launch — and what you’d build here. The Corporation for New Jersey Local Media is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve. Company DescriptionThe Corporation for New Jersey Local Media is a nonprofit organization that owns New Jersey Hills Media Group and the West Essex Tribune, publishers of local news websites, email newsletters and weekly printed newspapers serving 51 communities across Essex, Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset counties. Our mission is to engage and inform the towns we serve with locally-driven, fact-based reporting that inspires civic participation and strengthens the fabric of our communities. As we transform professional local news for the digital age, we're building a sustainable model that combines traditional reporting excellence with innovative membership and donor support. We're launching new digital-first initiatives in 2026 while maintaining our commitment to the core communities we've served for decades.The Corporation for New Jersey Local Media is a nonprofit organization that owns New Jersey Hills Media Group and the West Essex Tribune, publishers of local news websites, email newsletters and weekly printed newspapers serving 51 communities across Essex, Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset counties. Our mission is to engage and inform the towns we serve with locally-driven, fact-based reporting that inspires civic participation and strengthens the fabric of our communities. As we transform professional local news for the digital age, we're building a sustainable model that combines traditional reporting excellence with innovative membership and donor support. We're launching new digital-first initiatives in 2026 while maintaining our commitment to the core communities we've served for decades.