Description

The Vice President of Development reports to the Chief Executive Officer and serves on the executive leadership team. This role leads LPM’s philanthropic fundraising strategy with a primary focus on major gifts, while overseeing the development team and directing the organization’s external communications and public relations.

The VP’s core responsibility is hands-on fundraising. The VP will personally manage a portfolio of major donors and prospects, cultivating relationships and securing gifts that drive LPM’s philanthropic growth. The VP also provides strategic direction for membership, institutional giving (foundations and grants), and donor operations, and leads LPM’s external communications including press releases, media relations, and organizational messaging.

What You’ll Do

Fundraising & Donor Relations

• Personally manages a portfolio of 150+ major giving donors and high-potential prospects, identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts in partnership with the CEO and Board.
• Learn the interests and passions of donors and prospects and encourage them to give transformational gifts by connecting them with relevant giving opportunities and initiatives.
• Work closely with the CEO to support and guide all fundraising visits and stewardship of LPM’s top funders and partners.
• Develop and implement fundraising strategies across major gifts, mid-level giving, planned giving, and special campaigns.
• Build and manage a prospect pipeline and ensure consistent upgrade pathways from member to mid-level to major donor.
• Lead the creation of compelling fundraising proposals, case statements, and donor communications that inspire support.
• Build relationships with Louisville’s philanthropic, corporate, and civic leaders to expand LPM’s donor base.
• Oversee foundation and grant partnerships, providing strategic direction for proposal development, funder cultivation, and impact reporting.
• Grow and manage LPM’s planned giving program.
• Plan and execute fundraising and stewardship events that communicate LPM’s mission and impact.
• Develop donor communications and storytelling-driven campaigns that deepen engagement and align with fundraising priorities.
• Serve as a communications contact to the CEO and senior leadership on tone, timing, and distribution of key external messages.

Development Operations & Leadership

• Lead and mentor the development team encompassing membership, institutional giving, and administrative support.
• Create and manage the annual development budget and track outcomes against goals on a quarterly basis.
• Lead a team that manages donor operations including database management, gift processing, acknowledgments, and reporting.
• Support development team to realize yearly goals through renewing, upgrading and acquiring members, including a robust sustainer program.
• Support and oversee membership drives and collaborate with the membership team on digital fundraising innovation and audience conversion.
• Serve as staff lead to the Board Development Committee and support the Board’s fundraising efforts.
• Serve as the liaison to the LPM Board of Directors.
• Champion a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the team—ensuring all perspectives are represented, all voices are valued, and the team reflects the community LPM serves.
• Maintain close working relationship with corporate underwriting department to facilitate cooperative and joint solicitation of business donors.
• Foster a culture of philanthropy organization-wide, ensuring all staff see themselves as ambassadors for LPM.
• Coordinate with content leadership to connect editorial and programming achievements with external communications and funder proposals.

What We’ll Do

• Compensate you at a salary between $100,000 and $125,000 based on experience.
• Invest in your professional growth through individual direction and training.
• Provide you with an excellent benefits package that includes paid time off, health insurance, and 401(k).
• Invite you into a culture that is supportive, transparent, experimental, and accountable. 

Requirements

Key Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive experience in nonprofit fundraising, with demonstrated success in major gifts and frontline fundraising.
• Proven track record of personally cultivating and securing significant individual gifts and grants.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively, work well under pressure and effectively manage details of concurrent projects and donor communications plans with pride of authorship.
• Experience leading or managing a fundraising team, setting and achieving ambitious fundraising goals, and adhering to budgets.
• Strong understanding of membership models, institutional giving, and donor stewardship.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience in external communications or media relations a plus.
• Strategic thinker with a data-informed approach to donor cultivation and revenue growth.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage donors, board members, and community partners.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in donor engagement and team building.
• Experience in public media, journalism, or cultural organizations preferred.
• Familiarity with Louisville’s philanthropic landscape is a plus.
• Demonstrated commitment to a career in fundraising and to the professional standards and ethics of fundraising, as well as a demonstrated ability to uphold the professional standards of confidentiality and workplace ethics that are essential to work in a public news organization.
• Must be able to work occasional non-standard and weekend hours.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or equivalent donor database software.
• Experience with ResearchPoint, Wealth Engine, or other donor research software.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to meet with and communicate with donors in person, virtually and over the phone.
• Must have the ability to arrange for your own transportation to and from meetings and the office.

Is this you? Please send your resume, cover letter, and three references to resume@lpm.org.

Louisville Public Media is an equal-opportunity employer that actively seeks diversity in its workplace and offers an excellent benefits package. If this role excites you and you meet many but not all of the requirements, we encourage you to apply.