Development Director

Places is the leading journal of public scholarship on the built environment. Working with academics, journalists, critics, and designers, we bridge from the university to the professions to an international public, producing rigorous yet accessible essays that promote responsible architecture, equitable cities, and resilient landscapes.

Founded at MIT and Berkeley in 1983, Places has been online and free, with no paywall and no advertising, since 2009. Following our move to a digital platform, the journal has developed an innovative funding model for nonprofit journalism: we are supported by annual contributions from a global network of universities (who collectively constitute our academic partners), which we then leverage with major gifts, foundation grants, and reader donations.

The journal is now at an exciting moment, with an expanding partner network, significant foundation grants, and major donors poised to galvanize a capital campaign. We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Development Director who will help us build upon these successes and move to the next levels of financial sustainability and cultural impact.

The Development Director will join a small and collegial team based in the Bay Area, reporting to the Editor/Executive Director and working with key staff, including our Public Engagement Editor, and with our Board of Directors and Academic Partner Council.

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage all fundraising and stewardship activities, with the goal of increasing major gifts, foundation funding, and reader donations. Coordinate and support the fundraising efforts of board members.
• Build strong relationships with board members and with the university representatives who constitute our partner council. Assist in recruiting board members and partner institutions.
• Research, identify, and cultivate major gifts and foundation grants. Cultivate and maintain relationships with major donors and significant prospects. Craft strategies for donor engagement and for the stewardship and recruitment of academic partners.
• Manage grant activities, including proposals, timelines, and reports. Maintain relevant documents and databases, and create new ones as needed. Write campaign and stewardship documents, including plans, reports, and correspondence.
• Collaborate with the Public Engagement Editor on public and special events with partners, authors, donors, and friends of the journal.
• Represent the journal to communities of donors, partners, collaborators, and colleagues.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in fundraising, especially major gifts, and a demonstrable appreciation of the challenges and opportunities of nonprofit cultural journalism and public scholarship.
• Outstanding interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Very strong writing and speaking skills in English, and an ability to craft compelling and personalized appeals to funders and other collaborators.
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills. Proficiency in creating, managing, and analyzing databases, and in using relevant applications (Excel, Google Sheets, etc.).
• Commitment to the journal’s mission of public scholarship. Keen appreciation of the dynamics of arts and cultural fundraising. Familiarity with and/or interest in the design disciplines, including architecture, landscape, and urban design.

Terms and Benefits

This is a full-time position located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Places has a hybrid workplace, with staff working from home most days but meeting weekly for in-person meetings.

The Development Director will be available to attend in-person meetings in San Francisco and also to meet frequently via video conference or phone with board and partner council members across the county and around the world, and with major funders and prospects. Some travel will be required, for board meetings, special events, and donor cultivation.

The salary is in the range of $125,000, and negotiable, based on experience. Places offers the following benefits: medical and vision insurance; paid holidays and vacation; a retirement plan.

To Apply

Send us your résumé and a cover letter explaining your experience, your interest in working with Places, and how you would approach the job. Please send all materials to jobs@placesjournal.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Places Journal is committed to diversity and encourages applicants of all racial, gender, and sexual identities and physical abilities to apply.