Background: Spotlight Delaware is a new collaborative nonprofit newsroom. Spotlight Delaware is a project of the Local Journalism Initiative of Delaware, whose mission is to strengthen local journalism in Delaware to fortify our democracy and inform and engage our communities. 

Opportunity: The Local Journalism Initiative is seeking a dynamic and community-driven professional to join our team as the Director of Membership and Community Engagement. In this pivotal role, you will have the opportunity to lead our efforts in building strong connections with our readers and fostering a sense of belonging within the local community. We're looking for someone with a passion for journalism, a keen understanding of audience engagement, and a commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in local news. If you're excited about driving meaningful change through journalism and possess the skills to grow our membership and community involvement, we encourage you to apply and be a part of our mission to strengthen local journalism in Delaware. 

Position Summary: Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Director of Membership and Community Engagement, will lead membership acquisition and stewardship and broader community engagement activities for Spotlight Delaware, a project of LJI. This role will involve: 

• Working with vendors and the director of development to develop and execute an aggressive membership program to drive revenue growth 
• Designing and leading our partnership activities throughout the state, to build broad support for our growing organization, facilitating continuous communication between the newsroom and Delaware communities, elevating trust and broadening our audience and prospective membership.

Key Functions and Responsibilities 

To perform in this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  Other duties may be assigned to meet business needs. 

Membership Operations  

• Develop and implement an effective membership program to grow our membership base and increase financial contributions.  
• Manage all facets of the membership program, including member recruitment, retention, and communication. This will include events, online campaigns and more. 
• Partner with the director of development to identify and advance members with capacity through the pipeline to become major donors. 
• Develop editorial products (such as newsletters, site design, and social media content) with the newsroom leadership to drive membership and campaign goals. 

Community engagement 

• Develop and manage events that strengthen Spotlight’s connection to the community, including public town halls, workshops, forums, and panel discussions. 
• Build strategic partnerships with local organizations, businesses, and community leaders to broaden our reach and impact. 
• Build a network of individuals providing trusted local news and information through nontraditional sources, to increase information sharing between the Spotlight newsroom and communities.  
• Act as the primary liaison between the newsroom and the community, helping to ensure that our work aligns with community needs and interests. 

Strategic planning 

• Evaluate the effectiveness of our community engagement and membership strategies, making data-driven adjustments to optimize results. 
• Stay up-to-date with trends and best practices in nonprofit and media membership models. 
• Report monthly metrics goals via email to the newsroom leadership, as well as quarterly Objectives & Key Results updates 
• Lead teams of volunteers, contractors, and serve as the point person for consultants on events, campaigns, and membership strategies 

Education and Experience Requirements 

• Minimum of four years’ experience in fundraising from individuals, including developing and implementing membership programs 
• Experience with and passion for engaging individuals from racially, culturally, politically, and geographically diverse communities. 
• College degree preferred.  
• Familiarity with fundraising for journalism, democracy, civil society or related issues preferred.  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills. 
• Project management.
• Donor solicitation and stewardship.  

• Prior experience in all facets of audience development for membership program strategy, fundraising campaigns, and platform-specific insights. 
• Experience in event planning, implementation, and management. 
• Experience in managing contractors, coordinating and supervising the work of independent vendors effectively. 
• Robust analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data to inform strategic decisions. 
• Flexible, creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial approach.  
• Passion for local journalism and its role in holding government accountable, fostering civic engagement and building community. 

Work Environment 

• Fully remote role, but must reside in Delaware or surrounding area  
• Work schedule flexibility required  
• Travel: Occasional 

Physical Demands 

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time. 
• The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc. 
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and computer printer.