Development Officer - Southeast Region

About Capital B News, Inc. Capital B is a first-of-its-kind local and national nonprofit news organization reporting for Black communities across the country. We have local newsrooms in Atlanta and Gary, Ind. as well as a national newsroom. Cofounded by CEO Lauren Williams (former senior vice president and editor-in-chief of Vox) and Chief Audience Officer Akoto Ofori-Atta (former managing editor of The Trace), Capital B is looking for a skilled, highly motivated, scrappy sales professional to help us grow our earned revenue operation Across the South many Black communities face persistent news and information gaps alongside acute challenges tied to civic participation, health outcomes, environmental justice, public safety, and economic mobility. Capital B’s Southern expansion focuses on building sustainable local newsrooms and partnerships that deliver accountability reporting, service journalism, and community-driven storytelling that centers communities and lived experience in these areas. THE OPPORTUNITY The Development Officer, Southern Region will play a key role in securing philanthropic support for Capital B’s growth in the South. This role blends core development responsibilities (prospecting, proposals, reporting, stewardship, and moves management) with place-based fundraising that supports new and emerging expansion markets. This role will partner closely with the development team, executive leadership, and local strategy/growth colleagues to identify funders aligned with Southern expansion priorities; move opportunities through the full fundraising cycle; and ensure funder communications, reporting, and stewardship reflect Capital B’s voice, impact, and local relevance. The ideal candidate is highly organized, entrepreneurial, and action-oriented—someone who can manage multiple workstreams, build strong relationships with institutions and individuals, and translate community needs and newsroom strategy into fundable opportunities. Salary range: $70,000 - $80,000. This is a remote position, with a preference for candidates who are based in Georgia or the Southeast.

What You'll Do

Find and Build

• Identify, research, and pursue new funding opportunities in the South, including foundations, institutional donors, and individuals with capacity for five- to seven-figure support. This means going out and finding funders who do not yet know Capital B, not waiting for inbound interest.
• Build and manage a regional prospect pipeline from scratch, using research, network mapping, community intelligence, and direct outreach to move prospects from identification through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Conduct deep prospect research to surface aligned funders and translate findings into practical, actionable cultivation plans.

Write and Communicate

• Lead and co-lead the drafting, writing, and submission of grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and supporting materials connected to the Southern expansion. Your writing will be the primary vehicle for turning strategy into funded work.
• Develop funder reports, interim updates, and renewal materials that reflect Capital B's voice, impact, and local relevance with accuracy and strong narrative quality.
• Translate expansion plans into clear, compelling funding opportunities (launch support, capacity building, community listening, early newsroom hires, engagement infrastructure).

Cultivate and Steward

• Serve as Capital B's on-the-ground presence in the South, representing the organization in virtual and in-person settings with funders, community partners, and stakeholders.
• Maintain a funder communications calendar for the Southern portfolio, including reporting deadlines, stewardship touchpoints, renewals, and key engagement moments.
• Manage and push prospective and existing funders through the pipeline to meet annual goals, with a particular focus on moving early-stage prospects quickly through qualification and outreach.

Track and Organize

• Obsessively track activity, progress, and next steps in the CRM so it is accurate, current, and serves as a source of truth for the entire development team.
• Partner with the development team and executive leadership to ensure Southern fundraising efforts are aligned with organizational strategy and expansion priorities.

What You'llbring

• 3-5 years of experience in nonprofit development, including direct experience with institutional fundraising (foundations and/or major donors). Experience in place-based, community-centered, or journalism-aligned organizations is strongly preferred.
• A track record of outbound prospecting: identifying, qualifying, and securing funders who were not already in the organization's pipeline.
• Strong writing and editing skills with the ability to produce compelling proposals, donor communications, reports, and briefing materials.
• Experience with prospect research, pipeline management, and moves management, including fluency with CRM systems.
• The ability to build trust with a range of stakeholders - foundation staff, major donors, journalists, community partners, and senior leaders - and to represent Capital B effectively in both virtual and in-person settings.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment where you are building infrastructure, not maintaining it.
• A genuine connection to Capital B's mission and an understanding of why journalism matters in Black communities and in our democracy.

What We'llbring Capital B is a small, mission-driven team that takes its work and its people seriously. You'll join a development team that is building something new and meaningful, with direct access to senior leadership and real ownership of your portfolio from day one.

• Competitive salary ($70,000 - $80,000)
• Generous PTO and company holidays
• 20 weeks parental leave and 12 weeks caregiver leave
• 401(k)
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance and short-term disability
• Health and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Professional development fund
• Monthly phone and internet stipend

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