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Senior Development Writer

Remote

Who We Are

The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to covering America’s criminal justice system. The Marshall Project was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 and 2021. We have also been honored with the Goldsmith Prize, multiple National Magazine Awards, and for General Excellence from the Online Journalism Awards. We are not advocates — we follow the facts and do not pander to any audience — but we have a declared mission: to create and sustain a sense of urgency about the criminal justice system. We do not generally cover breaking news, although we curate the reporting of other news outlets in our morning newsletter. Our work includes investigative and explanatory projects and shorter pieces aimed at highlighting stories that other news organizations miss, underestimate or misunderstand. To ensure our work reaches a larger audience, we partner with other media outlets; we have worked with more than 200 newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and online sites.

The position of Sr. Development Writer will report to the Chief Development Officer (CDO) and lead and execute the communications strategy for donor outreach and write materials that build and strengthen relationships with current and prospective donors to The Marshall Project. They will be a key member of a dynamic team of five fundraising professionals, including a Chief Development Officer, Deputy Director of Development and three additional frontline fundraisers.

The successful candidate will be an excellent writer, detail-oriented, have the ability to meet deadlines, and have an intellectual curiosity and understanding of our work to create compelling written communications across a variety of audiences. Perhaps most importantly, they will positively add to the culture of our team and share in our team's commitment to fostering a culture that is fun, honest, respectful, collaborative, accountability-based, and mission-aligned.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Lead and execute communications strategy for donor outreach; write materials that build and strengthen relationships with prospective and existing donors to The Marshall Project.
  • Synthesize complex information related to our journalism into a variety of clear and compelling donor materials, including our Impact Reports and stewardship materials for individual and institutional donors.
  • Develop and write grant proposals, in partnership with frontline fundraisers, including drafting and finalizing the written proposals, compiling any necessary budgets from finance, and compiling the supporting documents required for each proposal.
  • Manage the grant calendar and deadlines in collaboration with the Manager, Development Operations, to ensure all due dates and reporting requirements are accurately stored in the database.
  • Support the frontline fundraising team by drafting emails, solicitations, case statements, and program summaries that they can use in their own communications with donors.
  • Serve as a critical thought leader on the development team, adding to and supporting the fundraising strategy.
  • Supporting our membership campaign by leading the written appeals sent annually to our tens of thousands of newsletter subscribers to convert them into loyal members.
  • Develop and maintain knowledge of The Marshall Project’s history, ongoing impact, and vision for the future.
  • Track and meet all internal and external writing deadlines.

Job Requirements

  • At least 5 years of writing experience in journalism, development, marketing, or communications.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with proven experience in creating persuasive and compelling cases for support, including and especially grant writing experience.
  • Ability to synthesize and communicate complex issues clearly and concisely, adapting writing styles for varied audiences.
  • Ability to both to think creatively, and to execute and manage multiple projects while meeting tight deadlines.
  • A strong commitment to accuracy and attention to detail.
  • Ability to develop and maintain productive relationships within a team and across a broader organization.
  • Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.
  • Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusivity, valuing all individuals and respecting differences in regard to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socio-economic circumstance.
  • Commitment and deep belief in the mission of The Marshall Project.

Who You’d Be Working With

Compensation and Benefits 

This job is full-time, with a competitive salary and benefits including:

100% employer-paid medical, employer-subsidized vision and dental insurance; matching traditional and Roth 401k (immediate vesting). Voluntary benefits include: Health and Dependent Care FSA, commuter benefits, pet insurance, short and long term disability insurance, employee and dependent life insurance, AFLAC accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness coverage, legal benefits, personal excess liability insurance, and employee discount marketplace. We also observe 17 days of paid time off each year (in addition to office closure between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2), and provide paid parental leave.

Annual Salary Range: $115,000 - $130,000

We are headquartered in New York City, but this job can be filled remotely. 

Cover letters are required, and we ask that you include a brief explanation of your writing philosophy when it comes to donor communications.

We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity. We welcome qualified applicants of all races, ages, ethnicities, physical abilities, genders and sexual orientations, including people who have been incarcerated or otherwise involved with the criminal justice system.

We do not expect every candidate to be equally skilled in all these areas, and this is not a complete list of all relevant qualifications applicants might bring to the job. Please tell us about your other assets not mentioned here that may be valuable to this role. Reaching talent across a range of backgrounds and experiences is deeply important to us. If you do not have the exact combination of skills listed here, but are still interested in this role and/or in The Marshall Project, we'd love to hear from you.

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