Development Director

NC Local is looking for an experienced fundraiser and development strategist to lead and grow our philanthropic efforts, with an emphasis on major donors.

Location: NC-based, remote position, with preference for candidates in the Charlotte or Triangle areas

Reports to: CEO

Salary: Starting at $115,000

NC Local is a statewide nonprofit newsroom on a mission to connect North Carolinians to the issues shaping their lives. We make complex state issues understandable and useful, hold public institutions accountable, and help communities become more informed and civically engaged.

We started our journey by asking people across North Carolina what news and information they needed most. Since launching in fall 2025, we've surfaced stories no one else was covering, brought communities together around critical issues at events, and built partnerships with newsrooms and other organizations across the state. We've also secured investments from major philanthropic institutions and a growing base of donors who see NC Local's vision and path to scale.

Now we're growing our team to reach our next level of impact. This role will shape the strategy that carries NC Local from its launch year to a sustainable organization that serves every part of this state. It's an opportunity to join a well-backed startup and help a dedicated team shape it into an enduring statewide institution.

NC Local is looking for an experienced fundraiser and development strategist to lead and grow our philanthropic efforts, with an emphasis on major donors.

This leadership role is a newly-created position for NC Local, an early-stage nonprofit newsroom that is on an ambitious growth path with major investments from the Knight Foundation and the American Journalism Project. As Development Director, you'll own our fundraising strategy and build and develop a portfolio of major donors, working closely with the CEO to develop an individual donor program and cultivate our current and prospective institutional funders.

You'll also build and direct our development team, including overseeing two future team members—a development manager and associate—and working closely with our membership manager on individual giving strategies. This is a cross-functional role that will collaborate with colleagues across editorial teams, operations and executive leadership, and with NC Local's board, which is engaged in our growth strategy.

We seek a candidate who is creative, strategic and entrepreneurial. Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills are critical, as this position requires an ability to translate vision into investment and present why local journalism matters in a persuasive, compelling way to a variety of stakeholders. The ideal candidate is also a goal-oriented self-starter whose work can be organized and executed independently. We also seek a candidate who brings the adaptability and resourcefulness needed to operate successfully in an early stage organization, where moving comfortably between advancing our strategic direction, developing organizational systems and performing a variety of tasks can be adeptly balanced.

The ideal candidate will have a successful and demonstrated track record in these areas and operate in ways grounded in NC Local's mission and values. While it is not a requirement to have a background in journalism or the media industry, it is important to carry a passion and appreciation for the importance of factual, accessible and useful news and information.

This role offers an opportunity to help a growing organization reach its next level of impact and help build more informed and civically engaged communities across North Carolina.

This is a remote, North Carolina-based position, with preference for candidates based in the greater Charlotte and Triangle areas. Travel across the state and to industry convenings and team meetings is expected.

Major gifts and individual giving

• Build our major gifts program from the ground up and develop it as one of the primary sources of revenue for NC Local's future.
• Develop and carry a portfolio of major donors and prospects who give…