NASHVILLE PUBLIC RADIO

Director of Institutional Giving

About Nashville Public Radio

Nashville Public Radio serves Middle Tennessee by providing trusted in-depth news, engaging music, and unique cultural programs on 90.3 FM WPLN News, 91.1 WNXP, Nashville Classical Radio, and our various digital platforms. For more than 60 years, listeners have turned to this community supported service for programming that inspires conversation and curiosity, educates, and entertains. 

Serving a market of 2 million people and growing, Nashville Public Radio recently tripled the size of the WPLN newsroom, investing in local news shows like This is Nashville and Nashville’s music experience, 91.1 WNXP, featuring Nashville artists spinning unique mix of indie-rock, hip hop, rap, R&B, and folk. Nashville Public Radio is also home to award winning investigative journalism, including the Peabody Award-winning podcast, The Promise, an immersive series about inequality and the people trying to rise above it and more stories recognized and published by ProPublica and The New York Times. During this significant period of growth and innovation, Nashville Public Radio continues to be a trusted local source for journalism and music discovery.

Core Values

• • To operate the station at the highest level of professional standards and integrity.
  • To be responsive to our listeners, members, supporters, and public.
  • To exhibit mutual respect for our peers and audience.
  • To value the member and community support that our station receives.
  • To work together in an environment that encourages participation and sharing of the decisions that affect the station and our listeners.

The Position

Nashville Public Radio is seeking a savvy, highly organized DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVING who will report to the Vice President of Development and is responsible for developing and managing all activities related to grantmaking for government, corporate, and foundation entities. The Director of Institutional Giving will write and submit grant proposals, track deliverables and compile reports for funders, manage a calendar of submission dates and deadlines, and prospect for new funding sources for Nashville Public Radio, including 90.3 WPLN News and 91.1 WNXP, Nashville’s Music Experience. They will join a strong, collaborative seven-member development team committed to supporting Nashville Public Radio’s ambitious growth plan.  

Major Objectives

Within the first 12 to 18 months, the Director of Institutional Giving will achieve the following major objectives:

• Establish strong, trusting relationships across the organization with corporate sponsorship, newsroom, programming, technical, and digital teams.
• Develop an organized institutional giving work plan that is process driven, enables prioritization, and has potential to endure for the long-term.
• Build pipeline of funding prospects through proactive research, community engagement, and relationship building, to ensure steady institutional giving revenue growth.

Responsibilities

The Director of Institutional Giving will have the following primary responsibilities:

Research and Cultivation

• • Strategically seek grant opportunities that align well with Nashville Public Radio’s programmatic plans, priorities, and mission.
  • Collaborate with the VP of Development, the corporate sponsorship team, and board committees to identify and cultivate prospective corporate and foundation funders.
  • Regularly monitor federal, state, and local websites, prospecting tools, and other sources for Request for Proposals (RFP) announcements and guidelines.
  • Build relationships with corporate and foundation funders, involving the CEO, VP of Development, and corporate sponsorship team when appropriate.
  • Foster positive and organized working relationships with staff members and key contacts.

Proposal Development and Submission

• • Coordinate and manage the application process for grant opportunities, including developing strategy, submission plan, writing, document collection, internal and external submission deadlines, and final submission of all related materials.
  • Serve as lead writer and editor for all aspects of the application process. Ensure accuracy of all submitted materials and collaborate with the finance team on the submission of financial reports.
  • Serve as liaison to program staff of grantmaking entities, and actively solicit feedback on proposal preparation and solicitations.

Grant Management

• • Upon receipt of a grant award, monitor progress and ensure appropriate grant fulfillment and effective communication with the funding entity.
  • Maintain a detailed application and reporting calendar, including prospective sources, grants awarded, reports submitted, and those funding entities who are on a hiatus or declined.
  • Provide budget projections and institutional giving financial information to the leadership team as requested.
  • Write and submit all required reports and grant documentation.
  • Maintain grantmaking historical records and regularly update Nashville Public Radio’s CRM system to document institutional giving information and track donor activity.
  • Create an annual plan for each institutional supporter with identified points of contact and communication, above and beyond the traditional submission process.
  • Attend Nashville Public Radio and outside events to represent the organization, for networking and external relations.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring most of the following qualifications and skill sets:

• A passionate commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Nashville Public Radio and deep connection to truth-based, investigative, and local journalism and music discovery.
• At least five to seven years of grant writing or additional fundraising experience with demonstrated success securing grants of $50,000 or greater, skill in developing proposal budgets, and expertise in both technical and compliance tools as well as relationship driven aspects of institutional giving. Experience with public media and familiarity with Nashville community and/or previous track record of quickly acclimating to a market would be an advantage.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with a proven ability to present information in a concise, accurate, and persuasive format.
• A proactive and strategic thinker adept at multi-tasking, working calmly under the pressure of deadlines, while managing competing priorities.
• Demonstrated proficiency in utilizing Windows operating systems and familiarity with utilizing various grant submission systems and portals.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, highly team-oriented environment, yet possess initiative, self-motivation, and the ability to work with minimal supervision.
• A bachelor’s degree in a related field is required. An advanced degree would be an advantage.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is competitive, starting at $85,000 to $95,000.

Nashville Public Radio offers a generous benefit package including medical, vision, dental, and a robust Employee Assistance Program inclusive of six free sessions of counseling each year and basic legal assistance. Long-term disability and life insurance are provided at no cost to employees. In addition, employees receive vacation and sick leave, access to a 401(k) plan with employer matching up to 7.5% of salary, and 13 paid holidays, 2 of which are floating to employee preference.

Nashville Public Radio has a hybrid workplace with some remote and some in-office work.

Application

To be considered for this opportunity, please send a letter of interest and resume to bit.ly/3sCPXIk.

NASHVILLE PUBLIC RADIO is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our hiring. Nashville Public Radio is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation.