Does your journalism organization need to hire development staff?

More than $2.7 billion has been invested in the journalism ecosystem. That influx of cash has led many news outlets to seek development staff for the first time. But hiring development staff isn’t easy. These are professionals who are in demand but short in supply. It takes special expertise to raise money for journalistic institutions. And for many news outlets, it might not be necessary or the right time to hire development staff.

The Pivot Fund hosted a special panel discussion about grants and funding focused on helping independent, BIPOC-led news outlets answer these very questions. Including at what point they’ll need to hire development staff and where to find them, how much organizations can expect to pay, and alternatives to hiring a full-time development director.

Panelists included:

• Lolly Bowean — Media & Storytelling Program Officer for The Field Foundation
• Susan Gluck Pappajohn — Management Consultant with Phillips Oppenheim
• Julia Howell Barros — Nonprofit consultant
• Kaylan Somerville — Founder of Blue Umbrella Fundraising

Mazin Sidahmed, co-founder and senior reporter for Documented, a hyper-local community new outlet that covers immigrant communities in New York City, moderated the discussion.

This conversation was sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.