Development Associate (Baltimore)

About Baltimore Beat Baltimore Beat is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that gives Baltimore residents free, community-focused journalism through a bi-monthly print edition and a growing digital presence. The newsroom runs on a mix of philanthropy and earned revenue, and it keeps that balance deliberately: free journalism only stays free if the money to produce it comes from somewhere else. The RoleThat somewhere else is largely this job. The Development Associate is the person who keeps Baltimore Beat's revenue engine running across four fronts: donors, business partners, merchandise, and advertisers. It's a generalist role by design. Small, mission-driven newsrooms rarely have the headcount to split fundraising, partnerships, merch, and ad sales into separate positions, so the person in this seat moves between a donor call, a partnership pitch, a merch reorder, and an advertiser follow-up in the same week, sometimes the same day. You'll work closely with the rest of the small Baltimore Beat team. The job rewards someone who's comfortable making a direct ask, whether that ask is to a longtime donor, a local business owner, or a government agency buying ad space, and who can hold four different revenue threads without losing track of any of them. Donor Relations and Membership A meaningful share of Baltimore Beat's budget comes from donors who give more than once, and this role is responsible for making sure they keep giving. That starts with staying in regular touch with high-dollar donors so the relationship doesn't go cold between asks, and extends to running The Neighborhood, Baltimore Beat's membership program, where the goal is steadily growing recurring gift amounts rather than chasing one-time gifts. You'll also pitch funders on sponsoring Beat Boxes, the newsroom's print distribution network around the city, and you'll plan and send physical mail appeals, a channel that still performs well with Baltimore Beat's donor base even in a digital-first media landscape. Day to day, that means keeping donor records current in Baltimore Beat's CRM or donor database, so no relationship falls through the cracks between one appeal and the next. Business Partnerships Baltimore Beat has shown that local businesses want to be part of its story, not just buy ad space in it. The Peabody beer partnership is the model: a collaboration that gave a local business real visibility while generating revenue for the newsroom. Finding the next version of that partnership is part of this job. You'll reach out to local businesses about revenue-sharing collaborations, and you'll build the pitch materials that make the business case for partnering with Baltimore Beat clear, specific, and easy to say yes to. Merchandise Merch is a small but real revenue stream and a visible expression of Baltimore Beat's brand. You'll own inventory and reordering so the newsroom never runs out of its bestsellers, and you'll come up with new merch ideas and work with designers to bring them to life. When it's time to sell, whether at an event or through the online store, you'll be the one making sure the setup runs smoothly. Advertising Baltimore Beat sells advertising in both its print edition and its digital platforms, and this role keeps that pipeline moving. You'll maintain relationships with the newsroom's regular advertisers so renewals aren't a scramble, and you'll pitch new advertisers, from small local businesses to nonprofits to government agencies, on the value of reaching Baltimore Beat's readers. What You'll BringYou don't need to have worked in journalism to succeed in this role, but you do need real experience in fundraising, sales, membership work, or business development, ideally at least two years of it. You should be a strong enough writer to produce pitch materials, mail appeals, and donor communications that sound like they came from a real person, not a template. You should be organized enough to run four revenue streams at once without letting any of them slip, and you should genuinely care about Baltimore Beat's mission of keeping local journalism free and accessible to the people of Baltimore. You should also be comfortable with, or quick to pick up, the everyday tools of the job: a donor database or CRM, Google Workspace, and whatever combination of email, scheduling, and e-commerce platforms Baltimore Beat uses to run its membership program and online store. Compensation, Schedule, and Benefits This position is a 30-hour-a-week role based in Baltimore, MD, paying $30 an hour. Benefits include health coverage, paid time off and other offerings to be finalized. Full-time or part-time status and remote, hybrid or in-office arrangements are still being determined.