Door County Knock, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to empowering Door County residents and improving public discourse about major issues, seeks a development director to help lead our organization into the next phase of its growth and sustainability.

The development director will help to lead Door County Knock’s major fundraising efforts, growing local support for the organization’s journalism and community-building work primarily through philanthropy and grant-writing. This role will grow with the right candidate and will be supported by work with other staff and board members, as well as Door County Knock’s relationships throughout the nonprofit news industry.

The development director will report to the executive director and work closely with the board of directors and board committees. The right candidate will have a mix of strong leadership skills, humility and an optimistic belief in the power of communities to make a difference. The right candidate also will be highly organized and self-driven, with strong communication, project management, and task management skills.

Door County Knock envisions this role as a full-time position and a long-term leader in our organization. The position is flexible at the outset, however; it can be either part-time or full-time for the first year. Bolstering local philanthropic and foundation-based support is key to sustaining our organization long-term, including sustaining and continuing to grow our staff.

Door County Knock is an independent, nonprofit news organization covering Door County, Wisconsin. Knock advances the truth; centers, and drives understanding of, critical issues that affect Door County residents’ lives; and holds powerful institutions accountable to the people, including by investigating betrayals of the public trust and other abuses of power.

Desired qualifications:

  • Empathetic, curious and collaborative, with the ability to deeply understand the Door County community and its needs
  • Passion for journalism, local news, media, and/or civic engagement
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Proficient in Google Suite and CRM software
  • Self-starter and detail-oriented, able to successfully coordinate multifaceted projects, timelines, and competing priorities
  • Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with other people, while working primarily from home (or otherwise remotely)
  • Outgoing and able to interact with a variety of organizations
  • Preferred but not required: Experience in nonprofit fundraising, stewardship, donor relations, project management and/or a related area

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities, such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. Door County Knock is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but feel your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application.

Duties:

  • Major donors
    • Prioritize major donor candidates, and coordinate and attend major donor meetings, working with the executive director and board members
    • Identify candidates from Door County Knock’s existing reader base and other available datasets
    • Work to achieve budget goals
    • Help prepare materials for major donor meetings
  • Donor stewardship
    • Coordinate thank-you notes, calls and other relationship-building steps with donors; these can be carried out by the development director, other staff members or board members
    • Ensure that donor intentions are followed
  • Events
    • Lead the planning of fundraising events such as a major annual fundraising event and smaller meet-and-greets, working with board and committee members where appropriate
    • Develop strategies for optimizing special events
    • Follow up with attendees, sending materials/receipts/thank you notes, etc.
  • Grants
    • Track grant opportunities and deadlines and work to achieve budget goals
    • Research foundations and identify candidates for relationship-building based on fit with Door County Knock’s work
    • Build relationships with foundations and complete grant applications, working with the executive director and other staff members where appropriate
  • Donation administrative work
    • Process check donations
    • Respond to online donor questions
  • Sponsorship
    • Door County Knock does not currently have a revenue program in this area; we’re interested in exploring one

Location:

The person in this position should reside in or near Door County, Wisconsin.

Salary and Benefits:

  • If part-time initially: $20/hour, negotiable based on experience
  • When position is full-time:
    • Salary of at least $40,000, negotiable based on experience
    • Annual health stipend of $3,000

Deadline:

February 28, 2026

To apply:

Please send a cover letter, your resume, and three references in PDF format to Executive Director Andrew Phillips at [email protected]

Door County Knock aims to reflect, recognize and address diversity in its staff and contributors, as well as its editorial choices and priorities. Our goal is to create a sense of belonging and community among our readers, staff and board.

Door County Knock recognizes that federal law prohibits employers from discrimination on the basis of: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

Door County Knock further recognizes that Wisconsin law prohibits employers from discrimination on the basis of: Age, Ancestry, Arrest Record, Color, Conviction Record, Creed, Disability, Genetic Testing, Honesty Testing, Marital Status, Military Service, National Origin, Pregnancy or Childbirth, Race, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Use or nonuse of lawful products off the employer’s premises during nonworking hours. Employees may not be harassed in the workplace based on their protected status nor retaliated against for filing a complaint, for assisting with a complaint, or for opposing discrimination in the workplace.