Application Guide
How to Apply for Development Manager
at Next City
🏢 About Next City
Next City is a nonprofit journalism organization that focuses on urban issues with a lens of equity and justice, centering marginalized voices and amplifying solutions. It's a mission-driven workplace where your fundraising efforts directly support impactful storytelling that connects people and places to move society toward justice.
About This Role
As Development Manager, you'll be the backbone of Next City's fundraising operations, managing grants, donor stewardship, and individual giving programs. This role is impactful because you'll secure the resources needed to sustain critical journalism that highlights solutions to urban problems and amplifies voices often overlooked.
💡 A Day in the Life
Your day might start with checking emails and updating the grant calendar for upcoming deadlines. You could spend the morning drafting a foundation proposal, then move to processing donations and sending acknowledgment letters. After lunch, you might meet with the editorial team to align reporting metrics with funder requirements, and end the day by planning a year-end appeal campaign for individual donors.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Next City Is Looking For
- A detail-oriented fundraiser with at least 2-3 years of experience in grant writing, proposal development, and donor management, preferably in a nonprofit or journalism context.
- A strong writer who can craft compelling proposals and donor communications that align with Next City's mission of equity and urban solutions.
- An organized project manager who can juggle multiple deadlines, track grant compliance, and reconcile budgets with precision.
- A relationship-builder comfortable with both institutional funders and individual small donors, able to improve membership programs and engage supporters.
📝 Tips for Applying to Next City
In your resume, highlight specific grant writing successes (e.g., amount raised, number of grants won) and any experience with online grant portals like Fluxx or Foundation Center.
Tailor your cover letter to show understanding of Next City's mission—mention specific articles or series that resonate with you and explain how your fundraising supports that work.
Quantify your achievements: instead of 'managed grants', say 'managed a portfolio of 15 grants totaling $500K, ensuring 100% compliance and on-time reporting'.
Show familiarity with small donor strategies: mention any experience with membership programs, donor acquisition, or year-end campaigns.
Proofread carefully—this role demands attention to detail; a typo in your application could signal carelessness with grant proposals.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your passion for urban equity and journalism, and how Next City's solutions-oriented approach aligns with your values.", "Specific examples of successful grant writing and fundraising campaigns you've led, with metrics.", "Your organizational skills: mention systems you use (e.g., CRM tools like Salesforce, Raiser's Edge) to manage grants and donor data.", 'Your ability to work remotely and independently in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read recent Next City articles to understand their editorial focus—especially series on solutions to urban problems like housing, transportation, and climate justice.
- → Review their donor page and membership levels to see how they currently engage individual supporters.
- → Look at their annual reports or financial statements to understand their funding sources and revenue mix.
- → Check out their social media to see how they communicate with their audience and donors.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't submit a generic cover letter—failing to mention Next City's mission or specific work shows lack of interest.
- Avoid exaggerating fundraising experience; be honest about your role in grant wins and donor relationships.
- Don't overlook the importance of small donors—this role explicitly includes membership and individual giving, so don't just focus on institutional grants.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!