Director of Advancement

WHYY•State College, PA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

WPSU, part of WHYY’s public media network, seeks a strategic and entrepreneurial Director of Advancement to lead and grow philanthropic and revenue-generating programs supporting WPSU’s regional public media service. Based in State College, Pennsylvania, the Director will build and lead a comprehensive advancement program covering major and mid-level gifts, planned giving, grants and foundations, membership, and corporate sponsorship. The role develops and executes strategies to strengthen philanthropic support for WPSU’s journalism, educational programming, and community engagement across Northern and Central Pennsylvania. As WPSU transitions to new ownership by WHYY, this position offers the opportunity to establish an independent regional public media fundraising program. The Director will recruit, hire, and lead a new advancement team and establish the systems, strategies, and relationships needed for long-term sustainability. Working with WHYY’s Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement and WPSU leadership, the Director will expand donor relationships, deepen community investment in public media, and develop sustainable funding streams. The position is WPSU’s primary advancement leadership role and builds relationships with donors, foundations, corporate partners, and community leaders across the region.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Seven to ten years of progressive fundraising or advancement experience.
Demonstrated success in major gift fundraising and donor relationship management.
Experience with grant writing and foundation fundraising.
Knowledge of membership or annual giving programs.
Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
Strategic thinking and ability to manage multiple fundraising programs simultaneously.
Ability to travel throughout Northern and Central Pennsylvania and attend occasional evening or weekend events.
Proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and software databases such as Team Approach.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
Fundraising or advancement experience in public media, nonprofit organizations, or mission-driven institutions preferred.
Experience securing corporate sponsorship or underwriting support preferred.
Experience recruiting, leading, and developing staff strongly preferred.
Familiarity with donor databases and fundraising analytics.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward mid-level and major donors across Northern and Central Pennsylvania.
Manage a personal portfolio of individual donors and prospects with capacity for significant philanthropic investment.
Design and execute donor engagement plans that deepen long-term relationships and philanthropic commitment to WPSU.
Collaborate with WHYY advancement leadership to align fundraising priorities with regional and organizational goals.
Promote and grow WPSU’s planned giving program; educate donors about bequests and other planned gift vehicles.
Partner with WHYY advancement leadership to steward legacy society members and cultivate future planned gift donors.
Identify and pursue institutional funding opportunities from regional and national foundations.
Develop grant proposals and coordinate grant reporting and stewardship.
Maintain relationships with foundation program officers and institutional partners supporting public media and community initiatives.
Oversee strategies to grow and retain WPSU’s membership base across Northern and Central Pennsylvania.
Collaborate with WHYY membership teams on on-air, digital, and direct response fundraising campaigns.
Analyze donor data and membership trends to strengthen acquisition, retention, and donor engagement.
Secure and expand corporate underwriting and sponsorship revenue.
Cultivate relationships with businesses and organizations interested in supporting public media.
Develop sponsorship opportunities aligned with WPSU programming, events, and community initiatives.
Recruit, hire, and manage a new advancement team supporting major gifts, membership, corporate sponsorship, and institutional fundraising.
Build the systems, processes, and donor engagement strategies needed for a comprehensive fundraising program.
Develop and implement an annual advancement plan aligned with WHYY’s institutional advancement strategy and WPSU’s regional priorities.
Establish fundraising goals, performance metrics, and reporting processes to support long-term sustainability.
Represent WPSU at community events, donor gatherings, and regional stakeholder meetings.
Collaborate with programming, community engagement, and marketing teams to strengthen the connection between WPSU’s public service mission and philanthropic support.