Development Coordinator, Investigative Journalism Foundation

Location: Remote, anywhere in Canada.

Salary: $75,000 - $95,000/year ($75,000 base + up to $20,000 in commission)

About the Investigative Journalism Foundation

The Investigative Journalism Foundation is Canada’s leading nonprofit newsroom focused on public interest journalism. We are a new kind of media outlet built around databases on who donates to politicians across Canada, who lobbies them, and how the government spends your money.

Launched last year, we’re rapidly growing and proud to have been selected for Fast Forward’s 2024 Accelerator for tech nonprofits. We’re also delighted to have won a Digital Publishing Award in the Data Journalism category and to be a finalist for the Institute for Nonprofit News annual awards in the Startup Of The Year category and a finalist for LION Publishers New Business Of The Year.

As a nonprofit, non-partisan media outlet, our primary purpose is to serve the public. We do this by publishing in-depth investigative journalism that speaks truth to power. Our databases are also used by other journalists, academics, policymakers and individuals seeking to increase transparency and strengthen Canadian democracy.

We believe in a collaborative model and are proud to partner with leading media outlets to ensure our nonprofit journalism reaches as wide an audience as possible. To date, our journalism partners include CBC, The National Post, The Walrus, CTV, The Canadian Press, Capital Daily, The Tyee, Canada’s National Observer and The Narwhal.

About this job

This is a full-time staff job. Our office and most of the IJF’s team are based in Toronto, but we’re happy to hear from candidates based elsewhere in Canada.

The position is a great way to collaborate with some of Canada's top data scientists and investigative journalists. Successful candidates will be excited about working at a mission-driven nonprofit that uses journalism to strengthen Canadian democracy every day.

We are looking for a self-starter to join a rapidly growing development team that raised $1,689,573.57 in 2024, a 61% increase over the $1,046,177.89 raised in 2023. You can see a list of all our donors here: https://theijf.org/transparency

Successful candidates will report to the Director of Development and be excited about working at a mission-driven nonprofit that uses journalism to strengthen Canadian democracy every day.

Not sure you meet all the qualifications listed below? Please apply anyway. We’re looking for talented people who share our passion for making Canada a better place. Experience matters less than a desire to learn and grow. We’re committed to building an inclusive environment.

What you’ll do at the IJF:

1. Research potential donors, including family foundations and high-net-worth individuals, using Grant Connect, GrantStation, and other similar wealth prospecting tools.
2. Assist with the preparation of monthly updates for existing donors. This will include collecting key performance indicators from the reporting, tech, fundraising and operations teams, and translating that data into a digestible and engaging format.
3. Write draft emails to prospective donors focused on the Investigative Journalism Foundation’s mission.
4. Explore and reach out to potential donors on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platforms, and manage the CSR platforms.
5. Manage the IJF’s CRM platform, Salesforce.
6. Oversee the IJF’s applications to wage subsidy programs like Canada Summer Jobs and Mitacs.

We’re looking for someone with:

1. Excellent writing skills. Familiarity with fundraising and nonprofit conventions is good.
2. Excellent communication skills. You should be comfortable and good at communicating with all kinds of people via all kinds of mediums.
3. Excitement about working for a nonprofit focused on strengthening Canadian democracy.
4. Comfort with interdisciplinarity. This job requires working with developers, journalists, professors and nonprofit executives on complex questions that straddle disciplines.
5. Familiarity with CSR platforms, e.g. Benevity.
6. Familiarity with CRM platforms. In particular, familiarity with Salesforce is an asset.

How to apply:

Please fill out the application here:https://theijf.applytojobs.ca/development/34681. It will ask for your CV, a cover letter telling us how your skills are a fit for the IJF’s mission, as well as a link to a writing sample of which you’re proud. Your writing sample can be an email or newsletter written for donors, a grant application, or anything else that you think showcases the skills you’ll use in this job. If your writing sample isn’t shareable, let us know in your cover letter.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

— The IJF team