About Chicago Public Media

Home to WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Public Media is the largest local non-profit news organization in the country. WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times serve more than 2 million people weekly across broadcast, print, and digital platforms. As a mission-driven organization, we aspire to become the essential and most trusted news source that Chicago turns to each day for understanding the people, events, and ideas that shape our community.

WBEZ is home to local and national news programming as well as a growing portfolio of popular podcasts. WBEZ serves the community with fact-based, objective news and information, and its award-winning journalists ask tough questions, dig deep for answers and expose truths that spark change and foster understanding. WBEZ is supported by more than 86,000 members, hundreds of corporate sponsors and major donors. In 2022, WBEZ received more than 20 awards for its journalism, including two prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Chicago Sun-Times is Chicago’s oldest continuously published daily newspaper serving Chicago and is known for its hard-hitting investigative reporting, in-depth political coverage, timely behind-the-scenes sports analysis, and insightful entertainment and cultural coverage. Chicago Sun-Times is the winner of eight Pulitzer Prizes and countless other awards.  In recent years, the Sun-Times has focused on a digital transformation to deliver its news and content to a growing digital audience. Most recently, the Sun-Times dropped the paywall on suntimes.com to expand access to its journalism, and shifted to a community-funded digital membership program supported by voluntary member donations. 

Chicago Public Media believes independent journalism is essential to a well-functioning democracy and access to fact-based, objective news and information is a right of every citizen. We serve the public interest by creating diverse, compelling content that informs, inspires, and enriches. We connect diverse audiences and help them make a difference in the community, the region and the world.  And, we employ 300+ staff who want to belong to an organization that inspires, supports, and challenges them to do their best work.

For more information, please see the Chicago Public Media Annual Report.

The Opportunity

Chicago Public Media (CPM) is searching for a Chief Development Officer (CDO) at a time of enormous opportunity and innovation that CPM is leading in nonprofit journalism. The Chief Development Officer will lead all fundraising efforts on behalf of Chicago Public Media, including developing a strategic plan to maintain and increase philanthropic revenue. The Chief Development Officer will ensure the achievement of annual and long-term goals for major gifts, foundations, planned giving, annual fundraising events, and corporate giving. The Chief Development Officer will be an active representative of Chicago Public Media, building relationships across the community to advance and strengthen the mission and amplify the role that philanthropy can have on the organization.

 

Responsibilities

  • Execution – defining and leading the execution of comprehensive, diversified, and integrated fundraising activities that maximize financial growth, including the development, implementation, and evaluation of annual and multi-year goals and strategies;
  • Revenue strategy – creating new strategies to increase and diversify revenue, including but not limited to an increase in number of donors and giving per donor;
  • Advisor – acting as a trusted advisor to the Chief Executive Officer on fundraising objectives and contributing as a member of the leadership team on the development and implementation of strategic revenue-generating plans;
  • Board of Directors – maximizing the participation and impact of the Board of Directors by building relationships that advance the fundraising objectives of Chicago Public Media;
  • Major donors – managing a select donor portfolio of top prospective donors including individuals, foundations, and corporations, developing and sustaining relationships that increase financial support;
  • Team-building – recruiting, training, managing, and nurturing fundraising staff through goal-setting, mentorship, evaluation, and recognition;
  • Networking within Public Media – coordinating with public broadcasting leaders: APM, NPR, and other public broadcasting stations and content producers on best practices and opportunities for collaboration;
  • Organizational strategy – participating in the development of strategic objectives to grow audience and drive revenue from multi-platform activities;
  • Organizational leadership – working with events, communications, digital, and content teams to find opportunities to add value to the donor experience;
  • Budget & planning – preparing and monitoring the annual development budget, overseeing contributed revenue and expenses, projections, and forecasting;
  • Communicating – synthesizing fundraising data into comprehensive reports for senior management; and
  • Operational – developing, implementing, monitoring, and assessing fundraising and gift processing policies and ensuring all development strategies incorporate and maximize the use of CRM data.



Skills and Qualifications

  • Passion – a passion for public media and a commitment to the belief that a shared, independent, and trusted public media space remains central to an effective and informed democracy;
  • Leadership – an ability to lead and thrive in all major fundraising functions including major gifts/principal giving, foundations and government grants, data management, budget administration, marketing, and communications;
  • Relationships – an ability to build meaningful and trusted relationships with donors with a preference for individuals with knowledge of the Chicago philanthropic landscape;
  • Vision – an ability to articulate and execute a fundraising vision for Chicago Public Media to internal and external stakeholders;
  • Communication – an ability to communicate clearly, without ambiguity, to diverse audiences internally and externally as an advocate for public media and for the objectives and goals of Chicago Public Media;
  • Cultural competency – a high level of cultural competency and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace expressed in both approach and experience;
  • Collaborative – a desire to work as a member of a team, work across internal and external stakeholders, and strategically partner with and support the CEO, Board of Directors, other leaders, and the development team in identifying fundraising opportunities and strategies;
  • Team-building – experience as a visible and effective leader and the ability to recognize and nurture talent while building and retaining a successful team;
  • Financial fluency – an ability to develop and maintain financial projections and budgets; and
  • Technology – a high level of competency with technology, an aptitude for mastering new technology, and an ability to develop a unified vision for the CRM system.

 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission of Chicago Public Media—to serve as a cornerstone of the public conversation; as a central pillar of civic community; and to reassert itself as the heart of innovation within public media.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the successful candidate has been selected.

 

To apply for this position, visit: Chief Development Officer, Chicago Public Media

To nominate a candidate, please contact Steven Wallace: stevenwallace@aspenleadershipgroup.com

All inquiries will be held in confidence.

 

 

Working at Chicago Public Media

At Chicago Public Media, we care deeply about our employees as we know attracting, developing, and growing talent is key to our success and enhancing our impact.  Our culture is one where collaboration, ideas, and innovation are encouraged.  We value colleagues who will enhance our culture by bringing new ideas, diverse experiences, and talents to our dynamic workplace.

Chicago Public Media’s dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion is reflective across our brands, WBEZ 91.5 FM, Chicago Sun-Times, and Vocalo 91.1 FM, in our staff and in our work.  We are fully focused on equality of opportunity and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, experience, and all other fascinating characteristics that make us different.

At Chicago Public Media we believe dedication to a great workplace includes supporting our employees and their families. As a result, we provide a broad and generous benefits package for you at hire and in the years to come.

Our benefits include:

  • 6 weeks fully paid family leave
  • High quality Medical, Dental, and Vision plans at an affordable cost
  • A 403(b)retirement plan with a company match
  • Generous paid time off, including starting with 3 weeks’ vacation and 4 personal days.

The essential functions described above are not all-inclusive and may change periodically to meet the needs of Chicago Public Media (CPM). The information contained in this job description is not intended to create any contractual or other legal commitment. Chicago Public Media may change the content or format of this job at any time in its sole and exclusive discretion without notice.

Chicago Public Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we actively seek and welcome people from all backgrounds, orientations, and life experiences to join our team.

Apply for this Job

* Required

resume chosen  
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
cover_letter chosen  
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review
+ Add another education


Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Chicago Public Media’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.


Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.


Enter the verification code sent to to confirm you are not a robot, then submit your application.

This application was flagged as potential bot traffic. To resubmit your application, turn off any VPNs, clear the browser's cache and cookies, or try another browser. If you still can't submit it, contact our support team through the help center.