Senior Editor

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is seeking a senior editor to oversee Chronicle reporters involved in a new partnership we have forged with the Associated Press to develop journalism that better informs the public about the most under-covered and important parts of society:  the $6 trillion nonprofit world.  Organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Salvation Army, the Movement for Black Lives,  the World Wildlife Fund, and so many others together employ 1 out of every 11 Americans and advance solutions to problems often overlooked by government and business.

The mission of our expanded reporting team is to produce journalism that helps Americans learn more about how their giving and volunteering affects their communities and how philanthropists, foundations, corporate giving efforts, and nonprofits bring about social change on issues like climate change, racial justice, health care, poverty, and education.

The editor will also work across the Chronicle’s newsroom on projects and articles that will gain attention from policy makers, high-level donors, nonprofit board members, and the general public.

In addition, the editor will create a new fellowship program and will work on other efforts to provide coaching and training to spread skills and interest in covering nonprofits and foundation to newsrooms nationwide.

What you’ll do:

• Advance our explanatory journalism
  • Oversee coverage that examines the results of philanthropic spending to show whether big commitments of philanthropic dollars are making a difference, and uncover the key ingredients required to successfully solve big problems in ways that benefit the public. The goal is to promote accountability for dollars that governments, corporations, and private donors provide to advance the common good.
  • Help our readers – many of whom work with foundations or big philanthropists – to better understand the steps it takes to solve problems and to uncover what gets in the way.
  • Collaborate with our visuals team to find the best way to feature compelling articles that will be featured in our print magazine and on our website.
  • Coordinate with the Associated Press editors to ensure these articles get attention, and work to repurpose this reporting for a general audience.

• Expand public understanding of philanthropy
  • Collaborate with the Associated Press to determine coverage areas that help better inform the public about the work of nonprofits and foundations. Along with The Chronicle’s editor, you’ll meet regularly with a special Associated Press team that is focusing solely on philanthropic coverage and work to identify ways to augment coverage by tapping each organization’s strengths.
  • Advise the Conversation (another partner in this AP collaboration) on topics and other matters as it seeks to tap into scholarly insights on philanthropy.

• Build collaborations and partnerships that expand journalistic interest in covering nonprofits and foundations
  • Develop a competitive journalism program to finance projects annually at three local newsrooms with the goal of building interest in covering nonprofits and offering coaching to local journalists on how to cover charitable organizations.
  • Forge ties with journalism associations to generate interest in covering nonprofits and seek ways to work with professional groups like the Society for Advancing Business Writing and Editing and the Education Writers Association.
  • Build ties to other journalism outlets, especially the burgeoning nonprofit newsrooms springing up to cover specific topics and communities, to expand the volume of high-quality reporting on nonprofits and foundations.

What you’ll bring:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 years of experience in journalism or related areas.
• Experience in longform journalism, exceptional storytelling skills, versatility in learning and researching a range of topics and identifying trends, as well as creativity in selecting story assignments that will gain widespread reader attention.
• Outstanding ability and a track record of editing, reporting, and coaching journalists to produce top-notch explanatory and accountability reporting. Experience with approaches advocated by the Solutions Journalism Network is a plus.
• Intellectual curiosity and an ability to delve into a broad range of topics in ways that can appeal both to experts and the public.
• Ideal candidates will have spent time reporting on topics and themes that involve philanthropy and nonprofits. For example, you might have covered education, arts, the environment, or social change. Experience covering business is also helpful.
• Strong interpersonal skills; must be able to collaborate with a broad range of people in our newsroom and with our partners at other news organizations.
• Must also demonstrate skill and comfort working with people of different backgrounds and an ability to elevate our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Commitment to excellence, quality, integrity, and ethics.

How to Apply: Please send your resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and five samples of published articles that demonstrate your journalistic strengths to copsearch@chronicle.com  with “Senior Editor” in the subject heading. 

Our newsroom, as well as our parent organization, the Chronicle of Higher Education, believe our missions are best served by a diverse, multi-generational workforce with varied life experiences and perspectives.