Job Description

HR Business Partner – Donor Development (Volunteer)

Strengthen our donor development efforts by bringing your HR expertise to a mission-driven newsroom!

Who We Are:

Are you passionate about making a difference in the world through investigative journalism? At WhoWhatWhy, we’re looking for a dedicated HR Business Partner to help build and sustain a team of truth-seekers committed to uncovering the stories that matter. Join us in our mission to strengthen democracy through fearless journalism and innovative HR strategies.

WhoWhatWhy is a nonprofit organization that digs deep to uncover hidden truths and provide meaningful answers on the great issues of our time. We’re not funded by a zillionaire or driven by corporate interests—we’re powered by skilled volunteers and a small core team who believe in our mission and values. Here, you’ll find a vibrant community of students, retirees, and professionals from all walks of life, united in a shared purpose.

Join us, and help shape the future of investigative journalism!

About the Role:

As an HR Business Partner for Donor Development, you will lead HR efforts within our donor engagement and fundraising team. You will work closely with leadership, project managers, and administrative staff to recruit, onboard, and retain top volunteer talent while ensuring HR policies align with the department’s fundraising and donor outreach objectives.

Important Requirement: This role requires attending bi-weekly meetings, Tuesdays at 12:00 PM EST

What You’ll Do:

• Act as the primary HR representative for the Donor Development team, ensuring HR strategies align with fundraising and donor engagement goals.
• Lead recruitment efforts for volunteer roles in fundraising, donor outreach, and engagement.
• Develop and implement HR best practices to enhance volunteer retention and team engagement.
• Oversee onboarding for new volunteers, ensuring a smooth integration process.
• Partner with department leadership to provide HR insights and recommendations for team development.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and professional growth.
• Ensure compliance with WhoWhatWhy’s HR policies and nonprofit best practices.
• Support broader HR initiatives across the organization in partnership with HR leadership.

What We’re Looking For:

• Experience in HR business partnering, recruitment, or HR strategy development.
• Understanding of volunteer engagement, nonprofit HR best practices, or donor development.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to align HR strategies with fundraising and donor engagement objectives.
• Comfort working in a volunteer-driven, mission-focused environment.
• Passion for nonprofit work and independent journalism.

Previous experience in a nonprofit, fundraising, or donor relations setting is a plus!

Why Volunteer With Us?:

• Make a Difference : 
  • Play a key role in building the team that drives our fundraising success.
• Work with a Dedicated Team : 
  • Collaborate with passionate professionals in a dynamic, engaging environment.
• Gain Hands-On Experience : 
  • Deepen your HR expertise in the nonprofit sector.
• Flexible Schedule: 
  • Work remotely on your own time (except for bi-weekly donor meetings).
• Support Investigative Journalism: 
  • Help sustain reporting that challenges power and informs the public.

Expectations:

As a member of our team, you will work closely with leaders across various departments. We ask all team members to commit to a minimum of 10 hours per week and to maintain high responsiveness through Slack, email, and conference calls. Additionally, we request a minimum commitment of 12 months to ensure continuity and meaningful contributions to our mission.

How to Apply:

If this sounds like a good fit, we’d love to hear from you! Apply by sending:

• Your resume
• A brief cover letter explaining what excites you about this specific role and how your past experiences prepare you for this position.

A cover letter is required for this application. Applications without a meaningful and customized cover letter will not be reviewed. To confirm that you have carefully read this job description, please include the phrase: 'Committed to the Mission' followed by the result of 12÷3, placed naturally within the body of your cover letter.

If there is no option to type or attach a cover letter, please send it to hr@whowhatwhy.org. Be sure to check your spam folder for response emails. Thank you for considering joining our team!

At WhoWhatWhy, we value authenticity and genuine engagement in all applications. To ensure we’re selecting candidates who are truly aligned with our mission, we require applicants to submit original responses to all application questions and cover letters.

Applications that contain responses that appear AI-generated, generic, or copy-pasted will not be considered.

Join us in building a strong, engaged team to support impactful journalism!

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