Cardinal News is one of the fastest-growing nonprofit news organizations in the country, and our revenue model depends on building deep, lasting relationships with the businesses and organizations that share our commitment to the communities we serve. As we expand our coverage footprint and move toward a multi-year growth plan, we are adding a Partnerships Manager to help us build the corporate and business relationships that make that work possible.
This is not a traditional advertising sales role. Cardinal News does not sell traditional ads. Instead, we invite businesses to become partners in the work of independent local journalism. The Partnerships Manager will be the primary relationship-builder for our Impact Partner program and our new Cornerstone Partner tier ($10K+), working alongside our Sponsorship Manager to grow revenue at every level of the partnership pipeline.
We are looking for someone who understands that the best partnerships are built on shared values, not transactions — and who can make that case compellingly to businesses across Southwest and Southside Virginia.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Pipeline Development
The Partnerships Manager will own the prospecting and cultivation pipeline for business partners at the Impact Partner and Cornerstone Partner levels. This includes:
- Identify, research, and prioritize business prospects across Cardinal News’s full coverage area — Roanoke Valley, New River Valley, Southwest Virginia, Southside Virginia, Lynchburg, and Danville.
- Build and manage a prospect portfolio in our CRM, moving relationships through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship stages.
- Develop and execute outreach strategies that generate new partnership conversations, including referral cultivation, event follow-up, and community network engagement.
- Work with the CRO to identify businesses with capacity for Cornerstone-level partnerships ($10,000+) and prepare tailored proposals and meeting materials.
Relationship Management
Partnerships at Cardinal News are long-term relationships, not annual transactions. The Partnerships Manager will:
- Serve as the point of contact for Impact Partners at the $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000 tiers, ensuring partners feel connected to the mission and value of their investment.
- Lead onboarding for new partners and manage the renewal cycle with a goal of strong year-over-year retention.
- Develop stewardship touchpoints — impact reports, check-in calls, event invitations — that deepen partner relationships between transactions.
- Identify opportunities to upgrade partners to higher tiers based on relationship signals and organizational capacity.
Partnership Positioning
Cardinal News’s partnership model is still taking shape, and this role will help define it. The Partnerships Manager will:
- Articulate the distinction between Cardinal News sponsorships and traditional advertising clearly and confidently — in person, in writing, and in proposals.
- Customize partnership proposals for individual prospects, drawing on Cardinal News’s coverage areas, readership data, and mission narrative.
- Work with the CRO to develop event sponsorship packages, series sponsorships, and other partnership vehicles that grow revenue beyond the Impact Partner tier structure.
- Represent Cardinal News at community events, chamber gatherings, and business network meetings across the coverage area.
Collaboration and Operations
This role works closely with the Sponsorship Manager and the Chief Revenue Officer, and requires strong coordination skills:
- Maintain clean, up-to-date CRM records so that the full team has visibility into pipeline status, partner history, and upcoming renewal dates.
- Participate in regular pipeline reviews with the CRO and identify gaps, opportunities, and accounts needing attention.
- Coordinate with the Sponsorship Manager to ensure smooth handoffs between à la carte placements and annual partnership conversations.
- Respect the editorial firewall at all times. Partners are never promised, offered, or given influence over coverage decisions, and this role is responsible for making that boundary clear to every partner.
EXPECTED QUALIFICATIONS
- Genuine commitment to the mission of independent local journalism and an understanding of why it matters in underserved communities.
- At least 5 years of experience in development, partnerships, sponsorship sales, or a closely related field, preferably in a nonprofit, media, or community-focused organization.
- A track record of building and managing a multi-stage prospect pipeline, with experience moving relationships from cold outreach to closed partnerships.
- Demonstrated ability to make compelling cases for mission-driven investment. You know how to connect a business’s values to a larger community purpose.
- Comfort with CRM tools and a genuine commitment to data hygiene and moves management discipline.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills. You can write a warm outreach email, deliver a confident in-person pitch, and tailor your message to different audiences.
- Knowledge of, or willingness to quickly develop deep familiarity with, the business communities of Southwest and Southside Virginia.
- Ability to work independently across a large geographic area while staying coordinated with a small, remote-friendly team.
- Live in or be willing to relocate to a community in Cardinal’s footprint.
We recognize that not every strong candidate will check every box. If you have most of these qualifications and are energized by the idea of building something meaningful in a region that needs it, we want to hear from you.
ABOUT CARDINAL NEWS
Cardinal News is an organization with a bias toward action, and uses data to measure its efforts and guide decision-making. We were named Lion Publishers Business of the Year in 2025, Startup of the Year in 2023 by the Institute for Nonprofit News, and recently were accepted into the American Journalism Project portfolio.
We want our team members to feel supported in their work. We budget for training, travel, and the tools necessary to produce and support strong journalism. Our benefits include:
Competitive pay
Paid holidays and vacation time
Health, dental, and vision insurance
Contributions to health savings accounts
A matching 401(k) plan
Short- and long-term disability insurance
A collaborative, mission-driven team
Pay: $65,000.00 - $65,001.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Roanoke, VA 24015
