Mountain State Spotlight has added a Development Manager to its team as West Virginia’s watchdog newsroom continues to build a business operation that will support the journalism the state needs.
Molly Ballard will manage fundraising for the new, nationally-recognized civic news organization, to galvanize revenue generation for the reporting that is more crucial for West Virginia than ever.
Ballard is a native of Putnam County and began her career in nonprofit communications, working for start-up nonprofits in Copenhagen, Denmark and Manhattan, New York.
Upon returning to the Mountain State, she began her development career in educational fundraising at the University of Charleston. While at UC, she worked to develop strategies regarding alumni engagement, new donor acquisition, donor retention, and stewardship. With her team, she implemented an annual, university-wide day of giving, the success of which afforded her the opportunity to present at an institutional fundraising conference in Washington, D.C.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Communication and is completing her master’s degree in Intercultural Studies.
“We are so excited to have Molly join our team,” said Ken Ward Jr., one of Mountain State Spotlight’s co-founders. “We have received tremendous support from our neighbors all over West Virginia, and this addition is going to allow our organization to build diverse revenue streams to support the kind of watchdog reporting our state wants, needs and deserves.”