Skip to main content

This job has expired

Director of Development Communications and Stewardship

Employer
American Public Media Group
Location
Minnesota, United States
Salary
$80,600.00 - $120,800.00
Closing date
Mar 24, 2021

View more

Position Type
Fundraising, Donor Relations, Membership
Fields
Other Fields
Employment Type
Full Time

Who We Are: 

The mission of American Public Media Group (APMG) is to enrich the mind and nourish the spirit, thereby enhancing the lives and expanding the perspectives of our audiences and assisting them in strengthening their communities.  We aspire to be the leader in creating trusted and meaningful listening experiences with and for curious people, and we seek to create a diverse, inclusive culture focused on growth and outcomes to serve our audiences. 

APMG's primary operating divisions Minnesota Public Radio, Southern California Public Radio and American Public Media offer multi-regional FM broadcast channels, website, mobile and social media channels, live events, national content creation and distribution. Together, these divisions operate 49 public radio stations and 42 translators serving regional audiences in eight states from Minnesota, Michigan and the Upper Midwest to Idaho and California; distribute a portfolio of more than twenty national programs reaching nearly 20MM listeners weekly through 1,000 radio stations; serve rapidly growing audiences on digital, social and mobile platforms; and produce an increasing and diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, mental health, water, early brain development, business and investigative journalism. 

Your Role:

As a member of Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media’s Philanthropic Development and Audience Development teams, the Director of Development Communications and Stewardship advances the philanthropic goals of MPR|APM by setting, guiding and evaluating the annual plans for development communications and donor stewardship.  The Director is tasked with understanding strategic communications needs and objectives and creating thoughtful communication and donor stewardship strategies that elevate the awareness and perception of MPR|APM within the philanthropic community and heighten the donor experience and retention.

The Director of Development Communications and Stewardship builds the MPR|APM development brand within the organization and in the greater philanthropic community. This position leads the communications and donor stewardship team and works closely with the Directors of Major Individual Giving and Operations; Director of National Fundraising; Institutional Giving; and the Manager of Special Initiatives.  It also collaborates cross-departmentally with regional and national Membership; Communications; Creative Services; Audience Insights; Marketing; and content area teams.

The director will blend both fundraising and communications best practices and lead the creation and implementation of effective, strategic communications, working both vertically and horizontally across the Philanthropic Development, Audience Development, and the larger organization.

Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, Audience Development, with a dotted line reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Director of Development Communications and Stewardship is a member of both the Philanthropic Development and Audience Development’s senior leadership teams.

Minimum compensation: $80,600 annually. Exact salary determined by experience and education related to the role, organizational compensation structure and internal equity.

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Position Responsibilities:

Lead internal and external Development communications efforts.

  • Create, implement and evaluate an annual, comprehensive, strategic Development communications plan to raise internal and external awareness of MPR | APM’s philanthropic needs and initiatives among key donor prospects, stakeholders and influencers, and to amplify and reinforce MPR|APM’s brand and reputation.
  • Transform development communications to deliver against existing and new donor audience needs in partnership with Audience Development. Simplify communication across the organization to tell a cohesive and inspiring story.
  • Collaborate with peer Development directors and Communications team to create and implement a plan that ensures that the CEO and other senior officers are visible among targeted audiences that influence revenue and other resources for the organization.
  • Oversee production of all Philanthropic Development communications, including annual report, brochures and direct mail, email and website content, print and email newsletters, event invitations, presentations, on-air and video communications – to acknowledge/thank, cultivate, steward and solicit donors.
  • Lead planning and development of special initiatives fundraising communications, including case statements, web site, talking points and other documents and collateral as needed.
  • Collaborate with Membership, Marketing and Communication teams to ensure that all donor-facing messaging is consistent and aligns with MPR/APM messaging and organizational branding. Hires, supervises, mentors and evaluates development communications and stewardship team. Provides on-going performance feedback, annual written reviews and support for individualized development plans.
  • Work closely with Planned Giving and Leadership/President’s Circle teams to assess and prioritize needs, and develop and monitor communications with these high-potential donor segments.
  • Manage outside vendor relationships, i.e., photographers, writers, printers, consultants.
  • Work collaboratively to align donor and member messaging to build engagement with the audience throughout the giving experience.
  • Understand the needs of different donor audiences and effectively target key messages to specific groups using a variety of mediums.
  • Manage an annual budget for both regular and special fundraising initiatives communications.

Collaborate with other departments throughout the organization

  • Develop relationships with content teams to learn about their programs and create compelling stories that inspire donors and influencers.
  • Represent Philanthropic Development in meetings with Membership and Communications groups.
  • Collaborate with Communications on opportunities that further Development priorities, including media inquiries, news releases, media alerts, feature releases and other publicity materials, and media kits.
  • Serve as liaison between Communications and Philanthropic Development for the purposes of crisis communications and/or reputation management.
  • Bring a donor-centric lens to organizational communications and represent donors as an essential audience segment.
  • Coordinate with the existing social media team to expand and grow Development’s social media communications; explore using social media to interact with new donor audiences.
  • Put communications vehicles in place to create momentum and awareness, as well as, to test the effectiveness of communications.

Required Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, business communication or related field.
  • Five or more years of experience in large development operations with comprehensive, development related communication including managing communications professionals.

Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

  • Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated success leading strategic development communications for internal and external audiences, key messages and media.
  • Experience recruiting, evaluating, mentoring, and leading communications and stewardship teams.
  • Experience supporting the development of diverse and inclusive environments, culturally fluent leadership, and demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
  • Demonstrated highly collaborative style, relationship-builder who can effectively work with all constituent groups including staff, board, volunteers, donors, vendors, and other supporters.
  • Demonstrated comprehension of development and development communications best practices including experience writing for the web, and integrating social media
  • Ability to deliver a communications plan at both strategic and tactical levels.
  • Strong organizational skills, ability to prioritize and work under pressure.
  • Ability to easily adapt to change.
  • Ability to maintain the highest level of discretion and confidentiality.
  • Working knowledge of AP style.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

  • Experience with major campaigns and campaign communications
  • Familiarity with Minnesota philanthropic community
  • Knowledge of public radio programming and non-profit organizations
  • Experience with graphic design, Adobe creative suite and PowerPoint.

Reporting to This Position: 

  • Development Communications Manager
  • Stewardship Coordinator

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

  • Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation and work remotely until a timeline has been determined for a safe return to the office.
  • Physical Demands: 
    • Required to move about in an office environment and sit for extended periods of time
    • Required to move about in the community
    • Frequent use of hands for data entry/keystrokes and simple grasping.  
  • Working Conditions: 
    • Moderate noise level
    • Occasional exposure to prevalent weather conditions.

 

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply.

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert