Communications & Development Manager / Senior Manager

COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER / SENIOR MANAGER

Full-Time

Start Date: January 5, 2026

This position may be hired at either the Manager or Senior Manager level depending on the candidate's experience and qualifications.

Who We Are

CROP (Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs) is an Oakland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reimagining reentry through a holistic and human-centered model. Driven by innovative approaches to education, advocacy, housing, personal leadership development, and workforce pathways, CROP works to reduce recidivism and create opportunities for justice-impacted individuals. Founded by leaders with direct lived experience in the criminal justice system, CROP’s programs aim to transform lives and communities.

What You’ll Do

The Communications & Development Manager is the engine that converts CROP’s impact into visibility, credibility, and revenue. This role is critical to scaling CROP's impact and building the sustainable funding base needed to expand our programs.

You will design and execute an annual communications plan tied to revenue targets, program milestones, and the policy calendar; translate outcomes and participant stories into donor-ready assets, cases for support, sponsor decks, appeals, and quarterly impact briefs; and manage an integrated editorial calendar across email, web, social, press, and events to ensure a consistent, accessible brand voice. You’ll drive digital performance by growing and segmenting lists, A/B testing messages, optimizing our website and donation pathways, and reporting monthly on key metrics.

Partnering closely with Programs, you’ll turn data and lived experience into ethical, compelling stories and maintain a scalable story bank; with Policy and PR partners, you’ll elevate thought leadership, pitch media that centers participant stories and lived experience, and keep talking points and press kits current. You’ll fuel campaigns and events—from invitations and landing pages to run-of-show scripts, slides, sponsor recognition, and post-event follow-ups—while keeping systems clean and compliant (CRM, calendars, templates, accessibility, consent) and coordinating light vendor relationships. Finally, you’ll equip staff and alumni as authentic ambassadors with toolkits and coaching, helping bridge understanding between participants, donors, employers, partners, and the broader community to accelerate CROP’s mission of reducing recidivism and advancing economic opportunity.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & BRAND

• Build and execute an annual communications plan aligned to revenue goals, program milestones, and policy moments
• Maintain brand consistency (voice, visuals, accessibility) across decks, web, email, socials, print, and events
• Coordinate with executive leadership on messaging for public speaking, fundraising, media, campaigns, and advocacy efforts

DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS & FUNDRAISING COMMUNICATIONS

• Manage the setup and execution of fundraising & awareness campaigns within our CRM
  • This includes building segmented donor lists, creating and scheduling campaign workflows, and ensuring data accuracy across all records
  • This role will support gift tracking, acknowledgment processes, and donor pipeline management
• Manage online donor communications and create segmented and automated donor journeys (welcome, nurture, renewals, lapsed-winbacks) with targeted copy and cadences for different audiences
• Co-own the fundraising content with the Development Director (case statements, one-pagers, sponsor decks, funder briefs, LOIs, grant narrative sections, stewardship letters, and impact updates)
• Turn program outcomes into donor-ready collateral: data snapshots, success stories, short videos, and “impact receipts”
• Coordinate campaign timelines (e.g., year-end, Give/Employee Impact days, events) and ensure on-time, conversion-oriented delivery

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT

• Create, manage, and maintain a content calendar that supports awareness, engagement, and fundraising
• Write, edit, and design newsletters, impact reports, social media posts, press releases, blogs, fundraising appeals, and campaign collateral
• Oversee podcast scheduling and coordination, including guest communication and distribution planning
• Maintain and update CROP’s website (Squarespace) to ensure content is current, engaging, and aligned with our brand and mission
• Collaborate with internal teams to publish blog posts, event pages, and campaign updates
• Monitor website analytics and implement improvements to enhance user experience and accessibility
• Package program learnings into stories with quotes, photos, and light-lift video/social cuts

PUBLIC RELATIONS & MEDIA

• Liaise with PR partners; pitch human-centered stories and place op-eds with the Policy Team
• Prepare talking points and media kits for the President and spokespeople; manage inbound media requests
• Maintain a simple press room (bios, logos, impact facts, photos, recent coverage)

DIGITAL, EMAIL, & SOCIAL GROWTH

• Manage and grow CROP’s social media presence across platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, etc.)
• Monitor engagement and metrics, and optimize content for reach and impact
• Support staff in becoming effective ambassadors on social platforms

SPECIAL PROJECTS & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Coordinate logistics for both in-person and remote events, involving various organizational stakeholders and external partners
• Support other special projects, which may include audits, annual reports, surveys, fundraising initiatives, sourcing bids from vendors, and other duties as needed
• Maintain and improve documentation and files
• Perform other duties as assigned to support organizational goals

A NOTE ABOUT THIS ROLE

We know this job description is ambitious—we're looking for someone who can move fluidly between communications, development, and digital strategy. Here's what you should know:

• Responsibilities will fluctuate throughout the year based on organizational priorities and the fundraising calendar.
• We're open to candidates with deep experience in development who can grow into communications work, or strong communicators ready to learn development practices. If you excel in one area and are excited to build skills in the other, we want to hear from you.

Who You Are

This role can be filled at either the Manager or Senior Manager level, typically requiring 3-8 years of progressive experience. The level will be determined based on your strategic capabilities and the scope of responsibilities you can own independently, not solely on years of experience.

You thrive in collaborative environments while being self-driven enough to take initiative and own your areas of responsibility. You're excited about CROP's mission and bringing your expertise to work that matters. You combine strategic thinking with strong execution skills, understanding how your work advances organizational goals.

We believe great talent comes from many backgrounds and career paths - whether you've followed a traditional career trajectory or taken a unique route to this point in your professional journey. We encourage candidates to apply even if they don't meet every qualification listed below. If you're excited about this role and our mission and think you could be a great fit, we'd love to hear from you.

ROLE FOUNDATIONS

For this role, there are a few essential requirements:

• Legal authorization to work in the United States
• 3+ years experience in communications, development, marketing, and/or digital media, preferably in the nonprofit or social impact sector
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills
• Demonstrated experience managing digital platforms, social media strategy, and content calendars
• Proficient in design, CRM software, and email tools like Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Mailchimp, or similar platforms

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

We're especially excited about candidates who bring experience and capabilities in some of these areas:

Knowledge

• Understanding of nonprofit or social impact work: Grasps how communications strategies differ in mission-driven organizations. Understands key audiences such as donors, partners, and impacted communities, and how to tailor messaging to each.
• Experience with movement building and narrative shift: Understands how storytelling and strategic communications can influence public perception, shift narratives, and support advocacy goals.

Skills

• Digital content creation and design: Creates engaging digital content for multiple platforms.
• Project management and execution: Plans and implements projects from start to finish. Sets clear timelines and deliverables. Adapts plans based on feedback and changing circumstances while maintaining momentum toward goals.
• Managing content calendars and campaigns: Coordinates content across platforms and teams. Maintains a consistent publishing rhythm and aligns messaging with organizational priorities.

Abilities

• Produces compelling written and digital materials: Aims for accuracy and attention to detail. Can learn, internalize, and incorporate our "voice" across platforms. Organizes and shares information effectively — whether writing an internal email or delivering a presentation.
• Builds trust and works across diverse teams: Collaborates with empathy, humility, and flexibility. Listens actively and values diverse perspectives and lived experiences.
• Demonstrates mission alignment and cultural responsiveness: Shows a deep commitment to social justice and criminal justice reform. Approaches work with integrity and respect for the experiences of system-impacted individuals.

Additional Details

Compensation & Benefits

This full-time, exempt position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare, holidays, and paid time off. The salary range for this position is $84,000 - $110,000 per year.

Schedule

This is a full-time, 40 hour per week, hybrid position. General hours of employment are 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday. The role requires regular presence in our Oakland office.

Supervision

This role is supervised by the President.

Application

CROP is committed to hiring talented and qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds for all of its roles, with an emphasis on uplifting the proximate leadership of talent with criminal records. CROP believes that the gathering and celebration of unique backgrounds, qualities, abilities and cultures strengthens our workplace and supports the success of our programs. CROP also is deeply committed to equity and as such never discriminates on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, conviction history, immigration status, age, ability, or mental health.

Application Submission Includes

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and link to your portfolio or examples of work.

Applications will be received and reviewed until November 2, 2025. After this time, we may continue to review applications on a rolling basis, however, encourage candidates to apply before the deadline and/or as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the application or the position, please contact Terah Lawyer at terah.lawyer@croporg.org.