Senior Manager/Director of External Affairs

About 826DC

​​826DC is an award-winning youth writing and publishing center that has operated in the District of Columbia since 2008. We’re on a mission to help students develop a lasting, positive relationship with writing that catalyzes their ability to live into their fullest possibility.

We envision a future in which every young person in DC is able to confidently use writing to communicate their experiences, explore new ideas, and enjoy the creative process. In service to our commitment to amplifying student voices, 826DC’s young authors have been featured in more than fifteen professional anthologies, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on NPR and CBS News.

826DC is part of a national network of youth writing centers, 826 National, which was founded by veteran educator Nínive Caligari and author Dave Eggers and was voted one of the top 30 companies to work for by GOOD Magazine. 826 National has garnered the American Literacy Prize from the Library of Congress for its pioneering work to eradicate illiteracy in the United States, and 826DC was honored with the Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education in the District of Columbia.

Overview

The Senior Manager of External Affairs is a full-time position that supports 826DC’s external communications, marketing and fundraising activities. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role is ideal for a self-starter eager to build upon and grow 826DC’s external marketing, communications and community engagement work.

This staff member will work alongside the Executive Director to devise and implement creative communication, marketing and outreach strategies that promote 826DC’s mission, engage stakeholders and grow our community of supporters and champions. Key responsibilities include telling the story of 826DC’s impact across multiple platforms, marketing opportunities for the community to engage with 826DC’s work through 826DC’s magic store, events and communication channels, supporting fundraising campaigns, and maintaining donor records and acknowledgments.

The level of this position (Director or Senior Manager) is dependent upon experience and job duties will be adjusted accordingly. Please see the qualifications section for relevant required experience.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Communications & Outreach (50% of time)

• Execute storytelling and marketing strategies that showcase 826DC’s mission & impact, celebrate student writing and increase community engagement
• Create and manage the organizational communications calendar
• Coordinate with the program staff to gather stories, updates and collateral for ongoing storytelling
• Develop the newsletters, website updates, and social media content that promotes fundraising efforts, events, and programs
• Ensure alignment of messaging across fundraising, volunteer outreach, and program promotion
• Track analytics and engagement for digital communications and campaigns
• Support the communication of our organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion with stakeholders, including donors, supporters, board, and staff

Development & Fundraising Support (25% of time)

• Maintain accurate donor records and gift entry using Salesforce
• Process donations and generate acknowledgement letters in a timely manner
• Help plan and execute fundraising events such as Trivia for Cheaters and our signature peer-to-peer fundraising event, Paddlestar Galactica
• Coordinate logistics for donor events including guest lists, sponsorship tracking, and auction fulfillment
• Support annual fundraising appeals (e.g., end-of-year) including mailing and digital outreach
• Support internal and Board fundraising meetings, including note-taking and tracking deliverables

Earned Revenue Strategy (25% of time)

• In collaboration with the Executive Director, maximize store revenue and the store’s effectiveness as a communications tool through a combination of product development, social media marketing, seasonal sales, and store events
• Lead brand management for 826DC’s storefront by managing the in-store and online experience of TAMSCo. and product development
• When appropriate, work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to cultivate and steward store volunteers
• Coordinate with store staff from other chapters to learn from and align with the rest of the network
• Creating and marketing other earned revenue ventures, including space rental and consignment relationships, as needed

YOU COULD BE A GREAT FIT FOR THIS ROLE IF:

• You are a creative thinker who is interested in building upon 826DC’s existing communication, marketing and fundraising strategies
• You thrive in a space of continual improvement and growth
• You equally love a big new idea and a detail-oriented project plan
• You are eager to learn and develop new skills, and enjoy working in a collaborative and supportive work environment
• Most importantly, you have a passion for 826DC’s work and a desire to engage more people in supporting our mission

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 2-5 years of relevant experience in a professional environment, with preference for experience working in communications, marketing and development at a non-profit
  • For candidates with more than 5 years of experience, this position could be elevated to a Director role. See more details below.
• Experience running an organization's communication & marketing campaigns, including through social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn,) newsletters, website and earned media outreach
• Experience with fundraising campaigns and event planning
• Familiarity with donor databases and/or CRMs (Salesforce or similar)
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Possesses exceptional organizational and administrative skills and the ability to manage up;
• Writing or editing experience (e.g., newsletters, blog posts, press releases)
• Experience in managing a small business and/or retail sales and marketing is a plus!