Communications & Donor Relations Manager

Our mission is to support children, organize families, and connect neighbors

to uplift the dreams, power, and leadership of community and address systemic inequities.

SOMOS Mayfair was created in 1997 as a place-based, community-led initiative to address the systemic inequities in the Mayfair neighborhood of East San José. We are generations of immigrants, rooted in a vibrant community, who nurture healthy families and speak out for justice in Silicon Valley. SOMOS effectively operates with the evolving needs of the community and with the emerging opportunities for regional partnerships. In the past five years this has led SOMOS to focus our efforts on building the power of our community through leadership development, programming for multi-generational families, and community organizing.

Over its history, SOMOS has built a deep and lasting set of organizational strengths and norms that include:

• Commitment to SOMOS Mayfair platform and values.
• Deep passion to advance social justice in immigrant, working class communities.
• Strong moral principles and values; trustworthiness, honesty and respect.
• Deep respect demonstrated in communication with community, staff, board and partners.
• Focus on seeking common ground among stakeholders.
• Professionalism in quality of work, and representation of the organization.
• Capacity to nurture and cultivate healthy working relationships and communication.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and growing capacity within the organization.

SOMOS Mayfair is one of five anchor organizations in the Mayfair neighborhood of East San José, including Amigos de Guadalupe, Grail Family Services, the School of Arts and Culture at MHP, and Veggielution that comprises the Sí Se Puede Collective (SSPC.) The SSPC formalizes the shared commitment of these organizations to serve low-income families living in the Mayfair community. By coordinating the work of these organizations, the SSPC aims to produce a much greater positive impact in the community than any organization can do alone.

Position Overview:

SOMOS Mayfair is thrilled to be expanding our management team and adding a Communications and Donor Relations Manager (CDR) to lead our internal/external communications strategy and enhance our relationships with donors. This presents an exciting opportunity for a skilled leader and storyteller to continue amplifying community voices while shaping our communications plan during the implementation phase of our new strategic plan. As we embark on the implementation phase of our new five-year strategic plan, we seek a skilled leader and storyteller who can amplify community voices and effectively engage both funders and the broader community in our mission.

Supervised by the Director of Resource Development & Strategy, the CDR will play a pivotal role in framing our work externally for both funders and the community. The CDR will be instrumental in framing our work externally, crafting compelling messaging that resonates with both funders and the community. They will lead efforts to develop and execute a comprehensive messaging strategy, strengthening our communications infrastructure to effectively convey the stories of those driving our initiatives forward. In collaboration with the senior management team, the CDR will guide SOMOS Mayfair in building a robust donor relationship management system, ensuring that our supporters feel valued and engaged. This includes implementing effective communication practices to keep donors informed about our progress and the outcomes of their contributions, as well as providing opportunities for them to actively participate in and support our initiatives.

Overall, the Communications and Donor Relations Manager will be integral to advancing our mission, both internally and externally, by amplifying community voices, fostering strong donor relationships, and effectively communicating the impact of our work. 

Ideal Candidate Qualifications and Qualities

• Commitment to Community: Deep passion and commitment to advancing racial, economic and social justice in immigrant, working class and multi-generational communities
• Experience with Core Constituencies: Experience working with core constituencies such as women and non-binary people of color, immigrants, and indigenous communities; a lived experience that reflects our communities is highly desirable.
• Previous Experience: Proven experience in a lead role in Marketing and Communications, Public Relations, Digital Content Development, and/or Donor Relations, with a focus on community-centered storytelling and engagement.
• Excellent Communication Skills: Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills to effectively convey complex ideas and engage diverse audiences.
• Relationship Building: Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders, including staff, board members, community members, partners, and other stakeholders, fostering collaboration and collective action.
• Collaborative Approach: Sincere commitment to working collaboratively with all constituent groups, utilizing influence and consensus-building skills to drive alignment and achieve shared goals.
• Project Management Skills: High degree of ease utilizing project management software and tools to effectively manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven Leadership Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire team members in the development and execution of communication strategies, with a focus on amplifying community voices and aligning with organizational values.
• Storytelling Expertise: Exceptional storytelling skills to effectively convey the impact of SOMOS Mayfair's work, engage diverse audiences, and shape compelling narratives that resonate with funders and the community.
• Communications Strategy Experience: Extensive experience in developing and implementing comprehensive communications strategies, including messaging, content creation, and audience engagement across various platforms.

Key Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Bilingual/biliterate Spanish-English required
• Strong people management, training, and supervision experience, including knowledge of professional development systems and practices.
• An earned reputation for being trustworthy, with excellent judgment and discretion
• Kindness and strengths-based leadership: someone who sees value in every person and communicates respect and encouragement to people at all levels; a passionate investment in the wellbeing and success of our staff and our organizational partners
• Deep passion and commitment to advancing social justice in immigrant, working class  and multi-generational communities.
• Valid California Driver’s License and proof auto insurance 
• Fingerprint and background check may be required
• Strong computer literacy skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace, knowledge of Canva, Hootsuite, Squarespace, and Salesforce is a plus

Duties and Responsibilities (approximate % of time)

Marketing and Design  (30%)

• Develop, implement, and evaluate the communications plan across the SOMOS Mayfair collective’s audiences in collaboration with the Director of Resource Development & Strategy
• Develop communications infrastructure to create momentum and awareness of SOMOS’ impactful work as well as to track and measure the level of engagement within the network over time
• Identify and implement tools and technologies to streamline communication processes, improve efficiency, and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
• Create multi-media collateral in service to all team’s campaigns and goals, including but not limited to newsletters, videos, photos, annual reports, graphics, and print materials
• Lead the generation and design of online content that engages our audiences through SOMOS' social media channels.
• Maintain and update SOMOS Mayfair's website, ensuring new and consistent information such as article links, stories, and events are posted regularly.

Communications and Public Relations  (15%)

• Cultivate earned media and manage press relationships
• Proactively shape the public’s understanding of East San José, regenerative economies, immigrant/women leadership, affordable housing, and other core concepts
• Organize press conferences and support and coordinate generation of press releases, talking points, statements, fact sheets, PSAs, and other press materials
• Serve as point-of-contact for media inquiries and forward reporters’ questions to pertinent staff
• Collaborate with the Director of Resource Development & Strategy Director to co-develop and implement SOMOS Mayfair’s crisis communications plan 

Strengthen Donor Relations and Fundraising Support (25%):

• Lead efforts to develop and execute donor communication strategies to cultivate and inspire philanthropic support for SOMOS Mayfair.
• Collaborate with the rest of the Resource Development team to create donor-centric communication materials, including appeals, acknowledgments, and impact reports.
• Support fundraising campaigns by providing communication assets, messaging guidance, and donor engagement strategies.
• Manage volunteers related to supporting our fundraising/communications efforts, including recruitment, training, scheduling, and recognition programs to ensure the smooth functioning of volunteer activities in alignment with organizational goals.
• Serve as a liaison for community and strategic partnerships to ultimately facilitate bringing resources outside of just financial into the organization. 

Strategic Partnerships (15%)

• Support the Director of Resource Development & Strategy in crafting internal organizational communications related to Resource Development efforts
• Meet regularly with all teams to support, understand and amplify their work and tie it to priority organizational narratives. Offer framing and strategy as needed.
• Support and participate in the Marketing and Communications efforts of the Sí Se Puede Collective as a Leader representative from SOMOS Mayfair.
• Provide capacity-building and coordination of digital organizing efforts with partners

Organizational Alignment   (10%)

• Integrate advocacy and campaign priorities into SOMOS Mayfair's communication strategies, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and values.
• Cultivate relationships with community members and stakeholders to gather stories and testimonials highlighting the impact of SOMOS Mayfair's work.
• Implement leadership development model within SOMOS’ communications efforts 
• Connect families to ongoing learning opportunities and SOMOS Collective spaces
• Collaborate with internal teams to integrate community voices into communication materials and campaigns, ensuring authenticity and relevance.
• Always uphold our full SOMOS model. Support families and partners to understand this way of working by modeling our integrated approach
• Seek out opportunities to build relationships with all SOMOS stakeholders, including but not limited to staff, community members, partners, funders and board members

Administrative (5%)

• Create and execute an annual work plan, that includes organizational strategies and milestone deadlines  
• Execute a Learning & Professional Development Plan to develop or strengthen essential skills and seek opportunities for greater and on-going learning, including community organizing models and the practice of popular education pedagogy
• Participate in agency wide decision-making arenas and in regular internal political education as needed
• Contribute to the development of organizational world-view and execution of strategic plan
• Participate in SOMOS Mayfair staff meetings and trainings and support major organizational campaigns and projects
• Attend monthly manager meetings to provide updates on communications efforts, gather input from other teams about their departmental activities, and contribute to strategic discussions.

SOMOS Mayfair is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, actual or perceived gender identity and gender expression, disability, genetic information, familial status or veteran status.