Communications and Events Manager

Family Focus; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Family Focus in Chicago seeks a Communications & Events Manager to lead content creation, digital engagement, and fundraising events across the Loop Office.

You will manage marketing materials, coordinate events, collaborate with center directors, and enhance branding while ensuring messaging aligns with organizational priorities.

The role combines hands-on communications with event planning in a fast-paced nonprofit environment, offering growth and impact opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, or related field.
• 3+ years of progressive experience in communications, marketing, digital marketing, public relations, event planning, or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience planning and coordinating fundraising or community events.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor communication style, tone, and messaging to diverse audiences.
• Ability to build positive working relationships with colleagues, leadership, community partners, vendors, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Experience with social media, email marketing, website content, and digital communications.
• Strong attention to detail and exceptional proofreading skills.
• Strong analytical skills and experience utilizing tools such as Google Analytics and Sendible.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Creative, resourceful, collaborative, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Nonprofit experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate marketing content across social media, newsletters, and website.
• Plan and manage fundraising and community events including logistics, vendors, registration, materials, and attendee communications.
• Coordinate event-day logistics and post-event communications, follow-up, and evaluation.

Skills

Content creation

Social media

Email marketing

Digital marketing

Public relations

Event planning

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, public relations, event management, or related field

Tools

Google Analytics

Sendible

CMS

Constant Contact

Job description

Job Title: Communications and Events Manager

Location: Family Focus - Loop Office

Supervisor: SVP of External Relations

Family Focus is your partner in building strong families across the Chicago Metropolitan area! We're here to support families and their children including emergency assistance, child welfare services, family support services, educational programs, and more. Our goal? To help our communities thrive and reach their full potential! With 11 centers across Chicagoland, we're eager to expand our reach and make an even bigger impact. That's why we're seeking a creative, organized, and collaborative Communications & Events Manager to support the organization's marketing, communications, fundraising, and community engagement efforts.

The Communications & Events Manager position combines hands-on communications work with event planning and management. The Manager creates and coordinates communications across digital and print platforms and plays an active role in planning and executing fundraising and community events. The position works closely with External Relations leadership and colleagues throughout the organization to ensure communications and events are engaging, well-coordinated, and aligned with organizational priorities.

Ready to make a difference? Key duties include, but are not limited to:

Marketing & Communications

• Create and coordinate engaging content for social media, email, newsletters, website, print materials, and other communications.
• Manage website and social media content to ensure information is timely, accurate, and engaging.
• Develop and coordinate marketing materials including flyers, brochures, invitations, reports, signage, and promotional materials.
• Support photography, videography, media opportunities, and other creative communications projects.
• Help ensure consistent Family Focus branding and messaging across communications and locations.
• Collaborate with Center Directors and staff to gather stories, program information, and content.
• Monitor communications and digital engagement and identify opportunities for improvement.

Events & Fundraising Support

• Coordinate the planning and execution of fundraising and community engagement events, including timelines, logistics, vendors, registration, materials, and attendee communications.
• Develop event-related communications and materials, including invitations, signage, scripts, talking points, and promotional content.
• Coordinate event-day logistics and post-event communications, follow-up, and evaluation.

Project & Vendor Coordination

• Manage multiple communications and event projects, priorities, and deadlines.
• Coordinate day-to-day relationships with creative, communications, web, photography, videography, printing, and event vendors.
• Track project deliverables and follow up with internal and external partners to keep work moving.
• Identify opportunities to improve communications and event processes and workflows.

The ideal candidate will have the following education and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing, public relations, event management, or a related field preferred.
• 3+ years of progressive experience in communications, marketing, digital marketing, public relations, event planning, or a related field. Proven success in creating and executing marketing and communications strategies and campaigns.
• 2+ years of experience planning and coordinating events, preferably fundraising or community events.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor communication style, tone, and messaging to diverse internal and external audiences.
• Ability to build positive working relationships with colleagues, leadership, community partners, vendors, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Experience with social media, email marketing, website content, and digital communications.
• Strong attention to detail and exceptional proofreading skills.
• Strong analytical skills and experience utilizing tools such as Google Analytics and Sendible.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Creative, resourceful, collaborative, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Nonprofit experience preferred.

Salary range: $75,000-$85,000/year (commensurate with qualifications, experience, and in consideration of internal equity)

This is a full-time exempt position.

Discover all the benefits we offer to support your well-being and professional growth here: https://www.family-focus.org/about/benefits/

Family Focus is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Family Focus is an Equal Opportunity Employer that invests in strengthening families and their children in Chicago and NE Illinois, so they build social capital and achieve upward economic mobility through high-quality innovative programs and services, grounded in anti-racism and social justice.

Family Focus provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, or service in the military. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

Keywords: Event Planner, Marketing Manager, Communications Manager, Public Relations, Event Management, Google Analytics, CMS, Sendible, Constant Contact