Communications & Grants Manager

Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank; Issaquah (WA); Remote; USD 67,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a compassionate and dedicated team at a vital community resource. As the Communications & Grants Manager, you'll lead efforts in donor engagement, marketing, and grant management, ensuring effective communication and outreach. This full-time role offers the chance to make a significant impact on the lives of families in need. With a focus on creativity and collaboration, you'll craft compelling narratives and manage successful fundraising events. If you're passionate about community service and have a knack for communication, this position is an exciting opportunity to contribute to meaningful change.

Benefits

Health Insurance

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

Simple IRA with Employer Matching

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

12 Paid Holidays

Qualifications

• Two years of related experience preferred, especially in non-profit.
• Highly competent at creative writing and donor communications.

Responsibilities

• Manage donor communications and marketing pieces.
• Oversee social media platforms and create content calendars.
• Support grant writing and maintain records.

Skills

Creative Writing

Content Creation

Donor-Focused Communications

Social Media Management

Event Planning

Grant Writing

Customer Service

Time Management

Collaboration

Public Speaking

Education

Associate or Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Hootsuite

Microsoft Office

Google Analytics

Canva

Adobe Creative Cloud

Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge

Job description

Job Announcement: January 16, 2025
Closing Date: When filled

Alternatively, mail materials to:
Bonnie DeCaro-Monahan, Development Director
Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank
179 1st Ave SE
Issaquah, WA 98027

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Full-time (40 hours/week)

Remote worker, should live in the Bellevue-Issaquah vicinity of Washington State

Reports to Development Director

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Salary of $67,725-$79,000 DOE

Health, vision, and dental insurance plans (85% covered by IFCB)

Simple IRA plan with employer matching

Paid vacation & sick leave

12 paid holidays

ABOUT US

In 2021, we celebrated our 50th anniversary, focusing on the community compassion which makes us the vital resource we’ve become for thousands of families. The staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners of the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank help our East King County neighbors stay healthy, employed, and housed by providing free food, hygiene and household items, case management and resource referral services. We believe that food is a right, not a privilege, and dignity is at the heart of everything we do. Our goal is to provide a gracious space where people feel welcome, safe, and cared for. If you are passionate about this mission and those who find themselves in need of these resources, please consider joining our team of compassionate and driven professionals. We welcome your positive energy and endless potential.

POSITION SUMMARY

The essential role of the Communications & Grants Manager is to act as the lead communications and grants support for the organization. This position is a member of the Development Team managing communications, marketing, grants, events, donor gift acknowledgments, and direct mail campaigns. This team member will craft tailored donor communications such as newsletters, social media posts, letters, and emails. They will also work closely with our staff and graphic designer to ensure branding consistency. In addition, the person in this position will assist with the planning and execution of all fundraising and stewardship events. Alongside this work with the development team, this position will provide support with client and volunteer communications for the Operations and Programs teams to ensure broad, concise, and effective communication about services and programs. They will also manage communications duties including but not limited to event platform management, gift receipt letters, and bulk mailings. Finally, the candidate will manage the grants program, including research, identification, cultivation, proposal and grant writing, report writing, and maintaining the grants matrix and records.

The ideal candidate must be independent, motivated, organized, detail-oriented, and skilled at interfacing with donors and the public. This is a full-time position and standard hours are from 8:00am – 4:00pm Monday through Friday. Hours may vary occasionally for special programs and events; requiring some evening, weekend, and holiday work (4th of July and Thanksgiving morning). This position currently works remotely, occasionally going into the office to support Programs and Operations staff or joining in-person team meetings and activities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Donor Stewardship: Craft clear, concise, and compelling donor-centric communications and marketing pieces that represent how contributions and volunteerism positively impact our community members in need.
2. Provide excellent customer service to constituents that visit, call, or email the food bank.
3. Communicate with donors when recurring donations fail to update payment information and troubleshoot as needed.
4. Social Media: Manage the organization’s social media platforms including creation of year-long content calendar, strategic planning, content gathering and creation, and scheduling.
5. Marketing: Write and distribute press releases. Evaluate and implement digital, print, and other advertising.
6. Website: Act as the staff lead on website troubleshooting, updates, and redesigns and as the liaison between the organization and the CMS provider(s).
7. Clean mailing lists, run mail merges, print, prepare, and mail to maintain quality control and timely donor stewardship.
8. Newsletters: Plan, gather, write, develop, and edit content for quarterly e-newsletters and semi-annual print newsletters. Write and prepare supportive content and platforms. Layout content. Update email and print distribution lists. Coordinate printing and bulk mailing on print newsletters.
9. Email: Plan, write, and create donor-centric communications to promote events and programs.
10. Content Creation: Design and create occasional flyers, posters, social media, digital, print, and website assets (a graphic designer is used for impact reports and most event-related assets). Edit videos as needed for events, social media, etc.
11. Event Support: Work closely with the Development Director and the Partnerships & Events Coordinator to provide support for annual special events such as Recipe for Hope, Turkey Trot, Illuminating Hope, and Leadership Summit. Assist with solicitation and management of event sponsorships. Implement and track event sponsor benefits.
12. Grants: Manage the grants program, including research, identification, cultivation, proposal and grant writing, report writing, maintaining updated basic grants information, and maintaining grants matrix and records.
13. Administrative Tasks: Perform regular development administrative tasks and lead volunteers on projects as needed. Coordinate direct mail campaigns and large mailings; including mail merges, coordinating volunteers to help with mail preparation, and sending mail via bulk mail with USPS. Gather and maintain updated data on need, demographics, statistics, food insecurity outcomes, etc. as needed to support marketing, communications, donor stewardship, and grants efforts.
14. Additional Responsibilities: Act as an ambassador for the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank to help educate the community and grow our support base. Provide support to fellow team members, as needed. Assist the Data and IT Strategy Manager with data entry and clean-up as needed. Attend training as requested. Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Experience: Associate or bachelor’s degree and two years of related experience preferred. Experience working in a food pantry or non-profit is a big plus!

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Highly competent at creative writing and content creation with experience in donor-focused communications and demonstrated success utilizing marketing fundamentals. Comfort with reaching out to stakeholders and collaborating with team members to develop and write content for testimonials. Experience with supporting details around large and complex events. Experience with grant writing and fundraising fundamentals. Proficiency with social media platforms, including Hootsuite. Experience with mail merges. Competency with general office equipment and proficient computer knowledge. Competency with Microsoft Office (especially Word and Excel), database systems, and online reporting tools. Knowledge of customer service and how to lead a team in providing quality services. Ability to organize, set and pivot priorities quickly, and meet deadlines with a high attention to detail in a busy environment. Ability to organize, lead, and motivate volunteers. Ability to exercise good judgment and discretion, maintaining the confidentiality of clients, donors, co-workers, and agencies. Ability to relate well to individuals of all backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. Ability to communicate effectively with clients, donors, volunteers, and co-workers verbally and in writing. Comfort and ability to promote organization in public-facing settings and events. Ability to work independently with a minimum of supervision while employing effective time-management skills. Ability to maintain a flexible schedule, including being able to work occasional evening and weekend hours as needed with advance notice (4th of July and Thanksgiving). Experience using Google Analytics, content management systems, and marketing email systems. Experience with web content, tools, and file standards. Preferred knowledge base of Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or similar CRM platform. Preferred experience using Canva. Preferred experience using Adobe Creative Cloud products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank places equity high on our list of values. As an employer, this is demonstrated by our equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.