Manager, Marketing Activation

United Way of Metropolitan Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision

Life and AD&D Insurance

Disability Leave

Paid Family Leave

Employee Assistance Program

401k Plan

Paid Time Off including Personal Time,

Job summary

United Way of Metro Chicago is seeking a Manager, Marketing Activation in Chicago, IL. The role concentrates on translating strategic marketing plans into integrated campaigns that boost brand awareness, audience growth, and fundraising outcomes, while managing cross-functional teams and budgets.

You will lead campaign execution, optimize media buys, and ensure on-time delivery of materials. The position requires collaboration with development, content, and operations teams and a willingness to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field.
• 3–5+ years in marketing activation, campaigns, or related.
• Experience with fundraising, events, CRM, donor engagement.
• Familiar with GoFundMePro or similar tools preferred.
• Collaborative, deadline-driven, strong communication.
• Proficient with CRM systems and project management tools.

Responsibilities

• Execute integrated marketing campaigns supporting fundraising and community engagement.
• Coordinate paid media planning, trafficking, and monitoring for campaigns.
• Manage vendor contracts, design processes, and budgets.
• Oversee campaign performance data and optimize results.
• Lead GoFundMePro events and peer-to-peer fundraising initiatives.
• Collaborate with development, content, creative, and operations teams.
• Set up Trello tickets and ensure timely delivery of materials.
• Provide go-to-market support for annual campaigns and sponsorships.

Skills

Integrated marketing

Paid advertising

Fundraising campaigns

Vendor relationships

Cross-functional projects

Strategic execution

Stakeholder coordination

Results-driven

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing/Business

Tools

Trello

SmartSheets

Salesforce

CRM systems

GoFundMePro

Microsoft Office

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Manager, Marketing Activation

Regular Full-Time Professional Chicago, IL, US

Salary Range: $65,000.00 To $70,000.00 Annually

POSITION:Manager, Marketing Activation

DEPARTMENT: Marketing & Communications

REPORTS TO:AVP, Marketing

PAY GRADE:6

STATUS:Full Time, Exempt

SALARY RANGE:$65,000- $70,000

ABOUT UNITED WAY OF METRO CHICAGO

United Way of Metro Chicago brings together business, government, philanthropic, individual, and community leaders to deliver funding and resources while amplifying the expertise of nonprofit organizations across greater Chicago. We help individuals meet their basic needs and work alongside neighborhood partners to address local priorities and create communities where all people can thrive. United, we are building a stronger Chicago region.

ABOUT 211 METRO CHICAGO

211 Metro Chicago is a 24/7/365 helpline connecting Cook County residents to health and social service resources. 211 Metro Chicago is operated by United Way of Metro Chicago and launched with support from the City of Chicago, Cook County, philanthropic partners and the 211 Metro Chicago Advisory and Executive Boards composed of business, civic, charitable and social service organizations.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Marketing Activation Manager is responsible for executing integrated marketing strategies that strengthen brand awareness, engage key audiences, and support organizational goals across fundraising, community impact, volunteer engagement, and 211 Metro Chicago. This role translates strategic marketing plans into coordinated campaigns, manages cross-functional execution, and ensures initiatives are delivered on time, on budget, and with measurable impact. You will turn high-level organizational marketing strategies into organized, executable campaigns to advance the marketing and communications departmental goals to increase brand visibility, audience growth, and conversion.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Execute integrated marketing campaigns that support organizational priorities, including fundraising, volunteer engagement, corporate partnerships, advocacy initiatives, civic strategies, community impact programs, and 211 Metro Chicago.
• Coordinate the planning, placement, trafficking, and monitoring of paid advertising campaigns for United Way and 211 Metro Chicago.
• Manage insertion orders, advertising agreements, and campaign documentation; work with Sr Manager, Art Director on creative development; and manage annual marketing budget.
• Manage contract process and management for all design and paid advertising vendors.
• Review marketing campaign performance data and collaborate with Marketing Operations Manager to evaluate effectiveness.
• Manage the production schedule and routing of all campaign materials 2x / year.
• Receive content edits from Digital Content Manager and work with Art Director to update design.
• Partner with the Marketing Operations Manager to ensure associated website updates, digital assets, and supporting materials are completed.
• Updatestaff training deck highlighting available materials and partner with Manager of Digital Content to deliver training and staff updates.
• Day-to-Day Liaison with Development Team
• Serve as Marcom representative in weekly collaborative team meetings.
• Partner with fundraising staff to develop marketing support plans for annual campaigns, sponsorship initiatives, donor engagement efforts, and stewardship activities.
• Provide direction to Marcom team on support needs for development team and ensure timely execution of requests.
• Direct Mail Campaign Management
• Serve as Marcom team project manager for annual direct mail fundraising campaigns
• Partner with Development, Content, Creative, and Operations team members to ensure successful campaign execution according to approved strategic direction.
• Set up Trello tickets and ensure Marcom team delivers all materials on time
• Day-to-Day Lead for GoFundMePro
• Manage the development and execution of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.
• Pull fundraising campaign reports and report out on audience participation insights.

Provide back-up support to Events & Programs Marketing Specialist on event page builds, including registration and donation set-up.

OTHER DUTIES

• The core responsibilities listed above are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties.Other duties may be assigned by Senior Management.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate is a highly organized marketing professional with experience managing integrated marketing campaigns, paid advertising initiatives, fundraising campaigns, vendor relationships, and cross-functional projects. This individual excels at translating strategy into execution, managing competing priorities, and coordinating stakeholders to deliver measurable results

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A) in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field.
• 3 to 5+ years of demonstrated success in marketing activation, campaign management, brand marketing, communications, project management, or related experience. Experience managing paid advertising campaigns and vendor relationships.
• Experience working with fundraising, event management, CRM, or donor engagement platforms.
• Familiarity with GoFundMePro or similar event management and online giving tool preferred.
• Ability to work well in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent verbal, presentation, and written communication skills
• Strong analytical and marketing project management skills
• Detail-oriented with focus on delivering results through creative marketing solutions
• Proactive, self-starter, problem solver and organized
• Energized and able to manage and prioritize many tasks simultaneously
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Teams, Zoom Webinar, Trello, SmartSheets; experience with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) preferred.
• Familiarity with website content management systems preferred.
• Photography or video editing experience a plus

Other Requirements

• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings or weekends, for events as required.
• Ability to travel within the Chicago region.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Guided by a clear set ofCore Values and Behaviors–Passionate About the Work,Good Teammate,Being Curious,andEquity Minded,youwill join an impressive group of individuals and contribute your diverse set of experiences,skillsand characteristics to the organization.

• Accepts guidance and responds well to feedback.
• Displays maturity, good judgment, enthusiasm, and personal motivation.
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to anticipate workload and effectively cultivate and leverage relationships with colleagues to meet deadlines.
• Collaborative entrepreneurial spirit, ability to multi-task and prioritize concurrent projects and day-to-day tasks within a high production and fast-paced environment.

BENEFITS OFFERED

• Medical, Dental and Vision
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Disability Leave
• Paid Family Leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• 401k Plan
• Paid Time Off including: Personal Time, Sick Time & Paid Holidays

The responsibilities listed above are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work required in the role. The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required. The incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as assigned. We believe the term “diversity” incorporates all the characteristics that make us both alike and unique: our backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, lifestyles, identities, gender, points of view, approaches to solving problems, ways of working, and views of personal and career success. It is the intent of United Way to follow both the letter and the spirit of local, state, and federal laws governing Equal Opportunity Employment as those laws exist today and as they may change in the future.