Job Description
We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Communications Specialist to join our dynamic Office of Development team. You will have the opportunity to work across the Scouting America organization, partnering with stakeholders to create work that inspires prospective donors to support Scouting, encourage ongoing support from existing donors and Scouting alumni, and to ensure brand and message consistency. Ultimately, playing a vital role in revitalizing the iconic Scouting program and ensuring its future success as a cornerstone of American youth development.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is dedicated to advancing the organization’s goals through effective communication. Translating insights and trends into engaging communications and developing fundraising materials, you will play a pivotal role in helping drive consistent philanthropic communications in many forms of media. The Senior Communications Specialist role also involves taking on a “team lead” position to oversee and participate in the creation of creative assets, collaborating with and mentoring philanthropic engagement team peers, collaborating with the national marketing team, and guiding the initiation of process improvements. This position reports to the Manager of Philanthropic Engagement.
Responsibilities
- Serves as a senior creative member of the philanthropic engagement team, ensuring the future of an iconic American brand.
- Works closely with the team manager and peers in development services, fundraisers, writers, and partners in related departments, including marketing, publications, web, social, alumni, and more.
- Translates customer insights data and current trends into compelling work that engages audiences, builds trust, and drives them to support Scouting.
- Takes a leading role in ideation and creates/designs assets for philanthropic engagement and stewardship campaigns.
- Innovates donor and prospective donor communications by crafting design visuals for creative efforts such as proposals and proposal layouts/templates, case statements, philanthropic initiatives, and event marketing support.
- Works closely with key stakeholders to establish/adapt/expand Scouting America Foundation brand guidelines and create fundraising toolkits, templates, etc., in support of fundraising initiatives.
- Assists with the creation of a versatile library of photo and video assets for philanthropic engagement and stewardship in cooperation with the development services, Scouting America multi-media, and marketing teams.
- Partners with marketing channel leaders to implement strategic, fundraising-related visibility enhancements that both engage and perform.
- Spots departmental needs and takes initiative to assist in the creation of new processes that enhance the way we work, as well as the work itself.
- Leverages a proactive, detail-oriented mindset to gather information, integrate feedback, and keep work moving from first draft to final approval.
- Leads the effort to solicit bids, qualifications, and selection of production including printers.
- Guides the creativity of outside production partners to be on-brand, conceptually interesting, and executed at the highest levels.
- Serves as an ambassador for the National Office of Development, establishing relationships that further fundraising initiatives for Scouting.
- Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
Competencies
- Knowledge of: High to expert level writing and editing skills, graphic design skills (Adobe Creative Suite), high level of competency in branding and messaging, ability to tailor messaging to different audiences, social media marketing, strong attention to detail; web content editing experience preferred.
- Skill in: Creating compelling messaging and creative assets that are visually appealing and technically accurate, including brochures, newsletters, presentations, and other marketing collateral for various media formats (print, digital, web); page layout and construction tools for print and digital publications; working with PDFs, including adding features like form fields, links, and interactive elements; high-resolution scanning, color correction, and image manipulation; organization for managing design files, naming conventions, and archiving; working effectively with internal and external stakeholders to develop and implement design projects; identifying and addressing design challenges creatively and efficiently; writing and editing copy for various channels. Team management and mentoring skills a plus.
- Ability to: Manage and prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work effectively within a team environment with a sense of urgency; ensure visuals are accurate, consistent, and adhere to brand guidelines; meet deadlines and manage multiple projects simultaneously; juggle different tasks and priorities effectively; take initiative and work independently with minimal supervision; stay updated on new design trends, software advancements and champion innovations in philanthropic engagement; adjust to changing demands and project requirements; provide excellent service to internal and external clients; mentor other creative specialists within the team and build good working relationships with peers and managers within the Office of Development as well as the wider Scouting America organization; communicate clearly and succinctly in order to maximize production time.
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