Director of Marketing and Public Affairs

Organization

Baltimore Community Foundation is a philanthropic foundation created by and for the people of Greater Baltimore, where many donors join together to make the region they love a better place, today and for future generations. Our mission is to inspire donors to achieve their charitable goals from generation to generation and to improve the quality of life in the Baltimore region through grantmaking, enlightened civic leadership and strategic investments. BCF’s vision is of a Baltimore that boasts a growing economy where all have the opportunity to thrive. Our action agenda organizes grants, initiatives and advocacy around this vision. The values that guide our work are trustworthiness, inclusion, and entrepreneurialism.

With assets over $250 million comprised of nearly 900 charitable funds, BCF has granted over $600 million since its inception in 1972 and is one of the Baltimore region’s top grantmaking foundations. BCF makes charitable contributions to support a wide range of issues affecting the Baltimore region, currently with a focus on investments in two interest areas: Neighborhoods and Education. BCF also serves as the fiscal sponsor for major program initiatives and is affiliated with multiple supporting organizations. BCF undergoes a vigorous accreditation every year and is certified under the Council on Foundation’s National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.

BCF operates from the knowledge that profound disparities in opportunity exist between people of color and their white counterparts; and we acknowledge the historic and ongoing role that structural racism plays in creating and perpetuating those disparities. That is why we are committed to reducing racial disparities, identifying and combating structural racism, and fostering more equity and inclusion through our grantmaking, initiatives, and advocacy.

Position

The role of the Director of Marketing & Public Affairs is to provide strategic direction for the brand identity, marketing, and communications of the Foundation, and to manage the messaging of the work and impact of BCF through multiple channels including the website, print materials, and multimedia and social media. The Director will work closely with the VP of Philanthropy, the BCF leadership team, and all other departments to connect with BCF’s target audiences and promote the mission and vision of the Foundation and maintain the Foundation’s good reputation. This person will manage the Communications Team and will report directly to the President & CEO.

Responsibilities

• Manage the marketing plan, communications, and public relations for the Foundation;
• Develop and oversee a communications strategy aligned with BCF’s brand identity and its organizational goals, including:
• overseeing BCF’s website, ensuring a constant stream of fresh, up-to-date content that connects with and supports outreach to a variety of audiences;
• managing BCF’s social media presence and messaging with timely and relevant content;
• directing communications related to the Foundation’s public policy advocacy agenda and thought leadership;
• managing BCF’s crisis communication plans;
• supporting Community Investment department with strategic communications that promote BCF’s overarching goals;
• Serve as the co-site administrator for the Foundation website including directing the vision and scope of the website, making sure content is current and relevant and managing content authors;
• Oversee the work of the Communications Team and provide partnership, coaching, identifying learning and development opportunities, and administering their reviews, including:
  • guiding communications staff to identify and develop stories that illustrate key BCF messages and disseminating stories through a variety of media;
  • managing the production of an annual cycle of print and electronic communications, including public relations materials;
  • overseeing the design, production, and distribution of Foundation publications, including the annual report, newsletters, e-newsletters, e-blasts, brochures, annual appeals and others that may be developed;
  • manage a style guide to provide brand and communications consistency across organization;
  • develop and monitor an annual budget for the communications department;
• Seek out, initiate, and leverage opportunities to market the Foundation through multiple channels (earned and purchased media, social media, events, and creative collaboration);
• Manage a comprehensive marketing program to potential donors focused on BCF’s development goals;
• Assist fundraising strategies to analyze donor capacity and giving trends to upgrade donor engagement with the foundation particularly in the area of electronic and web communication and outreach.
• Oversee BCF’s public relations efforts, including:
  • press releases highlighting the distribution of grants, major gifts to BCF, changes to the board of trustees and staff leadership, and other newsworthy topics;
  • supporting the CEO in development and placement of op-eds
  • a media relations strategy cultivating relationships with media and identifying opportunities to pitch stories;
• Contribute to special projects and reports;
• Cultivate and manage vendors, consultants and firms used for brand development, graphic design, printing, and public relations;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree is required; a master’s degree or similar advanced degree is desired;
• At least 5 years of demonstrated professional experience with progressive responsibility in marketing, communications and/or public relations;
• Aptitude for problem solving, project management, and creative resourcefulness;
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills;
• Demonstrated familiarity with the variety of disciplines pertinent to a broad communications effort: graphic design, electronic communications, print production, media relations, etc.
• Knowledge of Baltimore civic, community and regional issues and an understanding of non-profit management;
• Ability to handle pressure, multi-task and set priorities for all members of the communications team
• Attention to detail;
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for the Foundation’s mission.

To Apply

The Baltimore Community Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a diverse pool of candidates in this search. We strive to be trustworthy, inclusive and entrepreneurial in all we do. We offer a competitive compensation package including benefits such as health, vision and dental insurance, retirement contribution and match, tuition reimbursement, life insurance, disability insurance, charitable match, flexible spending account, employee assistance program and more. To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter by clicking here:

https://baltimorecommunity.applicantstack.com/x/apply/a2erubrsbiq7

Direct calls and/or unsolicited third-party endorsements are strongly discouraged. No professional recruiters please