Company description

About Us:
18 Reasons is a nonprofit that increases food security through the power of home cooking. Our mission is to empower our community with confidence and creativity to buy, cook, and eat good food every day. Our vision is to create equity and belonging through the transformative and healing power of home cooking.

 

At our 18th Street Kitchen in San Francisco, we host paid cooking classes with chefs from around the world, and ticket sales help support our free programming for low-income families. Through our Community Programs we offer three, multi-week cooking and nutrition education programs for youth, families, adults, and birthing parents: Cooking Matters, Food As Medicine (FAM) and Nourishing Pregnancy. Each year, we teach thousands of families to buy, cook, and eat good food on a limited budget.
 

About you:

This role is an opportunity for an experienced professional to take your skills to the next level while supporting a dynamic community institution entering our 17th year of growth. The Communications and Special Events Manager will be pivotal in crafting and amplifying 18 Reasons' voice. Your role involves spearheading a robust communications and marketing strategy to enhance our brand presence, foster community engagement, and advance our mission by playing an integral role in major fundraising events. We seek a visionary professional with strong writing abilities, strategic insight, and a deep passion for food, learning, community, and equity. A career at 18 Reasons is an opportunity to learn new skills and play a valuable role in serving the community. We take special care to create a working team of positive, flexible, and driven people who are committed to caring for the community. 

The person in this role is responsible for developing and executing strategic communications and marketing, and executing our annual fundraising gala to support the growth of 18 Reasons’ programs and championing our core values of Food, Heart, Learning, Liberation, and Moxie. You will report to the Director of Development & Communications. This is an opportunity for a driven, dedicated, and ambitious professional to help build the capacity of the Development & Communications Department.
 

As our Communications and Special Events Manager you do not need to be an expert in all communications areas before you start, but you must be highly organized, motivated, curious, and eager to learn. You are meant for this role if you are a lifelong learner driven by a passion for writing, envisioning, and storytelling. Ultimately, we are looking for someone with a talent for communications, a love of building relationships, and a whole-heartedly enthusiastic about growing with our business.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with each qualification in the job description, please go ahead and apply anyway! You might be just the right candidate for this role.

Job description

Responsibilities:

Strategic Communications & Marketing

• In close partnership with the Director of Development and Communications, develop and implement an integrated strategic communications plan to market 18th Street Kitchen, advance 18 Reasons’ brand identity, increase visibility, grow social media presence, move ticket buyers and supporters through the engagement funnel, and communicate the power and success of our programs
• Identify strategic opportunities for paid advertising and develop and manage an advertising budget
• Develop and implement systems for internal communications tracking and KPIs
• Analyze and use data to inform marketing strategy
• Develop and maintain a communications calendar across channels to ensure message consistency and fresh content
• Develop and maintain media relationships and respond to media inquiries.
• Manage Google Grants (Adwords) account
• Manage Google Analytics and social media analytics; set and achieve KPIs

Content Development & Management

• Oversee the creation and distribution of the annual impact report and annual appeal materials, including planning, coordinating with Leadership and design teams, managing deadlines, collecting feedback, developing content, guiding the design process, and ensuring the final printed reports are available on time for the end of year appeal and other stakeholder communications
• Oversee newsletter and social media content strategy and execution
• Assist the Director of Development and Communications with the workflows for longer-form content, such as Annual Reports, grants, and strategic plans
• Edit and provide feedback on content produced by teammates
• Collaborate across departments to streamline organizational messaging
• Work closely with the 18th Street Kitchen team on class descriptions and marketing

Website & Graphic Design

• Lead the transition to a new website, including managing the design process, in partnership with web developers
• Develop high-quality, timely newsletter and social media content in collaboration with the Development and 18th Street Kitchen team
• Create compelling graphics for marketing and collateral

Asset Management 

• Oversee and maintain a comprehensive photo and testimonial library, ensuring assets are well-organized and readily accessible 
• Ensure compliance in the filing and storage of all development department documents, materials, and art assets. Maintain an orderly and secure system for managing these critical resources 

Event Planning and Management  

• Spearhead the planning and execution of our spring fundraising gala
• Coordinate and supervise a professional video shoot to capture and highlight 18 Reasons mission to be shown at our spring fundraising gala 
• Provide exceptional management and personalized service to guests, including individual attendees, sponsors, and table hosts, ensuring a memorable experience for all 
• Act as the primary point of contact for the venue and all vendors, facilitating seamless communication and coordination
• Develop a captivating event theme and create compelling event collateral that aligns with our brand and vision
• Drive the concept and execution of an engaging and dynamic cocktail party, setting the tone for an unforgettable evening 
• Oversee the run of show and stage program, ensuring smooth transitions and a cohesive flow throughout the event 
• Oversee and coordinate additional special events as needed throughout the year

Management of Staff, Volunteers, and Contractors 

• Provide supervision and professional development to the Development Coordinator
• Oversee a roster of volunteer photographers and manage project-based volunteers, aligning their contributions with organizational goals and ensuring successful project completion
• Coordinate projects in partnership with creative professionals such as graphic designers, web developers, illustrators, and other contractors, ensuring high-quality outcomes and timely delivery
• Manage pro bono technical volunteers

 

Requirements

• 3+ years experience in marketing/communications and/or nonprofit development
• Experience creating and executing comprehensive marketing and communications strategies
• While not required, a bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, marketing, journalism, English, or a related field is desirable
• Strong writing, editing, and proofreading experience
• Experience managing integrated product marketing programs
• Experience with event planning and management
• Experience with graphic design desired
• Experience with fundraising communications desired
• Web design and maintenance, social media management, analytics, and CRM management experience
• Superlative writing, editing, and proofreading skills; ability to organize and present a logical, persuasive, and compelling case or narrative
• Ability to quickly produce the highest quality writing for a variety of audiences and media/formats and across a variety of print and digital communications media
• Excellent project management skills, successfully managing competing priorities and deadlines to produce quality results on time with attention to detail
• Adept at building and presenting budgets as well as gathering and incorporating research data and quantitative and qualitative program evaluation metrics
• Technology: the ability to quickly learn and master new technology and software programs as needed
• Candidates must be located in or willing to relocate to the Bay Area; we work out of our office at 3674 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, two to three days a month.
• Occasional night and weekend work required.

 

Qualifications

• Passionate about our core values of Food, Heart, Learning, Liberation, and Moxie

• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work both collaboratively and independently.

• Passionate about our culture of professional development, accountability, continuous and open feedback, and celebrating diversity.
• Willingness to learn on the job and grow with our organization, including working to identify opportunities for innovation.

Reports to: Director of Development & Communications

Physical Requirements

General office duties include: computer work; filing; typing; phone communication; copying; and participating in meetings with donors, funders, and other stakeholders. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable any qualified person to perform essential job duties.

 

Compensation

this position is: salaried, 75k-100k

Application instructions

Deadline

September 01, 2024