Marketing & Communications Coordinator

The Marketing & Communications Coordinator is part of the Community Engagement Team. The team focuses on making donors and volunteers part of the Pillars team and connects the resources of our community with the needs of Pillars. Team activities include fundraising, outreach to donors, grant-writing, volunteer recruitment, event planning, public relations initiatives, media relations, and community involvement. The Marketing & Communications Coordinator reports to the Community Engagement Director and serves a key role in upholding the Pillars brand and telling the Pillars story to support the mission of the organization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Has passion for the mission of Pillars and displays agency values: Respect, Collaboration, Empowerment and Grit.
• Develops, in partnership with the Community Engagement Director, and implements annual and initiative-specific marketing and communications plans for Pillars. 
• Interacts with all operational teams within Pillars (Crisis Housing, Stable Housing, Supportive Services) to develop and maintain an awareness of agency activities; collaborates with Development Manager to capture stories and develop compelling cases for community engagement and support.

• Coordinates the production of newsletters, appeals, and the annual report in collaboration with the Development Manager, Community Engagement team and Pillars staff; guides and/or designs layout, writes copy, manages timelines and expenses.
• Creates Pillars collateral materials, including brochures, presentations, flyers, event invitations, sell kits, etc., all in keeping with the Pillars brand; engages freelancers as needed within budget.
• Prepares news releases, coordinates interviews, and maintains relationships with local media to share the Pillars story in the community.
• Supports Community Engagement team across functions – fundraising, volunteerism and outreach – by preparing materials and integrating communications and marketing for all initiatives and events.
• Owns the look, feel, and content of the Pillars website; prepares and shares relevant information on the Pillars blog, with an eye to cross-channel communication.
• Maintains a social media plan, identifying target audience and goals for each medium; executes plan with both discipline and responsiveness to change.
• Coordinates photography and video of internal and external Pillars events, activities, employees and clients, acquires photo releases as appropriate and maintains a storehouse of Pillars art.
• Supports staffing of outreach events and community engagements. 
• Spends time regularly with clients utilizing Pillars services to understand the mission of the organization. 
• Other duties as assigned.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Confidentiality – Ability to maintain confidential information and safeguard the security of information of Pillars and our clients. Keep private information from unauthorized individuals, either within Pillars or others outside the organization.
• Written Communication – Writes clearly and persuasively. Edits work for spelling and grammar. Varies writing style to meet needs. Able to read and interpret written information, and use a tablet or smartphone.  
• Project Management – Takes initiative to ensure projects are completed in a timely manner; demonstrates strong planning and organizational ability; has a passion for working collaboratively with others to attain a positive outcome.
• Creativity – Actively seeks to improve services; offers new and different options to solve problems.  Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas. 
• Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner. Gathers and analyzes information skillfully. Develops alternative solutions. Works well in a group problem-solving situation; remains calm when dealing with emotional topics.
• Teamwork – Balances team and individual responsibilities. Gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
• Three years of marketing and/or communications related work experience is strongly preferred
• Experience with website and social media management strongly preferred
• Experience with WordPress, Canva, and Adobe Creative Suite strongly preferred
• Possess and maintain a valid Wisconsin driver’s license
• Ability to travel locally, with access to a reliable vehicle and personal auto insurance which meets Pillars minimum requirements for liability (100/300/100). 

This position is expected to work inclusively and respectfully within a diverse community and practice civility in the workplace. In addition, this position requires strong oral, written, interpersonal, and organizational skills, demonstrated integrity, and the willingness to work independently and as part of a collaborative team. This position requires knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and related technologies.  

BENEFITS: 

Benefits include health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, vacation, holidays, sick leave, short & long term disability, life insurance, 401k retirement account and an Employee Assistance Plan.