Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications

$95,000 - $105,000/Yr

The Urban Assembly - New York, NY

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - New York, NY

Educational Services

About the position

The Urban Assembly (UA) is seeking a passionate and motivated individual to fill the role of Deputy Director of Advancement and Communications. This position is based in New York City and operates in a hybrid work environment, requiring a blend of onsite work with schools and district teams across NYC, days at Urban Assembly's central office in Manhattan's Financial District, and work from home. The Deputy Director will report directly to the Director of Advancement and Communications and will play a crucial role in enhancing the visibility of the Urban Assembly both locally and nationally. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in external relations, donor cultivation, marketing, and branding, with a focus on storytelling and showcasing the impactful work of the UA. This role will also involve supervisory responsibilities for the Institutional Giving Manager as the position evolves. The Urban Assembly is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting social and economic mobility through innovative public education solutions. Since its inception in 1997, UA has founded over 20 small, career-themed high schools in New York City, pioneering career-connected education. The organization partners with schools and districts to design and implement solutions that enhance social-emotional learning, post-secondary readiness, and instructional quality. The UA is committed to dismantling barriers that prevent students of color from accessing postsecondary and career opportunities, and values the unique backgrounds of every student. In this role, the Deputy Director will be responsible for various key functions, including development, external relations, marketing, content development, and press relations. The position requires a strategic thinker who can identify and cultivate relationships with prospective donors, write compelling grant proposals, and support the execution of fundraising campaigns. Additionally, the Deputy Director will assist in broadening the UA's brand identity and managing its online presence, ensuring consistency across all marketing and communication platforms. The role also involves supporting media interactions to promote the UA's impact and organizing donor cultivation events to strengthen relationships with key stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Identify prospective individual donors to cultivate through research and networking.
• Write grant proposals and reports to major individual donors.
• Support the development and execution of the annual online fundraising campaign.
• Develop solicitation materials for the annual giving campaign.
• Develop tailored written materials (e.g. pitch decks, concept notes, and briefs) for sharing with prospective partners, funders, and elected officials.
• Support the Director of Advancement and Communication and CEO with funder relations and donor meetings and visits.
• Play a key role in supporting direct grants to schools and setting up school fundraisers.
• Oversee a portfolio of special grants.
• Support advocacy, relationship-building, and outreach efforts to elected officials, donors, and schools.
• Support the scheduling, planning, and tracking of school visits with elected officials, donors, partners, and board members.
• Identify visit opportunities by staying up to date with school events.
• Support the development of materials and outreach to elected officials.
• Attend networking events to develop relationships with donors, elected officials, and other key stakeholders when the CEO or Director is not available.
• Develop a small quarterly donor cultivation events calendar; Plan and execute events with the advancement team.
• Assist in the planning and execution of other large-scale fundraising events.
• Broaden and strengthen UA's brand identity among key stakeholders, including students, families, thought leaders, donors, officials, community partners, and alumni.
• Assist with event publicity and execution.
• Create and distribute newsletters for the Advancement team.
• Update website content and design with input from external partners and UA staff.
• Manage UA's visual content library, including photos and videos.
• Maintain UA's online presence through weekly social media updates.
• Manage contact lists and marketing platform for advancement and CEO.
• Design marketing materials with the Director of Advancement and Communications and consultants.
• Ensure consistency across all marketing and communication platforms.
• Review all external-facing documents.
• Establish and maintain internal communication norms, including a UA style guide.
• Identify possible media opportunities by scanning the news and staying up to date on school events.
• Strategically prioritize media opportunities, including support for UA and school leadership and staff in preparing talking points, speeches, presentations, and other supporting material as needed.
• Support the scheduling and tracking of press visits to schools.
• Support the development of clear and ambitious team goals aligned with organizational strategic priorities annual team goals.
• Support the development of team reports, and presentations.
• Support the development of efficient team systems and processes, including Asana project templates, reporting and proposal development processes, and information management.

Requirements

• At least 5 years experience with fundraising, donor/external relations, or marketing/PR in the nonprofit or education sector.
• History of securing revenue and/or meeting fundraising goals for a project or organization.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with event management and relationship-building in a professional setting.
• High level of professionalism.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Google Suite.
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g Asana), preferred.
• Experience with WordPress and/or HTML, preferred.
• Experience using content management systems and Google AdWords and Analytics preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks with deadlines and adapt to changing priorities as needed.
• Self-starter who can work independently or as part of a team.
• Awareness of local and national education issues and passion for mission-driven youth development and school support work.
• Ability to prioritize and follow through effectively.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with content management systems and Google AdWords and Analytics preferred.

Benefits

• Commuter assistance
• Health insurance
• Work from home
• Employer-funded healthcare
• Financial support for professional development
• Generous vacation time