Senior Director of Development & Communications

ORGANIZATION

Founded in 1990, Southside Organizing Committee (SOC) is the longest-serving grassroots community organizing institution on Milwaukee’s near south side. SOC is a neighborhood-based organization dedicated to working with (organizing), and for (advocacy) neighbors. SOC is committed to helping residents achieve a greater voice, vote, and vehicle to work together to achieve positive changes and social justice in their neighborhoods and the greater community. We seek applicants aligned with these values. 

SOC’s current program model is hybrid (in-person & virtual/digital), bilingual (English/Spanish), and is comprised of adult and youth social justice organizing including civic engagement, leadership development, community development (safety, housing, and more), and is expanding to add Latino/a/x services. 

SOC is a rapidly growing organization with an expected annual budget of $2 million that potentially could more than triple depending on an award decision later this year. Most of our funding is raised from foundations and government and secondarily from contracts, events, program fees, and donations. There are currently four senior managers with an expected six by year’s end. The staff team is currently 17 members and expected to reach more than 30 by year’s end. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

SOC seeks a Sr. Director of Development and Communications (the Sr. Director) to serve a key role during an exciting time of growth and mission expansion for the organization. The position will work with the Executive Director and Senior Management Team to set and prioritize strategies to continue to increase revenue, strengthen communications and visibility, and support organizational impact with the engagement of key stakeholders including the Board, neighbors, staff, volunteers, and partners.

The Sr. Director reports to the Executive Director, serves as a member of the senior management team, and supervises the department’s staff. The department staff currently includes a Communications Coordinator/Digital Organizer. Department capacity will continue to grow as revenues are increased, within organizational priorities, and through volunteers including interns.

JOB ROLES

The Sr. Director leads, develops, and manages the department and serves on the Senior Management Team.

Leads: The Sr. Director will lead the continued increases and sustainability of revenues and strengthening of communications and visibility in alignment with SOC’s vision, mission, principles, and strategies, in partnership with the Executive Director and with the engagement of the full team and stakeholders mentioned above, ensuring the department meets annual deliverables towards long term goals for revenues and communications with excellent internal and external customer service.

Develops: The Sr. Director will continue to develop the department infrastructure and programs to support growth, articulate and integrate them throughout the organization, create and implement strategic and operational action plans, and ensure staff performance while fostering staff development and wellness, and secure support including technical assistance, equipment, technology, software, digital applications, etc.

Manages: The Sr. Director will manage the day-to-day department and staff to ensure quality work is completed on time with the utmost integrity and contribute to a welcoming, inclusive, and brave space of impact. As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Sr. Director will honor the centering of constituents with lived experience in the pursuit of social justice, will share the management of the organization with the team through a learning and growing approach that encourages support and accountability, and serve as an ambassador for the organization.

KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Development/Fundraising (80%)

• Increase and sustain revenues (and other resources like in-kind gifts) including prospecting, relationship cultivation and management, solicitation, management, and communication (internally and externally) of private foundations, government, corporations; major donors; individual donors, events, contracts, program fees, venture enterprising and related special projects.
• Support and partner with the Executive Director, the Board, and other organizational members on all major development initiatives including managing and staffing, and reporting to the Board and other resource development committees, volunteers, and members.
• Create and implement strategic development action plans prioritizing proposals including writing, submitting, managing, monitoring, reporting (internally and externally), and archiving relevant information with a long-term relationship-management approach.
• Manage, implement, and monitor development data systems for donor relations and funding tracking.
• Lead special projects including potential rental income, cooperative agreements with services, etc.

Communications (20%)

• Strengthen communications and visibility including branding, marketing, communications, media and public relations, digital production, and bilingual services.
• Support and partner with the Executive Director, the Board, the Communications Coordinator, and other organizational members on all major communications initiatives including managing and staffing, and reporting to the Board and other resource development committees, volunteers, and members.
• Create and implement strategic communications action plans (internally and externally) in collaboration with the Communications Coordinator and other members including advancing: brand identity to enhance support, marketing strategies to increase neighbor engagement, communications to broaden awareness of mission and impact, and media and public relations to increase visibility of programs across key stakeholder audiences.
• Manage, implement, and monitor communications systems including overseeing the production and implementation of bilingual marketing and communications projects, content, and graphic design in collateral hardcopy, digital, and online information including events, social media, annual reports, newsletters, and other ongoing exchanges.
• Lead media and public relations, cultivate and manage relationships, serve as primary point person and one of the spokespersons, and develop speaker’s bureau along with coordinating speaking engagements.

Senior Management Team

• Actively work with the Executive Director and other senior managers to implement and improve SOC’s strategies to support organizational impact.
• Share the management of the day-to-day organization and senior management team responsibilities.
• Every SOC staff is trained and activated as a community organizer in addition to other duties.

IDEAL CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

• Aligned with and committed to SOC’s organizational values
• Minimum 5 years of proven success in nonprofit diverse revenue development in which the applicant was directly responsible for raising significant funding annually and highly experienced in proposal/grants
• Minimum 5 years of proven success in leading, developing, managing a team/department, and the responsibilities primarily as described in this job announcement
• Proven success in communications primarily as described in this job announcement
• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree a plus

• Ability to work, and preferably thrive, in a fast-paced, rapid-growth, and fluid environment
• Ability to work both independently without close oversight, and as a team player
• A professional and resourceful style that takes initiative requiring being proactive, highly responsible, adaptable, and flexible
• Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail able to manage multiple tasks and projects
• Excellent judgment, and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution
• Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills
• Ability to effectively interface with and productively engage diverse stakeholders listed in this job announcement with high sensitivity and deliver high internal and external customer service
• Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish and cultural competency in the Latino/a/x community a plus.
• Lived experience or extremely strong knowledge and history of experience with Milwaukee’s near Southside and/or Latino/a/x community preferred (experience in similar communities considered)
• Able to work full-time and in person a combination of weekdays, weekends, days, and evenings
• Must continuously maintain a valid driver’s license, have a reliable and insured vehicle, and will need to transport equipment and materials (may need to transport other persons)
• Able to lift up to 50 lbs.

Compensation:  Salary is commensurate with demonstrated experience and success in the range of $90,000 to $105,000. SOC offers generous benefits that staff vote to prioritize each year including currently: 85% of health vision, and dental insurance; 100% of secondary health ins. reducing the cost of copay and deductibles, 100% of a $50k life insurance, 100% of short and long-term disability, 26 paid time off (PTO) days increasing by a day per additional year of service up to 36 PTO days, professional development, and retirement matching (coming soon this year).