Director of Events & Marketing

Reports to: Chief Philanthropy Officer

Supervises: Volunteers, Interns, Vendors

Schedule: Full time

Wage Scale: $65,000-$75,000 annual equivalent salary

FLSA Status: Exempt

PENCIL’S VISION AND CORE COMMITTMENTS:

PENCIL links community resources to Nashville Public Schools to help young people achieve academic success and prepare for life.

PENCIL exists to create a world where Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) students and teachers have equitable access to resources and opportunities, empowering students to succeed now and in the future. We will do this by creating a community that respects the unique perspectives and experiences of all stakeholders through proactive listening, continuous learning, and tireless advocacy for every student.

Our work is guided by the needs of MNPS, is student centric, and is achieved through intentional partnerships and tangible engagements.

As the PENCIL team, we will:

· Be collaborative and inclusive —By encouraging conversations that amplify and uplift the voices of all students and communities, especially those marginalized by inequitable systems.

· Act with transparency and integrity — By striving to continually educate ourselves, intentionally recruit and retain diverse staff and stakeholders, and encourage everyone to share their authentic perspectives and experiences to our work.

· Demonstrate kindness and gratitude— By valuing the unique experiences that each student, staff, and community member bring to our work.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Events & Marketing will raise funds to support PENCIL’s work primarily through managing all aspects of PENCIL’s brand development and awareness and generating revenue and community support by executing a series of donor-, volunteer- and partner-engagement events and campaigns annually.

Under the supervision of the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Director of Events & Marketing will create the logistical plan related to the fundraising, stewardship and engagement events hosted by PENCIL, assuming responsibility for creating timelines, budgets, sponsorship packages, communication plans, event chair management, volunteer engagement opportunities, etc. for all events. The Director will execute activities and effectively delegate key tasks to consultants, colleagues, or supervisees as needed.

The Director of Events & Marketing works with the Individual Giving Manager to assure implementation of all donor protocols (timely thank yous, benefit fulfillment, etc.) related to special events while also ensuring event donor, sponsor, and guest records and data are documented in an accurate and timely way in PENCIL’s donor database (Salesforce). The Director will guide team members and board members to actively engage with event experiences.

This person also creates marketing strategies to gain greater brand awareness for and community participation with PENCIL, with implementation support provided by an outside contractor. These strategies will include social media, website, press releases, targeted emails, and one-on-one communication. The topics of these communications will be diverse and include subjects like PENCIL Partner profiles, student profiles, volunteer profiles, program profiles, event invitations, and sponsorship opportunities. The Director collaborates with both the outside contractor and the Grants & Content Manager to identify and generate compelling content for multi-channel marketing and communications for the organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Special Events Management (60%)

• Generate revenue for PENCIL programs and services through excellent execution of a portfolio of events; assures budget goals are achieved for all events
• Exceptional ability to create memorable PENCIL event experiences through annual events like the Back to School Breakfast, Donor Appreciation Dinner, and A Little Night of Music that link donors, partners and potential donors and partners to PENCIL’s mission; and guide other staff or contracted professionals to plan and implement PENCIL events that meet that same standard. Create communications plans for each event and work alongside the Individual Giving Manager to implement the plans
• Work with the Chief of Partnerships and Programs to design recruitment materials and a communications plan for Principal for a Day event, and supervise event venue logistics
• Lead event committee/event chair management to assure volunteer leaders are meeting event revenue targets with support from staff
• Outline timelines and work plans for each event in order to allow for adequate input and engagement by staff members and volunteers
• Create and manage budgets for all events and manage revenues and expenses to assure financial success that tracks to fundraising goals
• Recruit and manage vendors who provide events-related services
• Manage online technology systems to capture critical event data such as ticket sales, registration, RSVPs, and auction bid information with support from the Individual Giving Manager
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Data and Outcomes and Individual Giving Manager to assure ease of data transfer from event registration and payments sites to Salesforce
• Successfully utilize Salesforce to manage and track donor engagement with events by logging meetings, follow-up calls, and communication related to pledge invoices, payment timing or preferences, etc.

Marketing & External Communications (30%)

• Build annual content calendar, including monthly themes/stories; maintain communication cadence and key messages for PENCIL audience segments (donors, volunteers, corporate and community partners, MNPS teachers and staff); and leverage PENCIL communication channels for campaigns as appropriate, including website, digital newsletter, and social media (LinkedIn, X, Meta, Instagram)
• Supervise and support outsourced contractor’s work to meet monthly/quarterly deliverables as they relate to the above work
• Assess audience growth and engagement by monitoring social media and website traffic
• Manage all aspects of monthly eNewsletter including generating story ideas, gathering facts, writing copy (with support from Grants and Content Manager) and sending to target groups
• Maintain up-to-date and accurate information in Emma database (or other email software) to ensure precise information is targeted to specific groups
• Ensure website content is up to date – including staff pages, impact stories, videos, events
• Development and implementation of multi-channel campaigns for partnership recruitment, recognition and volunteer tracking
• Design print pieces to support campaigns (Canva) and supervise outsourced graphic design when needed
• Facilitate the creation of video and photo collateral to give visual representation to our message
• Coach staff and board on how to best represent the PENCIL brand and assist in increasing the reach of our messaging
• Document all activities in the designated customer relationship management tool (Salesforce) in a timely, accurate and complete manner to assure a full picture of all partnerships, ensuring that data is kept current at all times
• Extract data from Salesforce database to successfully manage timely communication to specific target audiences

Support the Development & Marketing Team (10%)

• Support Individual Giving Manager in managing third party fundraising events benefitting PENCIL
• Create and document replicable systems and processes
• Perform other functions as assigned by the Chief Philanthropy Officer

QUALIFICATIONS:

• EDUCATION – Bachelor's Degree is preferred or equivalent experience
• SKILLS –
  1. Exceptional attention to detail
  2. Exceptional written communication skills
  3. Critical thinker who displays sound judgement in prioritizing problems to solve and opportunities to pursue
  4. Exceptional planning and execution skills related to creating memorable events for all participants
  5. Creative thinker who can effectively deliver high-level experiences that successfully promote the PENCIL brand
  6. Highly organized, deadline driven and detail oriented
  7. Strong interpersonal skills, maturity, and good judgment
  8. Capable of communicating with a diverse range of individuals
  9. Intermediate to advanced user of technology and knowledge of technology systems that can be used to generate revenue through events
  10. Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office; skilled at using both Canva and Adobe Suites is a plus
• EXPERIENCE – at least 5 years’ experience in events management, marketing, or nonprofit fundraising, with demonstrated ability to coordinate donor-facing events
• CONFIDENTIALITY – ability to manage sensitive information in a professional and confidential manner as outlined in PENCIL’s Confidentiality Policy

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Moderate physical activity performing somewhat strenuous daily activities of a primarily administrative nature.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to reach/handle items, works with the fingers, and perceives attributes of objects and materials.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• The employee is required to stand, walk, climb, and balance.

WORK SCHEDULE & HOURS:

This position works 40 hours each week, typically Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., with occasional evening and weekend hours for special events. However, schedule flexibility is available on an as-needed basis.

DIVERSITY & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:

PENCIL is committed towards developing a diverse staff that reflects the community we serve. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented communities often do not submit a resume if they do not feel highly qualified in all areas, therefore we extend an invitation to all candidates to apply, especially those from historically underrepresented communities, including but not limited to, those identifying as Black/African American, Indigenous/Native, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African and other people of color; LGBTQ candidates; and candidates with disabilities.

PENCIL is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

This job profile is not intended to be all inclusive of tasks required, it is to provide a general description of essential job responsibilities.

Qualified applicants should please include a cover letter, resume, and relevant example of work of no more than 3 pages, in PDF or Word format. PENCIL will review applications on a rolling basis but will not accept new applications after 11:59pm on Sunday, July 7th.