Job Title:                    Content Marketing Manager (Professional Storyteller)

Reporting to:             Director of Marketing and Communications

Department:              Community Impact

Exempt or

Non-Exempt:             Non-Exempt

Core Hours

• Full–time. Core hours of Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Must be able to work a flexible schedule, with the possibility of early morning, evening, and weekend work.

Overall Purpose of This Role

• Support and help to advance United Way’s mission of breaking the cycle of childhood poverty in our region by writing compelling, brand, segmented, and program stories that drive engagement with United Way. Drive the development and publication of United Way stories on web properties, social media, marketing collateral, and other channels as deemed appropriate. Magnify the extent and impact of all campaigns and develop compelling, highly shareable, and creative content that will make United Way’s brand messaging, our work within the community, as well as fundraising and advertising campaigns resonate with our various audiences.

Supervisory Direction Received

• Position works under the direction of the Director of Marketing and Communications. Requires planning and arranging of own work in relation to overall set objectives of division. Work subject to review and evaluation by the Director of Marketing and Communications.

Working Relationships

• Works closely with the Marketing and Communications Team. Additional working relationships include staff, donors, volunteers, nonprofit and social sector partners, corporate donor organizations, service beneficiaries, subject matter experts, and other constituents.

Supervises

• No direct reports

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Content Development – 50%

• Be highly proactive and strategic in finding and telling stories across the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette network that demonstrate the impact of United Way’s work within the community, the personal and emotional impact United Way’s work has in people’s lives, and the powerful role our donors, volunteers and partners play in our work.
• Using brand voice and style, create engaging story content utilizing written word, photo, video and audio for social media, marketing collateral, web pages, blog entries, eNewsletters, invitations, brochures, advertising, direct mail, video and stage scripts, and more to engage our current supporters and inspire others to give, advocate and volunteer.
• Write, edit, proof, and post content and copy without grammatical, spelling or content errors.
• Stay abreast of current trends and techniques in social media marketing, and continually identify game-changing platforms, tools and tactics for communicating, distributing and amplifying the United Way message.
• Collect data and feedback regarding donor, volunteer and partner engagement with United Way and the public’s perception of the United Way brand to make smart recommendations regarding marketing content.
• Learn the nuances of the United Way Digital Suite and utilize the tools and resources provided as necessary and appropriate to advance United Way of the Columbia-Willamette’s marketing & communication goals.
• Collaborate with other members of the Marketing & Communications team and outside vendors as appropriate to ensure text and design work together effectively.
• Work with the Director of Marketing & Communications on an effective advertising strategy for social media; make recommendations for boosting posts, status updates, ads and more.

Interviewing – 20%

• Develop interview questions based on established talking points or information needed for story development.
• In collaboration with the Director-Marketing and Communications and the other members of the UWCW team, interview staff, donors, volunteers, nonprofit and social sector partners, corporate donor organizations, service beneficiaries, subject matter experts, and other constituents to produce written content, stories, testimonial content, photo diaries, and marketing videos, establishing comfort level on camera and trust. Interview subjects on and off site in person or via phone or email.

Research – 10%

• Research topics and programs, as needed, for storytelling and interviews.
• Gather data to support storytelling efforts.
• Ensure accuracy and thoroughness of research.

§  Utilize web/social analytics tools, applications, and leading social media monitoring platforms (i.e. Google Analytics, Hootsuite, BuzzMetrics, TweetReach, etc.) to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of our online communications and make adjustments as necessary.

Professional Development – 10%

• Remain current on trends in content marketing and storytelling.
• Build technical skills and understanding of current and emerging technologies as needed for role.

Web Content Publication – 5%

• Prepare content for website and load content into the content management system for final publication.
• Update web content, as needed.

Project Management/Administrative – 5%

• Maintain a spreadsheet to track interviews, permission/releases, and content production and distribution.
• Regularly report progress and status of projects to management to the Director of Marketing & Communications and other team members as appropriate.
• Test new uses of technology and use metrics to drive work.

Public Speaking – 2015/16 Fiscal Year

• Provide public speaking support to Community Account Managers and other United Way employees.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

Mission Focused

Ability to link donor, volunteer, and advocates’ aspiration to needs
Ability to catalyze others’ commitment to mission
Strives vigorously to accomplish shared goals
Separates one’s own interests from organizational interests in order to make the best possible judgments for the organization

Collaborator

Seeks and shares knowledge of community
Takes a collaborative approach to addressing issues
Focuses on shared goals
Mobilizes a broad range of sectors and resources

Brand Steward

Acts with integrity and strong ethics to foster trust at all levels (personal, market, societal)
Internalizes the meaning and commitment of United Way and consistently acts according to its value and purpose
Demonstrates the values of the network; is a good system-citizen
Is accountable and transparent with all stakeholders

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES/ACCOUNTABILITIES

Relationship-Oriented

Understands and motivates individuals and organizations

Values diversity and inclusion

Effectively communicates

Treats others with respect and dignity

Actively listens to and facilitates diverse input and contributions

Self-Management

Presents oneself in an appropriate and professional manner. Communicates, acts, reacts, and responds appropriately in all situations. Effectively utilizes interpersonal skills and political astuteness to: engage with, lead and function as a member of a team as appropriate. Is trustworthy and acts with integrity, authenticity, humility, and in good faith; respecting others’ opinions, priorities, values, and interest. Seeks to continuously improve interpersonal and professional skills.

Communication Skills

Understands and uses empathy, compassion, and active listening. Is fully present and aware of subtleties and nuances such as body language and voice tonality to better understand what is important to constituents and how to connect and engage them with UW. Able to influence, persuade, present, request, sell, negotiate, and close a deal as appropriate.

Utilize and Acquire Knowledge

Is forward-thinking, focused on what is possible, and seeks new tools and knowledge as needed. Is able to use technology when acquiring and utilizing knowledge, and is innovative and creative in its application. Seeks to continuously improve interpersonal and professional skills.

Results-Driven

Has a searing focus on results and can effectively communicate goals and impact

Advocates for support of education, income, and health

Promotes innovation/willing to take risks

Develops relationships to drive resources and results

Has the necessary organizational skills to deliver on business model

Demonstrates Social Responsibility and Stewardship

Has a passion for the common good and affection for the community. Believes in social responsibility and inspires others to be socially responsible. Demonstrates courage and humility when working toward improving life in the community.

ADDITIONAL COMPETENCIES AND REQUIRED SKILLS

• Phenomenal written and oral communication skills, with excellent command of grammar and spelling, and a knack for storytelling using the brand voice with an understanding of audience
• Outstanding command of the English language
• Strong attention to detail, balanced with a high-level, big-picture perspective
• Effective organizational skills, and an ability to work under pressure in a deadline driven environment
• Flexibility to deal with unanticipated projects that have a tight turnaround time by adjusting schedules for other projects and clearly communicating those changes to stakeholders and teammates
• Nimble, can-do attitude. Ability to manage multiple projects at the same time in order to complete them accurately and on schedule. Willingness to embrace change and to adopt strategy on the fly.
• Strong understanding of what makes a powerful narrative and how it’s best repeated across audiences and platforms
• A combination of marketing and publishing mindset, with the most important aspect being to think “customer first”
• Knowledge of content marketing, the writing and editorial process, interviewing techniques, video production, storytelling, and publishing content on the web
• Thorough understanding of United Way’s branding hierarchy, editorial style, program messaging points, and content marketing strategy
• Ability to produce a large volume of written and video stories under tight deadlines while collaborating, adhering to standards, and making adjustments to accommodate changing priorities
• Skill at both long-form content creation and real-time (immediate) content creation and distribution strategies and tactics
• Ability to think like a donor, intuitively understanding what the audience needs to know and how they want to consume it
• Incredible people skills, and strong ability to build and develop relationships with internal stakeholders, donors, volunteers, and teammates
• Demonstrated excellence working as part of a diverse team, including clear in-person and written communication.
• Great powers of persuasion and presentation
• Self-motivated, good at taking initiative, and comfortable operating under a degree of ambiguity.
• Willingness to listen to feedback from others and explore the best ways to incorporate that feedback.
• Excellent client service skills
• Ability to effectively interview anyone from a major donor to a child helped by United Way services, in person or over the phone
• Strong knowledge of AP style
• Passion for United Way’s mission

Education, Skills, experience and Training Required

• 3-5 years’ experience in Marketing, preferably writing content for nonprofit marketing purposes; Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English, Marketing, Communications, or a related field; or a comparable combination of experience and education.
• Training and experience as a print or broadcast journalist, either at a newspaper or nonprofit, with a “nose” for the story, i.e., how to tell a story using words, images, or audio and an understanding of how to create content that draws and audience.
• Experience creating a resource library of content.
• Experience creating compelling messages for different target demographics

Technical Knowledge

§  Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Outlook, blogging platforms, and posting to social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

§  Proficiency with web publishing; experience with Drupal preferred

§  Expertise in web and social analytics tools and applications (Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Hootsuite, BuzzMetrics, SproutSocial, Klout, etc.)

§  Social (media) DNA

§  Photography skills

§  Proficiency in video editing software – iMovie, Final Cut Pro.

§  Experience in the Adobe Creative Suite a plus

§  Spanish language fluency a plus