Media/Marketing/Event Manager

West Place Animal Sanctuary is a growing non-profit seeking to increase donor support by creating a new position that will require an equal mix of social media and content creation, marketing, and event planning. We are looking for someone to grow our existing social presence; expand, improve, and implement new and existing marketing strategies; and plan and execute event strategies by working with existing donors willing to host events and seeking new opportunities. As a small non-profit, each staff member wears many hats and each of these responsibilities do not require full-time positions. This unique and creative role requires a high level of creativity, attention to detail, and project management skills. The right candidate is well-rounded, with a track record of success in all three parts of this position, able to effectively grow our organization’s presence and increase revenue, and is comfortable around all types of animals. This is an income-generating position and meeting certain metrics will be expected. The ideal candidate will have non-profit experience and understand spending within an organization’s budget.

Schedule: Five days a week, schedule TBD, but weekends ARE required, and evenings may be required based on eventsStarting Rate of Pay: up to $50,000 depending on experience, portfolio, education and trainingTwo weeks paid vacation/PTOWorker’s Comp coverage
Social Media and Content Creation

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Grow and manage the organization’s social media profiles and presence, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, and additional channels that may be deemed relevant with a goal toward monetization via vehicles including Patreon.

• Create shareable content appropriate for specific networks to spread both our brand, message, and our content.
• Establish a content calendar and plan for long-term campaigns and initiatives while being able to address immediate and emergent needs.
• Distribute content that educates and engages our audience and supports marketing goals.
• Drive consistent, relevant traffic and leads from our social network presence.
• Explore new ways to engage and identify new social networks or ways to reach our target donors and supporters, always looking to gain new followers and donors.
• Develop social media strategies with the aim of increasing brand awareness and donor engagement.
• Analyze the long-term needs of the organization’s social media strategy and present quarterly reports to executive management, outlining any necessary changes to the overall digital marketing plan.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest social media trends and digital technologies.
• Monitor and respond to follower feedback, comments and social media posts.
• Grow our YouTube channel with our various content (including our music content and our on-site ‘personality’).
• Build an online virtual immersive tour, finding the appropriate platform; filming and curating a unique visitor experience.
• Direct and collaborate with volunteer videographer, social media volunteers and student interns, and staff 

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent work experience.
• Active and well-rounded personal presence in social media, with a command of each network and their best practices.
• Excellent writer, communicator and creative thinker, with an ability to use both data and intuition to inform decisions.
• Past experience producing content for the web specifically, as well as channel-specific knowledge (blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
• Understanding of Linktree, Metricool, Business Suite, Google for Nonprofits, Canva, and other digital platforms and software
• Past experience building audiences either online or offline.
• A dual-minded approach: You’re highly creative and an excellent writer but can also be process-driven, think scale, and rely on data to make decisions.
• Experience creating and implementing effective content strategies. For candidates seeking this role, have a portfolio of content you’ve created and be prepared to talk about how the content performed and supported overall business objectives. 

Marketing and Product Marketing Management:

As a marketing manager you will use our current assets and create new assets to consistently reach and get us in front of new audiences. You will be expected to be our chief promoter. As a product marketing manager, you will be a leader on the team responsible for telling the world why they need our products or need to donate or get involved with us. Our non-profit has a substantial online shop that includes clothes to yoga items to home goods and everything in between. Product marketers play a crucial role in positioning products/services the right way to the right people because they have a deep understanding of our target customers and how your products and services fulfill their needs. 
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• The ability to craft and edit enticing content, while also understanding the data and analytics behind the performance. The ideal candidate will be constantly looking for ways to experiment with new marketing strategies to find what works best for our audience.
• Ability to go into surrounding communities with our printed content in order to drive visitors to our sanctuary.
• Creating new printed content when necessary (do note that our brochures and marketing materials have been recently updated and should stay relevant for some time, but additional printed content creation may be necessary).
• Crafting the strategy around the messaging and marketing for our current products as well as new launches.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent work experience.
• Past experience in digital marketing, community outreach/engagement, product marketing, and/or product management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills -- there is a heavy amount of writing and presenting/”selling” ideas in this role.
• Prefer working in a collaborative, cross-team capacity. This role requires you to work across functions and departments to bring our mission and our products to life. You are at the center of our entire organization, constantly interacting with teammates and prospects.

Event Planning:

Event planners are the masterminds behind every successful gathering. You will juggle a ton of responsibilities to bring an event vision to life. You may need to seek a committee to assist you in implementation and execution. We do already have many standard established events which are run each year but we are looking to add to these by creating additional and larger events as new sources of income.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Reaching out to current leads and cultivating a working relationship to entice donors to put on events, through gatherings, fundraisers, etc. for the benefit of our organization.
• Generating new leads and coming up with unique ideas for events, both small and large that will maximize income with minimal budget spending. 
• Budgeting and Financial Management – One of the most crucial roles of an event planner or event manager is creating and managing the event budget, keeping a close eye on costs, talking to vendors to get the best prices or optimally, successfully locating donated food, drink and necessary items, and finding ways to make the most of the budget without sacrificing quality. Must have a good grasp of financial event management and being able to navigate the complexities of event budgeting.
• Venue Selection and Booking – Finding the perfect event space is another critical aspect of an event planner’s job, finding a space that aligns with the event’s goals, accommodates the guest list, and fits within the budget. The space may be at West Place, it may be in a donor’s home, it may be at a venue, it may be put on by another group for us but requires our professional planner to execute part or all of the event.
• Vendor Management and Coordination. No event can happen without a team of reliable vendors, from caterers and florists to audio-visual technicians and entertainment providers. You will be required for sourcing, selecting, and managing these vendors to ensure a seamless event experience. This involves a lot of communication, coordination, and problem-solving skills. Building strong relationships with vendors is essential in this business, as they can make or break an event. That said, we do have relationships with several companies and individuals that donate, and we grow our own flowers, so minimizing output of funds is key.
• Marketing and Promotion. Getting people to attend an event is just as important as planning it. An event planner plays a key role in event marketing and promoting the event to the target audience. This can involve creating engaging social media campaigns, reaching out to media partners, and leveraging influencer networks to generate buzz.
• You will also be the on-site point person, overseeing every aspect of the event’s execution. From managing the setup and teardown to troubleshooting any issues that arise, an event planner must be able to think on their feet and adapt to changing circumstances.
• An event planner is also responsible for conducting a thorough post-event evaluation to measure its success and identify areas for improvement. This involves gathering feedback from attendees, analyzing key metrics like attendance and engagement, and creating a comprehensive report for stakeholders.

 Requirements:

• Experience with event planning or a BA/BS in same.
• Excellent communication skills, able to listen to our organization’s needs, to provide expert guidance, and keep management informed every step of the way.
• Excellent problem-solving skills on the spot and coming up with new ideas when things change.
• Staying cool and figuring things out fast is a must-have skill for this job.
• Fiscal responsibility and the ability to find cost-effective solutions.

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