Job details

Development and Communication Coordinator

The Archdiocese of Chicago is the third largest diocese in the United States and serves more than 2.2 million Catholics in The Archdiocese, pastored by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, has more than 15,000 employees across its ministries, including Catholic Charities, the region’s largest nonprofit social service agency. The Archdiocese also has one of the country’s largest seminaries. The Archdiocese’s elementary and secondary schools comprise one of the largest U.S. private school systems.

Position Summary:

Development & Communications Coordinator sought for Kolbe House Jail Ministry (“Kolbe House”), an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago that ministers to individuals and communities affected by incarceration. The Coordinator will lead and execute fundraising activities for Kolbe House and assist the Executive Director (ED) in increasing awareness of Kolbe House ministries within the archdiocese and across Cook and Lake Counties. This full-time salaried position will interact regularly with the ED, ministry leadership, and the Kolbe House Advisory Board. This is a hands-on opportunity that requires an executive presence as Kolbe House’s fundraising capacity is increased. The successful candidate must be passionate about the mission of Kolbe House and have the ability to energize others about our work. Fulfillment of responsibilities will involve local travel across the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Chicago metropolitan area.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be a highly-motivated self-starter, able to work independently, collaborative, and detail-oriented. The candidate should enjoy networking to cultivate relationships and meet goals. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Assumption of duties will be progressive. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Responsibilities:
DEVELOPMENT (40%)

The Coordinator will be responsible for maximizing contributions through appeals, grant-writing, special events and other campaigns. The Coordinator will identify potential individual donors and new institutional support, and oversee gift stewardship. Fundraising targets will be developed jointly with the Executive Director. For fiscal year 2021, the fundraising target is $500,000.

Develop and implement in conjunction with ED the annual and long-term fundraising plan, which includes individual solicitation, foundation and corporate relations, special events, and annual fund tactics, to support the operations of Kolbe House and meet the goals of the strategic plan.
Achieve annual fundraising goals $410,000 raised in FY2022; $550,000 budgeted for FY2023.
Work with the Advisory Board to maximize their giving potential, help create a Development Council, and develop targeted strategies to engage their relationships with others as potential new donors.
Support the Executive Director in fundraising activities, planning and implementing donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship efforts.
Work collaboratively with the leadership team, developing strategies to ensure financial and fundraising goals are met, and offering a development perspective for organization-wide strategic and operational decisions
Oversee the integrity and timeliness of gift processing, data management and stewardship activities
Reconcile donations monthly or quarterly with the accounting function
Create and generate various financial and dashboard reports for the Executive Director, Advisory Board, and Development Council, as well as other staff as needed.

Specific Duties:

Individual Giving & Campaigns

In consultation with the ED, annually establish campaign goals, objectives, and strategies, and regularly assess progress toward goals.
Draft campaign solicitation materials including emails, infographics, brochures, etc.
Record, track, and manage donors in Salesforce
Utilize the donor database in Salesforce to guide cultivation and solicitation activities
Develop and implement a donor engagement strategy in collaboration with the ED, to maximize donations and retain, expand, and diversify the donor base
Grow a major gifts program including identification, cultivation and solicitation of major donors, with special focus on five and six figure gifts
Prepare materials for individual donor / major gift visits for the ED and board member
Manage donor recognition programs
Ensure timely acknowledgement/recognition of donors and contributions as appropriate through mail, email and phone.
With ED, Identify grant opportunities and submit proposals.

Board Development

Partner with and train Advisory Board and Development Council members by assisting in goal setting , strategy, and coaching, and providing materials and tools, and participating in solicitation calls.
Participate in recruitment of new members of Advisory Board and Development Council
Provide regular and consistent fundraising reports to the Advisory Board and Development Council.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS (40%)

The Coordinator will be responsible for communicating with agency stakeholders, ensuring consistent, clear, and current branding and messaging across platforms and constituencies, adhering to Archdiocese guidelines. The Coordinator will promulgate messaging priorities that drive engagement and advocacy, working with ministry leadership to obtain stories and content to communicate the work and impact of Kolbe House ministries.

Coordinate strategic, high-quality, up-to-date communications (direct mail appeals, emails to constituencies, social media, website, annual report), ensuring consistent, clear, and current branding and messaging across platforms and constituencies.
Provide thought leadership on messaging priorities that drive engagement and advocacy.
Collaborate across teams to plan and provide support for marketing and communication priorities.
Ensure all staff, board, and volunteers are trained on organization messaging and brand standards.

Specific Duties:

Generate content across multiple channels that supports Kolbe House’s voice and objectives within the guidelines of Archdiocese communications policies. In addition to written and digital media, this may include videos, presentations and podcasts, press releases, and event collateral.
Manage digital content to create an active, compelling, and current digital presence for Kolbe House, utilizing social media and website.
Create email newsletters and manage email lists.
Draft content for mailed communications including stewardship campaigns, solicitations, and acknowledgement letters. Oversee all aspects of direct mail appeals and any mass mailings.
Collaborate with ministry leaders to obtain stories and content to communicate the work and impact of Kolbe House ministries.
Develop relationships with archdiocese PR and Communications departments, and publications and media outlets in Chicago, both Catholic and public.
Assist ministry leaders with communications support for ministry programs.
Produce collateral materials including an annual report, coordinating production with graphic designer and printers.

Publish Blessed & Broken, Quarterly Newsletter of Art & Writings of Incarcerated Persons (10%)

Recruit, organize, and supervise volunteers for gathering newsletter content and creating print-ready copy for mailing and electronic distribution.
Grow and maintain mailing list of subscribers on Salesforce, working across teams in Kolbe House and utilizing volunteers where possible.
Publish Blessed & Broken quarterly utilizing mailing house services.
Incorporate Blessed & Broken into Kolbe House communications channels giving insight into the experience of incarcerated persons in furtherance of the mission of Kolbe House.

Leadership and Teamwork (10%)

Maintain a “team first” outlook, supporting the success of the organization and the mission in attitude, ideas, and actions, engaging with staff, program participants, volunteers, and board members. Contribute to organization events, helping as necessary with set up/take down, management, networking, various tasks, etc.
Serve on the management team, supporting the Executive Director to strategize and achieve the mission of the organization.
Work in partnership with other department heads of the organization.

General Responsibilities

Develop an excellent understanding of Kolbe House, its mission, goals, programs, and clientele, and be able to articulate these in a compelling and ethical manner.
Build relationships with participants, fellow staff, key volunteers, community members, agency supporters, and board members.
Evaluate the effectiveness of all fundraising and communications programs, utilizing established metrics and reporting tools.
Collaborate with the preparation of annual budgets for development and communications functions and monitor on a monthly basis to ensure revenue and expenditures are within budget.
Collaborate with the archdiocesan Department of Communications on all matters when necessary, including but not limited to graphic design, web design, and public relations.

Requirements:

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with at least three years of relevant philanthropy/development experience.
Knowledge of development and fundraising strategies and familiarity with Chicago philanthropic community preferred.
Knowledge of or experience in Catholic ministry preferred.
Experience in a CRM-type donor database (Salesforce preferred), analysis, reporting and some project management.
Demonstrated ability to manage a social media calendar across multiple platforms. Proficient in using digital/social media and monitoring and management tools.
Demonstrated experience in fundraising and individual giving solicitations, and participation in grant writing.
Experience planning and executing events preferred
Professional interaction with diverse individuals of means, including donors, trustees, and volunteers.
Marketing and design experience preferred.
Excellent computer skills, including MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Adobe Creative Suite.
Experience with website content management software and Google analytics preferred.

Personal and professional characteristics:

Enthusiastic about the mission of Kolbe House with the ability to energize others about our work
Ability to inspire confidence and cooperation including discretion with confidential materials.
Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with a broad spectrum of people: staff, volunteers, program participants, board members, community leaders, and donors
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including impeccable grammar and editing.
Possession of a valid Illinois driver’s license and willingness to use personal vehicle in the course of employment.
Fluency in Spanish a plus
Willingness and ability to work on a flexible schedule as responsibilities require, including occasional evenings and weekends.
Highly organized, self-motivated, and resourceful, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously
Able to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to fulfill the mission of Kolbe House
Understanding of how Kolbe House fits into the larger Catholic Church and mission of the Archdiocese of Chicago

Physical and Mental Requirements :

Seeing / Comprehension 50 - 100%
Hearing 50 - 100%
Walking / Standing 25 - 49 %
Climbing / Stooping / Kneeling 0 - 24 %
Hand / Finger Dexterity 50 - 100%

The Archdiocese of Chicago is in the midst of exciting changes as we renew our local Church. With a variety of opportunities to contribute your professional talents and experience, we invite you to consider any of our current openings at archchicago.org/careers. We offer competitive salary and benefit packages, as well as opportunities for professional and personal growth and development.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits: