Communications & Advancement Coordinator

Job Title:

Communications & Advancement Coordinator  Department:
Illinois Chapter

Location:

Chicago, IL

Reports To:

Chapter Director
** Context**:
At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of interdependence. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel injustice, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our future.

By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it. Sierra Club has close to 800 staff across the country and a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers.

We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees.  Scope:
The Communications & Advancement Coordinator will help support Illinois Sierra Club’s efforts to build a grassroots movement for 100% Clean Energy for All in Illinois. This role is focused on developing and maintaining our digital communications and fundraising (“advancement”) efforts. This position will work with chapter staff and volunteer leaders to develop and share messages and graphics to promote our campaigns and action opportunities with the nearly 20,000 people on our statewide email list, over 3,000 people on our statewide texting list, over 3,000 followers on social media, and nearly 1,000 active donors.

The Communications & Advancement Coordinator will be responsible for several weekly tasks that will help the chapter maintain regular and engaging communications with our supporters and the swift processing and acknowledgement of donations. This position will also play a key supporting role during fundraising events and mailed appeals at specific times each year, which will require in-person days at our Chicago office.##

Job activities include but are not limited to:
* Mass emails, texts, & newsletter management.
Create and send e-newsletters. Help schedule, prepare, and send other mass emails using our marketing systems and mass text messages. Create, print, and mail the annual print newsletter in the fall.
* Social media management & website maintenance.
Schedule engaging daily posts and stories that highlight Illinois Sierra Club’s work and issue areas on our social media accounts. Use Drupal to maintain our website with blog posts and up-to-date static content. Post relevant video content to our channels. Use our internal platforms to maintain our online events calendar, including digital registration forms for Outings. Coordinate with staff and volunteer teams on content.
* Multimedia content creation for Chapter communications platforms.
Ensure content is consistent with broader Sierra Club messaging goals and implemented strategically. Develop, implement, and coordinate communications and digital engagement strategy for the full range of chapter campaigns. Use Canva to create eye-catching shareable graphics.
* Donation processing & record-keeping.
Pickup mail weekly at our downtown Chicago office. Prep and deposit c4 donation checks at the bank. Mail c3 donation checks to the Sierra Club Foundation. Record donations in Salesforce database. Coordinate with volunteers to write thank-you notes to donors. Contact monthly donors to update expired credit cards. Send donation reports to Chapter Director each quarter. Assist Chapter Director with other donor stewardship strategies.
* Fundraising appeals coordination.
Help prepare fundraising letters, brochures, and mailing lists for annual mailed appeals in spring, summer, and fall. Coordinate volunteers to hand-address major donor letters and other fundraising tasks. Lead outreach for nonprofit giving days like Illinois Gives in May and Giving Tuesday in…