Public Funding Communications Manager - Arts Alliance Illinois

Description

This position is 90% remote, with a requirement to attend occasional meetings at the Chicago office, annual staff retreats, and other Arts Alliance events. However, due to the nature of our work, we require all employees to be residents of Illinois during their term of employment with AAI.

The Public Funding Communications Manager reports to the Director of Communications to support the organization’s communications and to assist artists, arts organizations, and businesses in connecting to and navigating applications for public funding.

The position is a full-time, salaried one-year contract ending in August 2024, with the possibility of extension depending on funding availability.

Our interview process includes the following steps, with selected candidates moving to each successive step:

• Initial application
• 1-way video interview - you will be presented with a series of questions similar to a traditional interview but you will have the opportunity to prepare and record your answers.
• Skills and fit assessment (applicants will be compensated $150 for their time).
• Traditional interview with Executive Director, selected team members, and a board member.

Arts Alliance Illinois values diversity and is committed to building an inclusive workplace that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We encourage Black, Indigenous or People of Color, immigrants, LGTBQ individuals, people with disabilities, people without college degrees, and anyone part of a group that has been historically discriminated against, to apply.

The ideal candidate will have the following characteristics:

• A belief that arts and culture are vital to strong local communities and that it is necessary to invest in them.
• Thrives working remotely and independently, while simultaneously being a key member of a dynamic, collaborative team.
• Ability to demonstrate grace and respect for themselves and others at all times, especially when under pressure.
• Ability to self-direct and move projects forward by recognizing when to involve other staff and leadership.

Things to Know About Us

Advocacy work is fast-paced and remote work can be draining. That work is much harder if organizational culture is not a good fit. In order to ensure this is the right position for you, here are some things to know about us before you apply:

• We believe access to arts & culture makes communities stronger and healthier, and therefore advocating for the arts is a common interest shared by all residents of Illinois regardless of background or political affiliation.
• We believe public funding for the arts is a good thing.
• We believe the biggest contribution a person can make to stop the spread of COVID is getting vaccinated –whenever there’s no medical or religious exemption.
• We encourage professional development, rest, and transparency about your capacity.
• We are a small organization where sometimes we need to help our co-workers during heavy workloads.
• We work hard, but we also support taking time away during the day to nap, run an errand, or do whatever you need to make remote environments work for you.
• We discourage working nights/weekends but understand that staff have different rhythms when they are most productive. Occasionally we need to adapt to urgent, politically-imposed, deadlines but we do our best to balance it with time off.
• We cultivate a professional yet collegial work environment where sharing personal anecdotes, playlists, jokes, etc, is welcome.
• We encourage staff members to assume good intentions from colleagues during moments of conflict or confusion but also are intentional about creating space for harm to be acknowledged and repaired.
• We acknowledge individuals and organizations can perpetuate environments where discrimination goes unchecked. To ensure we have a shared language to address these challenges, staff members attend an Introduction to Systemic Racism training.
• We celebrate diversity and don’t seek to assimilate anyone into a broader “work culture.” We make space for people from different cultural, social, political, and religious backgrounds to share and influence the work we do by being their true selves.
• Finally, we realize we will always have work to do to improve our office culture and are looking for team members who will enjoy engaging in that process.

Responsibilities

General Communications (30%)

• Draft copy for use across Arts Alliance marketing materials, including newsletters, social media, partner toolkits, one-pagers, and the website.
• Following AAI brand guidelines, assist the Director of Communications in designing graphics for use on social media, the website, and AAI’s monthly newsletter to promote advocacy opportunities, Arts Alliance program initiatives, and more.
• Manage all Arts Alliance social media platforms, including content creation, scheduling, community management, and implementation of social media campaigns.
• Assist in administrative tasks, including managing email inboxes, replying to social media inquiries, and updating website content.

Public Funding Communications (70%)

• Manage and execute all communications needs for Arts Alliance work with the Cook County Arts Initiative, Technical Assistance Workshop and Webinar Series, and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Community Navigator program, working with the Director of Communications to ensure promotion aligns with overall Alliance communications strategies and calendar.
  • Build and maintain the web presence for Arts Alliance’s technical assistance offerings and the Cook County Arts Initiative and produce necessary communication materials for the initiatives, including social media assets, newsletter copy, email campaigns, website assets, webinar graphics, partner toolkits, and other collateral.
• Manage and execute communications with Arts Alliance’s Outreach Partner Network, including: ensuring Arts Alliance has updated points of contact, responding to Partner requests, and communicating with Partners when there is a funding opportunity that would benefit their community.
• Identify and gather relevant funding opportunities for artists and arts organizations from various sources to provide comprehensive and up-to-date resources.
• Collaborate with the Director of Communications and the Public Funding Navigator to create and execute marketing strategies that effectively connect artists and arts organizations with public funding opportunities.
• Maintain and report on any necessary communications data relevant to the public funding opportunities

Skills and Experience

In order to be considered for this position, candidates must demonstrate the following:

• Proficient writing skills with the ability to create engaging and well-structured content for various platforms, including newsletters, social media posts, and blog posts
• Familiarity with managing social media accounts, creating content calendars, and engaging with online audiences.
• Proficiency in visual content creation tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or similar platforms.
• Proficiency with Google Documents and Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to self-reflect and pivot based on feedback.
• Strong project management skills, high level of self-organization, deep care and attention to detail, and ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Strong understanding of the importance of cultural competence when working with diverse communities, Arts Alliance represents and works with individuals and organizations across the entire state of Illinois.
  
  

The following are not requirements but will result in a stronger application:

• Experience with Salesforce
• Proficiency in HTML editing.
• Experience using a website platform (WordPress preferred).
• Experience using an email platform such as Pardot, Mailchimp, or Constant Contact.
• Experience with arts/culture/creative industries

Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt position for one year, ending in August 2024 with potential to extend dependent on funding. The salary range is from $54,000 - $57,000 commensurate with experience and expertise. Arts Alliance Illinois provides a suite of benefits to ensure an optimal work/life balance for our staff. This includes unlimited paid time off with a minimum of 15 days required plus federal holidays and an end-of-year break, 403(b) match after the first year, medical/dental/vision insurance, phone and internet stipend, and paid family leave. A comprehensive breakdown of these benefits is provided to all finalists.