Communications & Advancement Associate

12 – month Full Time Administrative
Garden School announces the immediate opening for the Communications & Advancement Associate position . The position supports all Advancement efforts at the school, specifically with regard to public facing communications, development, and admissions work. Therefore, experience and passion for these areas is desired. 
Garden is an innovative and collaborative environment where staff enjoy a great deal of flexibility and autonomy in their work in tandem with well-developed support structures to enable strong outcomes. This is a twelve-month administrative position which interfaces across all divisions and departments so the Communications & Advancement Associate has the benefit of impacting and interacting with all aspects of the school. 
This year, Garden celebrates its 103rd year serving the children and families of Queens and as we recently adopted a new strategic plan, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of a series of initiatives intended to usher Garden into the next century. Further, as Garden seeks to hone its brand and grow its visibility and reputation, this position offers the opportunity to work with a strategic team on advancing the school’s many ambitious goals. 
The Advancement Department is composed of the:

Assistant Head of School for Advancement who oversees all Development, Fundraising, and Alumni engagement efforts. 
Director of Admissions and Marketing who oversees all Admissions and Marketing efforts.
The Communication and Advancement Associate who bridges those departments to create and share an interconnected story, brand, and identity for the school. 

The Communications & Advancement Associate

Manages the production and distribution of weekly newsletters (editing for grammar, tone, graphics) 
Manages the school’s multiple databases (ensuring accuracy of addresses, analyzing open rates, etc.) 
Manages the school’s website (managing all revisions at the direction of the Assistant Head of School and Director of Admissions & Marketing) 
Manages the on-line school store (managing inventory, introducing new products, creating seasonal promotions and marketing of the store)
Designs and produces all print materials (brochures, mailings, annual report, etc.) 
Executes on our social media and marketing plans and monitors all social media platforms 
Assists with the marketing efforts of all Garden programs (Core N-12 school, PKFA, Camp, etc.) 
Assists in archiving images and other materials from school events 
Assists with activities and communications for the Garden Family Association, Alumni Society, and other special Advancement initiatives
Assists reasonably with other aspects of the school as needed throughout the year
Provides technological and administrative support for all advancement events
Provides technological and administrative support for all admissions events
Researches prospective families in admissions 
Completes preliminary research on individual donors, foundations, and grants
Supports all fundraising efforts/events (New Family Social, Annual Fund, Gala, Alumni events, end of year giving, etc.) 
Helps process and track individual gifts and prepare gift acknowledgement letters
Tracks and benchmarks industry trends as well as trends in peer schools
Monitors and curates the school’s online presence (searching and attending to common review sites, google, etc.)
Fields admission inquiries with quick and personalized responses, and enters the inquiry into the database and/or the pipeline spreadsheet. 
Photographs school events and activities and creates content for school communications, social media, and special projects.
Creates and distributes schoolwide communications (announcements, invitations, emergency notices, other time-sensitive updates).
Creates and maintains targeted email distribution lists for schoolwide, admissions, advancement, and alumni communications.
Coordinates with printers and other external vendors on quotes, proofs, production, and delivery of print materials.
Attends and facilitates Open House events.

 
This 12-month full time role comes with excellent benefits, two weeks paid vacation, flexible hours for summer and school holidays along with intermittent remote time on a project by project basis. If you enjoy working with an innovative team, employing best-practice, and being part of the mission that helps bright students achieve their potential, please forward your cover letter and resume to the attention of Chris Herman by emailing [email protected]  
  This is a role for someone with exceptional project management skills, strong computer skills who is detail oriented, a capable writer, collaborative, personable, and who builds strong relationships. This job is for someone who can work between departments and see the big picture needs of a complex organization. This role is for someone who can move through tasks quickly, independently, and with great attention to quality.
Garden utilizes a wide range of technology to support its efforts including Excel, Adobe Illustrator, Wordpress, Google Suite, Blackbaud, Raiser’s Edge, Jotform, Paypal, Facebook, Instagram, Canva, and others. Therefore, experience with and/or the ability to quickly acclimate to these tools is essential.