Job Description
ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS:
- In-person Engagement through tens of thousands of children and adults volunteering at our Giving Factory warehouses to sort and package high volumes of new and like-new donations from our communities for our Service Partners to distribute to the children they serve.
- Online Product Donations Giving Factory Direct matches product donors directly to children who need the items they have to donate. GFD is currently available in a growing number of communities as we expand our reach nationally.
- Advocacy and Awareness Cradles to Crayons is uniquely positioned to raise Clothing Insecurity as a national issue through awareness campaigns, data/evaluation, and legislative outreach.
- Model and lead a positive One Cradles to Crayons culture, underpinned by Cradles to Crayons’ Cultural Values and related behaviors
- Help establish and implement best practices, processes, and workflows to support project teams/plans/management
- Support with the planning, development, and implementation of Public Relations activities that promote and enhance the organization's mission and brand, with particular focus on Clothing Insecurity support and need across the U.S. and C2C’s various in-person and online distribution and engagement initiatives serving Chicagoland, Greater Philadelphia, Massachusetts, NYC, and San Francisco
- Manage and coordinate all external PR agency teams implementation; support contracts and budgets
- Create and support centralized and customized message development and delivery of mission, initiatives, events, and stories for stakeholders across all C2C communication mediums
- Help identify thought leadership opportunities for C2C leadership and other internal experts for op-eds, Letters to the Editor, podcasts, blogs, etc.
- Partner with cross-functional colleagues, Service Partners, donors, and other key stakeholders to maintain a list of expert voices trained and available for media opportunities
- Manage timelines and deliverables and find new ways to bring the most helpful, integrated, and inclusive communications to our stakeholders
- Identify publicity opportunities for C2C thought leaders, including public-facing conferences, convenings, and more
- Manage rapid response statements and PR and media strategy for time-sensitive media opportunities related to children, poverty, basic needs, legislation, and other relevant timely news topics
- Develop and maintain relationships with press and media contacts, Partner communications teams, and external third party agencies
- Oversee reporting and collection of data and metrics on plans and campaigns to track KPIs, measure impact, assess effectiveness, uncover insights, and inform strategy and propose solutions
- Other duties as assigned by the Director of Marketing and Communications or VP of External Affairs
- Strong written and verbal communication skills are critical
- 3-5 years relevant PR, media, or agency experience
- Exemplary organizational and project management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously required
- Proven ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and collaborative environment
- Can-do attitude
- Proficiency with Office365 Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and database management
- Training and/or teaching experience a plus
- Non-profit experience a plus
About Cradles to Crayons:
Cradles to Crayons (C2C), founded in 2002, provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play. We supply clothing, shoes, diapers, school supplies, and more, free of charge. Our vision is that one day all children will have the essentials they need to thrive. Two in 5 kids in the United States are currently facing Clothing Insecurity, going without basic essentials like pants, shoes, diapers, and school supplies during their critical development years. Three of the top 10 reasons kids miss school are rooted in Clothing Insecurity—just one example of the significant short- and long-term social and economic costs when these needs go unmet. Cradles to Crayons keeps Clothing Insecurity at the core of our mission and is the only large-scale nonprofit organization to focus on this resource gap. Since its founding, Cradles to Crayons has distributed more than three million customized packages of essentials to children in Massachusetts, Greater Philadelphia, Chicagoland, NYC, and nationally, through Giving Factory Direct—a first-in-kind online product donation platform launched in 2021. Cradles to Crayons takes a three-pronged approach to mitigating Clothing Insecurity: 1.In-person Engagement—through tens of thousands of children and adults volunteering at our Giving Factory warehouses to sort and package high volumes of new and like-new donations from our communities for our Service Partners to distribute to the children they serve. 2.Online Product Donations—Giving Factory Direct matches product donors directly to children who need the items they have to donate. GFD is currently available in a growing number of communities as we expand our reach nationally. 3.Advocacy and Awareness—Cradles to Crayons is uniquely positioned to raise Clothing Insecurity as a national issue through awareness campaigns, data/evaluation, and legislative outreach. Cradles to Crayons has earned the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator for 13 consecutive years. Only 2% of charities nationwide have received this distinction. C2C has a budget of $12.9M for FY22.