Manager of Communication and Organizational Support

As Wisconsin’s only Philanthropy Serving Organization (PSO), WPN is proud to play a meaningful role in advancing our state’s culture of philanthropy. We support charitable foundations (family, independent, community and corporate), corporate giving programs, donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, higher education, community health funders, and individual philanthropists who together represent more than $7 billion in assets and invest more than $600 million annually to advance the lives of Wisconsin residents.

Mission & Vision
To support, inspire, and elevate philanthropy that makes meaningful and lasting change to improve lives across Wisconsin.

VISION – descriptive language reflecting desired accomplishments, what it wants to achieve 
• A membership organization that leads the way in inspiring effective philanthropy 
• A sector that is innovative in how it addresses emerging issues and responds to changing needs 
• A state in which communities are connected and people enjoy full lives

VALUES – core principles that shape actions by all representing the organization, how it acts 
• Collective Action – We listen and understand the needs of our sector and advance authentic relationships to build bridges, share information, and facilitate collaboration that moves the needle on things we care about most as a society.

• Equity – In the pursuit of improving conditions for people across the state, we adjust our approach and thinking to address imbalances of power and opportunity.

• Transformational Excellence – We strive to inspire others by what is possible and forge connections that result in valuable, positive shifts in social and operating systems.

The Manager of Communication and Organizational Support reports to the President and CEO and is responsible for projects and outreach that increase awareness, understanding and support of effective philanthropy in Wisconsin.

Position Description
The Manager of Communication and Organizational Support is an integral leader within the WPN team and will serve as a key driver of WPN’s communication strategy, member relations, outreach, and operations support. This position promotes our “close to the member” mindset by regularly interacting with Wisconsin’s philanthropic community through structured communication and information sharing. The role demonstrates the value of WPN to members and implements innovative strategies while having an impact on increase organization income to support operations. 

The Manager will center equity in their work to lead, develop, and implement a plan and outreach that communicates WPN’s value in the sector and for our members and other community stakeholders. You will interface with other staff, our board of directors, community stakeholders and play a role in our relationships. This position ensures effective member communication and develops effective outreach.

With support from team members, this position helps support program outreach, WPN’s Statewide Conference on Philanthropy, Wisconsin Gives Report as well as member relations and revenue generation activities.

This position participates in multiple member touchpoints to cultivate relationships with the goal of communicating WPN’s value to the sector of philanthropy. 
Effectively evaluating organizational communication success to assure the satisfactory accomplishment of goals, you will establish a model for short- and long-term communication, follow up, measuring the impact and change in grantmaking practice made due to our efforts. The position monitors, recommends, and implements outreach best practice for the effective delivery of the organization’s services to membership. Assess organization member communication needs and utilize that information to create relevant communication and market the services of WPN.

How we will know you are good at what you do: Key Metrics of success and point of contact for:
• Developing membership specific communication (spotlights, networking, new member highlights, value, etc.) 
• Championing organization and Brand awareness of WPN brand 
• Serving as point of point of contact for WPN publications (WI Gives Report) 
• Serving as a key point of contact for website management 
• Developing internal and external communications calendar 
• Programming/Event Support 
• Recommending and establishing WPN brand guidelines 
• Providing first draft or editing for communications tools and outreach 
• Supporting our content Management System & Integrated Programs (candidate to be trained)
• Identifying opportunities and best practice within the philanthropic sector 
• Managing media outreach and communication
• Assisting in development of Graphic support documents/collateral 
• Participating in events to learn and interact with members 
• Supporting team members with administrative support

Some capabilities that will really make you successful: 
• Desire to champion WPN and the Wisconsin philanthropic sector
• Storyteller
• Passion for Equity and Building Trust
• Asset Based/Can Do Approach
• Initiative-taking
• Relationship Builder
• Coachable
• Humbly Confident
• Ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders
• Highly Organized
• Strategic Thinker 
• Engaging Personality
• Customer Service Oriented
• Problem Solver
• Collaborator

How we will evaluate your potential to be great: Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, education, and/or ability required. Incumbent will also complete a background and reference check.
• Minimum of five years of professional or educational experience in any combination of communications, philanthropy, non-profit, project management, or event planning. 
• Educational experience will also be considered.
• Ability to gain an understanding of philanthropy and philanthropic principles.
• Ability to flawlessly communicate through excellent oral and written communication skills. 
• Excellent time management capabilities. 
• Ability to manage effectively within available resource allocations. 
• Working knowledge of virtual platforms, social media and tools for relationship building. 
• Strong project management and organization skills.
• Adept at building and maintaining relationships with various partners and individuals. 
• A demonstrated ability to stay current with communication innovations and best practices. 
• Ability to work collaboratively with others and in diverse settings.
• Resourceful, optimistic, opportunistic, creative, innovative, flexible. 
• Ability to work without micro-supervision.
• Proficient use or ability to be trained on Microsoft Office applications [Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Cloud], Virtual meeting platforms [Zoom, Teams], Program Tracking software, SalesForce fund development database and social media outlets. 
• Ability to adjust to the bumps along the way, motivate others, and utilize effective listening skills.

We want you to know what to expect: Our Hiring Process
Final candidates should anticipate the interview process to include three interview meetings and development of a project. Applicants moving through to the finals should anticipate the process taking up to a maximum of five hours of their time.

We want to compensate you: Salary & Benefits
Our goal with this position as well as any open positions at WPN is to remain competitive in the marketplace and seek the best talent. We use national salary data from similar sized philanthropy serving organizations and non-profit organizations to set our salary ranges. In the spirit of equity, we are listing the salary range for this position. We do, however, encourage all applicants who are interested in our organization to apply.
• Salary Range: $60,000 – $70,000. The offer will be based on qualifications and experience. 
• Benefits: WPN full time employees are eligible for health, dental, employee savings plan, disability insurance, minimum twelve paid holidays/PTO with winter holiday shutdown. Organizational culture with an emphasis on work-life balance.

Licenses 
Valid Wisconsin Driver’s License and insurance required.

Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The work environment includes virtual, occasional in-person meetings, and event space. Accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Submit Letter of Interest and Resume to: admin@wiphilanthropy.org

WISCONSIN PHILANTHROPY NETWORK PROMOTES EQUITY IN ALL HIRES

Although the position is remote, you must be physically located in the state of Wisconsin as there are in-person events that need to be attended.