Senior Director of Marketing and Communications

 About Cradles to Crayons:

Cradles to Crayons (C2C), founded in 2002, provides children 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 four million customized packages of essentials to children in Massachusetts, Greater Philadelphia, Chicagoland, and nationally. 

 

Cradles to Crayons takes a two-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. 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’ strong financial health and ongoing effectiveness and reliability have helped it earn a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator since 2009. C2C has a budget of $20M for FY26 and a total staff of approximately 100.

 

POSITION OVERVIEW:

This position has a flexible base location within any of our three Giving Factory markets – Greater Boston, Chicagoland or Philadelphia. This role is primarily remote but is expected to be in-person in one of our Giving Factories at least one day per week.

The Senior Director of Marketing & Communications (SDMC) will be a critical member of the National Team, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. The SDMC will be a data-driven, results-oriented leader who oversees the strategy, implementation, and management of Cradles to Crayons' marketing, public relations, and communications. This position is a lead strategist, steward, and champion for the advancement of C2C's mission and brand.

This leader will join the organization on the heels of our strategic planning process and will be critical in leading the mindset shift to nationally aligned, local/market relevant execution and the associated change management work to support that shift. The SDMC will create the national-to-local marketing and communications architecture, building and leading the shared service model across the organization's markets, including developing and managing partnership agreements that enable efficient, aligned delivery at scale.

All Cradles to Crayons team members contribute to a culture of shared mission by participating in one volunteer shift per month.

 

MARKETING RESPONSIBILITIES:

The SDMC will develop and execute comprehensive marketing plans that advance Cradles to Crayons' goals in overall mission delivery, vision fulfillment, thought leadership, and growth.

• Marketing functions include; strategic brand placement, strategic partnerships, interactive media marketing, key constituency engagement, national sponsorship campaign support, fundraising support and market research/trend analysis.
• This role serves at the intersection between shaping a future view that positions the organization on a national scale and overseeing local marketing needs of the organization.

 

COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES:

The SDMC will oversee all communications functions including public relations, media relations, and both external and internal organizational communications. Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and managing an annual executive communications calendar, in partnership with the Chief of Staff, that coordinates stakeholder engagement, platform strategy, and content across multiple channels including quarterly external newsletters, regular LinkedIn and social media posts, media opportunities, PR placements, and conference engagements for the CEO and other executive leaders
• Partnering closely with the Chief of Staff to draft and edit all-staff communications, ensuring coordination between internal and external messaging
• Developing and managing organizational frameworks for crisis communications, responses to external events, and messaging during periods of major organizational change
• Crafting brand positioning and thought leadership papers

The SDMC will set reasonable milestones and goals in collaboration with key stakeholders across the organization. They need to have the capability to serve as both a strategist and a practical implementer. Experience that spans across multiple channels, online and offline marketing, partnerships, and events are all a plus. Strong communication skills – written and verbal – are essential.

 

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Modeling and leading a positive "One Cradles" culture, underpinned by Cradles' Cultural Values and related behaviors
• Leading the mindset shift to nationally aligned, local/market relevant execution and associated change management
• Building and leading the shared service model across the organization's markets, including developing and managing partnership agreements that enable efficient, aligned marketing and communications delivery at scale
• Creating the national-to-local marketing and communications architecture with reasonable milestones and goals in collaboration with key stakeholders
• Supporting the CEO, VP Philanthropy, and other Senior Executive Team members in the development and implementation of departmental and organizational strategic goals and objectives
• Building strong relationships across the organization to stay current on our wide range of programs and to infuse an awareness of marketing and messaging in our work
• Developing and executing comprehensive marketing plans that advance Cradles to Crayons' goals in mission delivery, vision fulfillment, thought leadership, and growth
• Overseeing the planning, development, and implementation of all marketing functions including interactive media marketing, digital content, website, email marketing, collateral, and advertising
• Leading strategic brand placement, strategic partnerships, national sponsorship campaign support, and national fundraising support
• Collaborating with the VP of Philanthropy to create an annual calendar of communications with financial stakeholders across the organization, including a synchronized end-of-calendar-year campaign, event communications, and other cross-market initiatives
• Conducting market research and trend analysis to inform strategy
• Measuring, tracking, analyzing and communicating marketing results to inform effective decision-making
• Ensuring that brand identity, messaging, and marketing strategy are infused appropriately in organizational efforts
• Developing and managing an annual executive communications calendar, in partnership with the Chief of Staff, that coordinates stakeholder engagement, platform strategy, and content across multiple channels (quarterly external newsletters, LinkedIn and social media posts, media opportunities, PR placements, and conference engagements)
• Partnering closely with the Chief of Staff to draft and edit all-staff communications, ensuring coordination between internal and external messaging
• Developing and managing organizational frameworks for crisis communications, responses to external events, and messaging during periods of major organizational change
• Overseeing public relations, media relations, and all external communications
• Serving as the organization's lead writer and editor for a range of internal and external communications
• Developing organization-wide messaging, as well as plans and campaigns for particular programs, working closely with market and national executives and directors
• Crafting brand positioning and thought leadership papers
• Managing a team of 5 resources including digital media, designer, and public media relations resources; setting performance goals and conducting annual performance reviews
• Overseeing the daily activities of the Marketing Department including budgeting, planning, and staff development
• Promoting a culture of entrepreneurship, high performance, and continuous improvement, and developing staff using a supportive and collaborative approach
• Maintaining strong relationships with key internal and external partners, including board-level contacts

 

Required Experience/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Passion for Cradles to Crayons’ mission
• 15+ years of experience in a series of progressively responsible marketing roles that span multiple facets of marketing and engagement. A blend of agency, corporate and non-profit experience is a plus.
• BA or higher in marketing, public relations or a related field.
• Exceptional writing, editing and story-telling skills.

• Experience overseeing the design and production of email and print materials and publications, website management, digital/social media content creation and management, and public relations.
• Demonstrated experience in having built and/or worked in lean, nimble and effective marketing teams. Strong budgeting and cost-management skills and ability to maximize impact with a limited budget.
• An ability to work independently and responsibly while managing numerous projects simultaneously in a mix of individual contribution and team-based execution.
• Demonstrated skills, knowledge and experience in the design and execution of marketing and communications activities.
• High competence in Google analytics and other performance measurements.
• Excellent collaboration skills and an ability to work proactively and effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong listening skills, combined with effective, articulate, and persuasive public speaking.
• Experience in building, mentoring, and coaching a team of marketing and communications specialists.
• Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Experience working with media outlets and handling crisis communications.

• Demonstrated experience and leadership in strategic thinking, and managing comprehensive strategic communications, media relations, and marketing programs to advance an organization's mission and goals.
• Strong computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook/Calendar), Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.), marketing automation/email platforms, Salesforce or other CRM, Word Press or other CMS, social media, analytics tools, and App technologies.
• Strong analytic and reporting skills.

 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

The estimated salary range for this position is $120,000 - $135,000, based on geographic labor market.

Cradles to Crayons is committed to pay equity and uses geographic benchmarks to ensure fair compensation. The compensation offered to the successful candidate may vary from the posted range based on work experience, education, and/or skill level, among other things. 

This is a benefits-eligible position. Cradles to Crayons offers a generous benefits package, which includes, but is not limited to:

• Health benefits including medical, dental, vision and a Health Reimbursement Arrangement.
• A monthly cell phone and internet usage stipend
• Employer-sponsored short- and long-term disability and basic life insurance
• Retirement plan matching
• Annual professional development stipend

 

DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH:

Diversity and Inclusiveness are core values at Cradles to Crayons, and we continuously strive to be a team where everyone feels welcome and supported. It is the policy of Cradles to Crayons to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Individuals from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

 

Working Conditions:

This is a work from home remote virtual environment with occasional visits to C2C Giving Factories. There are no hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions.

 

Accommodation:

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made by Cradles to Crayons which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others, or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

 

To Apply:

Please send a resume with relevant experience to https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/what-we-do/careers/