Communications Manager

part-time, hourly

About Apple Seeds

Apple Seeds is a nonprofit organization based in Fayetteville, Arkansas that works to educate and excite children about fresh fruits and vegetables while increasing access to healthy food. Our mission is to inspire healthy living through garden-based education. Apple Seeds offers experiential garden and culinary based education through programs on our Teaching Farm and in schools, and provides support of fresh produce to local school pantries. Through this work, our programs reach over 21,000 students a year. For more information about Apple Seeds, visit .

Job Description

The Communications Manager has a front row seat to the work Apple Seeds is doing on the farm and in the community, and is a champion of those efforts through the storytelling and documentation of our work. This role is the key to gathering, crafting, and telling the authentic story of Apple Seeds, tailored for each audience and purpose, through our social media presence, newsletters, website, presentations, photography, graphics, and marketing pieces. The Communications Manager is vital to preserving and promoting the brand identity of Apple Seeds using existing brand standards in all communications and marketing materials, ensuring that the Apple Seeds’ Voice is consistent, compelling, and reflects our true mission and values. The Communications Manager will create and execute an annual communications plan, with leadership from the Development Director, that brings engaging and timely content to targeted audiences that accurately tells the full story of our programs and impacts across the communities we serve.

The Communications Manager is a critical team member supporting the fundraising and stewardship efforts of Apple Seeds through execution of mailings, designing collateral and graphics, managing vendor relationships and ordering marketing supplies, participating in monthly in-person tours of the farm, and generating acknowledgement letters and other communications through our Bloomerang database.

The Communications Manager also provides crucial support for Events, including monthly Kitchen Table Dinner events and two annual fundraisers. Support includes designing collateral, graphics, and presentations, managing the ticketing software, active participation in planning meetings, planning and executing a comprehensive communications strategy that supports the events and the chefs, in-person event support, and photography that supports the event and a growing collection of on-brand photos.

The Communications Manager actively collects images through photography of program activities, both on the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm and in schools. The Communications Manager will also collect stories, quotes, personal statements, and other personal anecdotes to support the storytelling of Apple Seeds and the personal impact our programs make on individuals and families.

This is a part-time (20-25 hours/wk) hourly position reporting directly to the Development Director.

Communication Responsibilities:

• Act as brand ambassador for Apple Seeds by maintaining, upholding, and ensuring all created materials align with established brand guidelines and clear Apple Seeds voice that authentically represent our mission, values, and our programs. Will also manage, organize, and build branded photography files through regular photography of education programs, events, staff, and the farm.
• Design graphics and marketing materials with a focused attention to brand identity and voice, including flyers, letterheads, sponsorship packages, event promotions, program materials, brochures, and stewardship collateral to support needs across the organization.
• Update website with relevant and current content, statistics, and photos. Includes managing ticketing platform by creating events with branded graphics and content.
• Publish newsletters with compelling and highly engaging content that tells the full story of Apple Seeds.
• Engage in building and creating awareness of Apple Seeds through public relations activities, such as preparing and presenting at civic groups, creating and sending media alerts, leading farm tours, and actively seeking new audiences to share the story of Apple Seeds to an ever-widening audience.
• Support monthly and semi-annual fundraising events with in-person support, photography of the events, and activation of sponsor recognition requirements.
• Assist development efforts through copy writing of correspondence (acknowledgement letters, appeals, etc), entering and acknowledging gifts in Bloomerang database, and supporting stewardship activities (mailings, recognition activations, etc). Will execute Giving Tuesday fundraising strategy developed collaboratively with the Development Director.

Managerial Responsibilities:

• Design, with oversight from the Development Director, and execute an annual communications plan of work that fully represents the Apple Seeds scope of work and impact, involving all the various channels of communication, including, but not limited to, emails, newsletters, social media posts, publications, radio, tv, website updates, podcasts, digital media, and others; also tracks results of these interactions for regular reporting for grant funders, sponsors, board reports, and internal review.
• Develop, with oversight from the Development Director, and manage Communications annual budget, monitoring expenses to stay within budgeted amounts for activities.
• Conduct an annual communications audit to evaluate success and achievement toward the communications plan goals and objectives, as well as to make informed shifts in future plans of work in collaboration with the Development Director.
• Manage all social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), and generate highly engaging content specific to the platform and audience.
• Coordinate staff and/or volunteers to represent Apple Seeds for media interactions, such as radio interviews, podcasts, tv appearances, check presentations, and other high-visibility activities.
• Screen, supervise, and manage volunteer photographers, providing detailed expectations, brand guidelines, timed deliverables, shot lists, and other key information. Collect, review, and catalog photos for future use that align with brand standards.
• Build strong media and vendor relationships; negotiate and order marketing supplies.
• Be a role model in the workplace for the mission, values, and principles of Apple Seeds.

Outreach Responsibilities:

• Communicate professionally and in a timely manner with media contacts, donors, parents, volunteers, and others in the community who are involved in or interested in the work we do at Apple Seeds.
• Develop relationships with educators/group leaders during programming and at various outreach/community events
• Attend tabling or other community events.
• Be present at and assist with Apple Seeds program activities as needed or assigned.

Additionally, the Communications Manager will work with the whole Apple Seeds team for initiatives that benefit the entire organization, such as group team-building activities, professional development, supporting other teams when needed, etc. Beyond the above job responsibilities, the Communications Manager will complete other duties as assigned. Apple Seeds is a dynamic and growing organization and as such, the Communication Manager’s job description is subject to change should the need arise as determined by the Development Director and Executive Director.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Passion for the mission of Apple Seeds and a commitment to the values of the organization, which are respect, belonging, authenticity, engagement, and growth. Additional interest in children’s hunger/nutrition issues, farming, healthy foods, and/or the farm-to-table movement is beneficial.
• A creative personality who loves collaborating in order to craft the perfect messaging and visuals for a project.
• Bachelor’s Degree required in fields of communications, non-profit management, graphic design, photography, or related field.
• A minimum of 3 years experience in (and enjoyment of) social media, external relations, communications, photography, and/or graphic design.
• Strong public speaking skills.
• 1 - 2 years of project management experience.
• Skilled with Canva.
• A positive, team focused, and solutions-oriented attitude with excitement towards helping grow Apple Seeds’ community presence.
• Ability to think critically and to effectively address unique problems as they arise.
• Self-motivation and self-direction with the ability to work well within a rapidly-changing environment and to prioritize and carry out tasks efficiently and within established timeframes.
• An openness and drive for learning, assessing and improving one’s work, and the ability to hear, reflect upon and implement feedback.
• Proficiency in Google Suite including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Slides and/or Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience with Bloomerang or other CRM.
• Experience working with diverse populations and an unequivocal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills to work with a diverse group of staff, donors, volunteers, community partners, and other stakeholders.
• Transparent and high integrity leadership.
• Strong organizational skills to coordinate multiple projects and competing priorities under tight deadlines.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $25.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20 – 25 per week

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Experience:

• Communications/Social Media: 1 year (Preferred)
• Project management: 1 year (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Fayetteville, AR 72703 (Required)

Work Location: In person