Garden School is excited to announce the opening of a position for the Communications & Advancement Associate for the fall of 2023. 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 one has the benefit of impacting and interacting with all aspects of the school.
This year, Garden celebrates its Centennial and this is an exciting opportunity to be part of a series of initiatives intended to mark this unique milestone. 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 ambitious goals.
The Advancement Department is led by the Assistant Head of School for Advancement who oversees all Development, Communications, Admissions, and Marketing work. Garden’s recently adopted new strategic plan calls for growth and expansion into more sophisticated systems, structures and protocols in all of these areas. This position is a key piece of that growth plan.
The Communications & Advancement Associate
Manages the production of weekly newsletters (edit for grammar, tone, and graphics)
Manages the school’s database (ensure accuracy of addresses, analyze open rates, etc.)
Assists with social media marketing and monitoring of all social media platforms
Assists with the marketing efforts of all Garden programs (school, PKFA, Camp, etc.)
Assists with processing Admissions Inquiries
Executes website revisions at the direction of the Director of Admissions
Provides administrative support for all advancement events
Researches prospective families in admissions
Supports all fundraising efforts (Annual Fund, Spring Gala, end-of-year giving, etc.)
Helps process and track individual gifts and prepare gift acknowledgment letters
Completes preliminary research on individual donors, foundations, and grants
Tracks and benchmarks industry trends as well as trends in peer schools
Assists in archiving images and other materials from school events
Assists with design and production of print materials (brochures, mailings, annual report, etc.)
Assists with special initiatives marking the school’s Celebration of the 100th Anniversary
Assists with Garden Family Association activities and communications
Assists with Alumni Association activities and communications
Assists reasonably with other aspects of the school as needed throughout the year
Garden utilizes a wide range of technology to support its efforts including Excel, Wordpress, Google Suite, Blackbaud, Raiser’s Edge, Jotform, Paypal, Facebook, Instagram, and others. Therefore, experience with and/or the ability to quickly acclimate to these tools is essential. This is a role for someone with strong computer skills who is detail oriented, a capable writer, collaborative, who is 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 position is a 12-month full-time role with excellent benefits, two weeks paid vacation, flexible hours for summer and school holidays, and remote time available. 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 Mary Petruso at mpetruso@gardenschool.org
