Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Vice President, Marketing & Communications

United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA) is home to the change makers and justice seekers. We're individuals from various walks of life making collective steps towards a better future for our community. Our focus is on bringing about real and sustainable change by unleashing the collective power of people to open minds, unite diverse communities, and convert compassion into action for a more just, inclusive, and thriving L.A. County. Together, we make tangible impact on some of our region's most pressing challenges by expanding educational opportunity, advancing economic mobility, strengthening community resilience, and helping people thrive. Regardless of race, gender, orientation, or self-identification - we do our part as one by making room for all.

If you believe storytelling and donor connection are how a mission advances, we invite you to apply for our Vice President, Marketing & Communications role.

In this role, you will elevate United Way's visibility and storytelling by amplifying our voice, growing our reach, and creating moments that move people to act. Reporting directly to the President & CEO, you'll have the unique opportunity to lead a Marketing & Communications department responsible for ensuring brand, reputation, and storytelling are integrated into every aspect of organizational strategy and decision-making.

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the marketing and communications strategy that advances UWGLA's five-year revenue goal of $40M, including a Year 1 target of $18.8M across all revenue segments.
• Serve as chief brand steward, ensuring consistent, mission-aligned messaging across UWGLA's three focus areas: Education and Workforce Access, Economic Empowerment, and Resilient Communities.
• Serve as strategic communications advisor to the CEO, fundraising leadership, and Executive Team, aligning marketing investments with UWGLA's community impact, revenue & engagement, and marketing implementation plans.
• Partner with Development leadership and technology consultants on the donor data, CRM, and AI infrastructure that powers personalized donor communications at scale, supporting UWGLA's goal of deploying AI tools across functions.

Donor Marketing & Engagement

• Lead integrated marketing campaigns and donor engagement strategies, in partnership with the fundraising team, that grow acquisition, retention, and lifetime value across.
• Own marketing strategy and execution for the under-$1,000 donor segment, deploying digital advertising, email, social media, direct mail content, and online giving optimization to drive acquisition, retention, and upgrade across UWGLA's broadest donor audience.
• Direct donor and funder communications: stewardship templates, segment-specific case materials, and a donor journey map from first gift through major-gift cultivation.
• Oversee website, email, social media, and digital advertising to grow online giving and next-generation donor acquisition, targeting a 25% increase in social media reach and engagement and growth of the online giving channel toward a $400K target.
• Oversee direct mail messaging and content development across the full donor pyramid, in partnership with Development who owns overall strategy and execution, growing toward a $450K five-year target.
• Partner with Development department to create fundraising collateral for tentpole events, cause marketing campaigns, and initiative launches.
• Lead cause marketing and corporate sponsorship activation, including co-branded campaigns and peer-to-peer fundraising tools, targeting two cause marketing campaigns annually.
• Lead UWGLA's donor-facing event strategy and production, including WalkUnitedLA, Tocqueville Society experiences, leadership giving roundtables, and donor cultivation and recognition events.

Communications & Brand Management

• Direct UWGLA's impact storytelling: publish the annual impact report and build a library of stories, data snapshots, video, and photography across the three focus areas that inspire giving and strengthen reputation.
• Create a communications cadence and calendar for United Way's key constituents: corporate partners, individual donors, foundations, community partners, Board of Directors, and United Way team.
• Lead strategic media relations and serve as spokesperson, securing coverage that elevates UWGLA's role as the region's leading force multiplier for economic mobility, education, and resilience.
• Represent UWGLA in policy and civic dialogue on economic mobility, education, homelessness, housing affordability, and racial justice, advancing UWGLA's role as a trusted sector convener and thought leader.
• Partner with the Executive Team to anticipate and respond to issues, building a framework for stakeholder messaging during moments of crisis or opportunity.
• Ensure communications advance equity, use inclusive language, and amplify the voices of those with lived experience.
• Lead UWGLA's tentpole and community events strategy and production, including WalkUnitedLA, a Future Workforce Summit, Community College site visits, impact forums, and campaign launches, deepening community connection and advancing UWGLA's sector leadership positioning.

Operational Leadership

• Select and manage external vendors, agencies, and consultants to extend team capacity and use resources efficiently.
• Manage the marketing and communications department budget, allocating resources to the programs with the clearest return on investment (ROI) against revenue and engagement goals.
• Establish marketing and communications KPIs and reporting on brand awareness, donor acquisition and retention, digital engagement, and campaign performance, including the real-time impact dashboards for Board and leadership visibility.
• Evaluate and improve the marketing technology stack to close integration gaps and strengthen data quality.

Team Management & Development

• Lead and develop an integrated team spanning brand and creative, communications and PR, digital marketing, content, social media, events, and analytics, providing mentorship, guidance, and strategic direction to achieve organization-wide goals.
• Foster collaboration across the team and with stakeholders in fundraising and community impact to execute the strategic plan's priorities.
• Provide direct but respectful constructive feedback in real-time and during formal review periods to elevate team performance, maintain accountability, and reach goals.

What 1 Year of Success Looks Like

• Publish and distribute UWGLA's annual impact report to all active donors and partners.
• Drive a 25% increase in social media reach and engagement across key platforms.
• Establish a baseline online giving conversion rate and grow the online giving channel toward UWGLA's longitudinal $400K target.
• Complete a donor journey communications map and have donor/funder communications templates in active use across all revenue segments.
• Launch two cause marketing campaigns generating $50,000 in revenue.
• Execute WalkUnitedLA as UWGLA's flagship cultivation and acquisition event, contributing to the organization's $18.8M annual revenue goal.

Skills You'll Need to Succeed (The Must-Haves)

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations, or related field required
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in a marketing communications team, ideally in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization required.
• Minimum 3 years of experience supervising and developing direct reports

Personal Qualities & Competencies

• You enjoy a hybrid environment that includes both in-person and remote work styles and are able to work from our DTLA office on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and additional days as needed.
• You understand the value of racial equity as an organizational operating principle and are committed to continued learning on issues related to race, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• You are curious about emerging technology and artificial intelligence and always looking for practical ways to apply new tools to work smarter and drive greater impact.
• You bring strategic thinking to the role, seeing the big picture and translating it into actionable communications and marketing strategy.
• You approach work with a donor-centered mindset, with a strong understanding of donor motivations, retention strategies, and philanthropic communications, and you're skilled at framing narratives that inspire generosity and partnership.
• You have a proven revenue and engagement track record, having driven revenue growth and donor engagement through integrated marketing and communications.
• You practice empowering leadership, leading with strong emotional intelligence and building a positive, respectful, and accountable team culture.
• You take an audience-focused communication approach, tailoring messaging and channel strategy to the audience and desired outcome.
• You excel at cross-functional collaboration, building trust and alignment across development, programs, and executive leadership, and you're comfortable engaging directly with the Board of Directors.
• You carry executive presence, representing UWGLA confidently with donors, media, elected officials, and other high-visibility audiences.