Communications Manager

About Arts and Letters

The American Academy of Arts and Letters is an honor society of 300 members whose mission is to foster and sustain interest in the arts. Arts and Letters represents the highest standards of artistic achievement in this country. Its community of members are among the leading contemporary architects, visual artists, writers, and musical composers. Arts and Letters honors creative accomplishment through the election of members and by presenting awards, public exhibitions, and interdisciplinary programs. Founded in 1898, Arts and Letters remains a living, breathing reminder to us all that the arts are essential to a free society.

Position Summary

The American Academy of Arts and Letters seeks a Communications Manager to support fundraising and audience development strategies. Reporting to the Director of External Affairs, the position encompasses responsibilities in external communications, development infrastructure, and constituent relationship management. The Communications Manager will help to build and manage workflows, procedures, and resources that support Arts and Letters’s public presence, donor community, and revenue lines.

Key Responsibilities

• Communications calendar : In conjunction with colleagues across the institution, manage and coordinate Arts and Letters’s public and donor communications calendar, including newsletters, invitations, impact reports, announcements, and solicitations.
• Social media : Develop and implement a social media strategy and program that supports Arts and Letters’s audience-building and public relations goals.
• Digital marketing: Coordinate and design public and segmented communications to ensure delivery of timely, consistent, and compelling content that builds institutional identity and audience affinity. Manage web content that supports fundraising and other revenue strategies.
• Constituent relations : Draft acknowledgements, newsletters, prospectuses, and program and annual reports; coordinate with colleagues on design, production, and delivery by the appropriate point of contact. Interact with visitors, donors, and clients to improve their experience and encourage repeat visits and business. Oversee multi-channel campaigns; manage information-sharing and cross-promotion with neighborhood groups.
• Constituent management : Oversee constituent list-building and segmentation to improve audience experience and engagement and to build the donor pipeline; support recordkeeping and reporting in CRM and other portals as required.
• Other duties as assigned , including participating in special events that entail some evening and weekend hours. Arts and Letters is run by a small, dedicated staff that expects team members to pitch in where needed during busy times.

Qualifications

• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Three or more years’ experience in fundraising and communications in the cultural sector and/or in a mission-driven environment.
• Strong interest in and engagement with the arts.
• Experience developing and managing social media content, strategy, and analytics.
• Strong project management capabilities, attention to detail, and sound judgment.
• Collaborative and flexible mindset; comfort with problem-solving and prioritization; ability to take initiative and direction.
• Digital platform proficiency, including email marketing platforms, Google Suite, Adobe.
• Familiarity with digital communications best practices and design/segmentation/testing tactics that improve communications performance is desirable.