The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our staff helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our staff of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and internationally from our offices in New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Santa Monica; San Francisco; Bozeman, Montana; and Beijing.

Position Summary:

NRDC is seeking a Regional Digital Advocacy Campaign Manager (Midwest) to work with the Communications department in our Chicago office.

NRDC is increasingly focusing on winning key environmental fights locally, in cities, states, and regions around the U.S., and in taking a regional advocacy approach to federal policy issues. This position will work with other regional policy and campaign staff and outside partners to develop and execute digital advocacy, engagement, and recruitment campaigns in priority midwestern states where NRDC is working.

Ideal candidates will have strong digital advocacy skills, digital advocacy experience at either the federal or local and state levels (state legislatures, governors, state agencies, city councils, etc.), strong email and digital writing skills, and some political organizing experience.

The position reports to the Senior Director of Digital Advocacy and Fundraising but will coordinate with other midwestern states campaign staff inside and outside the Communications department, and with similar regional teams working in the West and East. While NRDC is working remotely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we will prioritize candidates who can work in our Chicago office when the office re-opens. Candidates must have an ability to travel when travel resumes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute digital advocacy campaigns in support of local, state, and regional policy issues in midwestern states including Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, and others. Key tactics will include email, petitions, donations, digital ads, social media engagement, peer-to-peer texting, offline advocacy, mobile and SMS tools, phone calls, content marketing, and more.
• Write and edit email action alerts, campaign plans, SMS alerts, digital ad copy, creative briefs, online video scripts, social media copy, copy for graphics, and more.
• Work with regional and national policy planning team, and other regional campaign staff, to coordinate the execution of multi-channel advocacy campaigns in midwestern states.
• Assist in executing paid and earned lead generation strategies (email, SMS, etc.) in midwestern states, including online advertising, list chaperoning, email list appends, and organic cross-marketing tactics.
• Represent NRDC at local on-the-ground events when they resume and are deemed safe.
• Strategize about ways to diversify our list and keep new audiences within the region engaged on our issues through traditional and non-traditional advocacy tactics.
• Respond to email and phone call inquiries from local activists and supporters.
• Work to ensure successful promotion and engagement of our campaigns on social media.
• Assist in development reports summarizing the results of multi-channel campaigns.

Qualifications

• Applicants should have at least 2-4 years’ professional experience in digital advocacy and fundraising, or organizing—ideally with experience working on progressive local or national advocacy causes and/or political or electoral campaigns.
• Knowledge of digital engagement best practices is critical.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including experience writing direct response advocacy and fundraising emails and the ability to adapt writing styles to a pre-existing “voice.” Understanding of email and web copy writing best practices, demonstrated ability to produce copy that is clear, compelling, and motivating, and ability to turn around copy on a same-day, rapid-response basis.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to coordinate well with field staff, local activists, partners, allies, etc.
• Experience with local offline or field is a plus.
• Experience producing and analyzing response rates reports in Excel.
• Working knowledge of eCRMs and other digital advocacy tools (Action Kit, Luminate Online, Salsa, Engaging Networks, ThruText, Mobile Commons, etc.) and their technical capabilities as they relate to digital strategy and campaign planning is a plus.
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming a diversity of voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with skills and experience. Job grade for this role is Solves 2 with a salary ranging from a minimum of $65,000 to a midpoint of $75,000. Internal equity considerations and the average salary of the peer range will be reviewed before making a final offer.

To apply, please visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your resume and cover letter through our online portal. We would like you to upload any additional papers or project work that you think would showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of resumes, only qualified candidates will be contacted. Please no phone calls, emails, faxes or in-person resume drop-offs.

Please reference where you saw this posting. NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.