Director of Communications & Development

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB) believes that food is a fundamental right of all people and that hunger is an issue of social justice. WCFB's mission is to engage, educate, and lead Worcester County in creating a hunger-free community. As the leading food security organization in Worcester County, WCFB coordinates the collection and distribution of quality donations of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food to people in all 60 communities of Worcester County through a network of food pantries and meals programs, advocates for programsthat increase access to healthy food and policy solutions that address the root causes of food insecurity.

Job Summary

The Director of Communications and Development will develop, implement and manage a multi-faceted marketing and development program. The position provides strategic leadership, as well as day-to-day support for all aspects of WCFB's communications and development program, including collaborating with WCFB's CEO to plan and strategize, ensuring WCFB is educating and myth-busting about hunger in Worcester County, working to establish and maintain a thriving financial base for WCFB to do its work from. This position will work with the agency partners, donors and other stakeholders to ensure that WCFB continues to be seen as a leader and innovator in ending hunger in Worcester County and Massachusetts. This is a full-time senior leadership position reporting to the Chief Executive Officer.

This role inherits a small, committed team and carries the exciting responsibility of helping to shape and grow WCFB's communications and development capacity in collaboration with the CEO and COO. WCFB is about to enter a strategic planning and visioning process. The Director will play a defining role in building the department structure that will carry the organization's next chapter.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop a comprehensive marketing and communications program that builds on WCFB's current messaging and establishes and upholds policies consistent with WCFB's mission.
• Work closely with the CEO and COO to develop and coordinate annual communications and fundraising priorities and plan for WCFB.
• Lead the development and monitoring of communications and development departmental budgets, revenue projections, and KPIs.
• Guide and mentor members of the communications and development team, establishing annual goals, ensuring collaboration, and fostering high performance.
• Guide and mentor member of the entire team to understand and utilize the agreed upon brand strategy of WCFB.
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team, providing insight on community engagement, donor relations, brand strategy, advocacy, and organizational culture.
• Partner with the CEO, COO and Board to support WCFB's Strategic Visioning and Planning process. Translate that vision into a multi-year plan for growing the communications and development team, including recommendations on hiring priorities, role design, and resource allocation.

• Develop and implement a multi-faceted communications strategy that advances WCFB's mission and strengthens understanding of hunger in Worcester County.
• Oversee brand identity, messaging, and storytelling across all platforms (website, social media, e-newsletters, video, print publications, annual report).
• Oversee the creation of clear, compelling issue briefs, educational materials, and mission focused content for diverse audiences.
• Manage relationships with media outlets; proactively pitch stories and respond to inquiries. May serve as spokesperson when needed.
• Support CEO, COO and any other public-facing WCFB employee with talking points and on-brand messaging for specific projects and ongoing internal media training.
• Ensure high quality, consistent, and timely internal and external communications.

• Build and lead a robust and diversified development program, including major gifts, annual giving, direct mail, online donations, grants, planned giving, corporate partnerships, and events.
• Build strong donor and funder relationships, conducting face-to-face visits and cultivating long-term philanthropic engagement.
• Oversee all aspects of donor stewardship, gift acknowledgments, donor recognition, and the use of the donor database.
• Oversee and manage direct mail vendor relationships and contract.
• Oversee, manage and be responsible for fundraising CRM software program - DonorPerfect in use at WCFB.
• Supervise annual direct response campaigns; ensure the integration of mail, email, and digital fundraising strategies.
• Provide leadership on grant strategy; partner with development staff to identify opportunities, ensure high quality applications, and maintain timely reporting.
• Write and submit grant proposals in accordance with strategic funding priorities as identified by the CEO.
• Provide timely grant reporting in compliance with grant guidelines.

• Currently supervise two Development Associates and a part-time communications contractor, with authority and expectation to partner with CEO and COO to grow and structure the department strategically over time. The Director will play a central role in assessing current capacity, identifying gaps, and making recommendations on future hiring, role design and team culture.
• Hire, develop and supervise employees within the department; manage performance and work duties.
• Establish clear goals and expectations; conduct performance evaluations; guide staff development.
• Foster a culture of donor stewardship, collaboration, learning, and shared responsibility for philanthropy across WCFB.

• When appropriate and in collaboration with other WCFB Leadership team members, serve as an ambassador of WCFB in the community; present at events, lead tours, and represent WCFB to partners and funders.
• Collaborate with Partner Agencies, community groups, corporations, institutions, and Feeding America to advance shared goals.
• Support the planning and execution of annual events and community engagement initiatives.

• 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in communications, development, public affairs, or related fields, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience with fund development, including major gifts, annual giving, and donor stewardship.
• Demonstrated experience engaging culturally, economically, and racially diverse communities.
• Strong writing, editing, public speaking, and storytelling skills.
• Experience managing staff, budgets, and complex projects.
• Ability to travel regionally and work occasional evenings for events and board meetings.
• Strong desire to learn and grow within an organization in transition.

• Knowledge of state and federal food security practices that impact our mission and vision to create a hunger free Worcester County.
• Bilingual in a second language, Spanish preferred.
• Experience with DonorPerfect or comparable donor management databases strongly preferred.
• Expertise in digital communications, data analytics, and content strategy strongly preferred.