ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS:
Cradles to Crayons is leading the way to #EndClothingInsecurity.
Cradles to Crayons (C2C), founded in 2002, provides children living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive - at home, at school, and at play. We supply clothing, shoes, diapers, school supplies, and more, free of charge. Our vision is that one day all children will have the essentials they need to thrive.
Two in 5 kids in the United States are currently facing Clothing Insecurity, going without basic essentials like pants, shoes, diapers, and school supplies during their critical development years. Three of the top 10 reasons kids miss school are rooted in Clothing Insecurity - just one example of the significant short- and long-term social and economic costs when these needs go unmet. Cradles to Crayons keeps Clothing Insecurity at the core of our mission and is the only large-scale nonprofit organization to focus on this resource gap. Since its founding, Cradles to Crayons has distributed more than four million customized packages of essentials to children in Massachusetts, Greater Philadelphia, Chicagoland, and nationally, through Giving Factory Direct - a first-in-kind online clothing donation platform launched in 2021.
Cradles to Crayons takes a three-pronged approach to mitigating Clothing Insecurity:
- In-person Engagement -through tens of thousands of children and adults volunteering at our Giving Factory warehouses to sort and package high volumes of new and like-new donations from our communities for our Service Partners to distribute to the children they serve.
- Online Product Donations -Giving Factory Direct matches product donors directly to children who need the items they have to donate. GFD is currently available in a growing number of communities as we expand our reach nationally.
- Advocacy and Awareness -Cradles to Crayons is uniquely positioned to raise Clothing Insecurity as a national issue through awareness campaigns, data/evaluation, and legislative outreach.
Cradles to Crayons has earned the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator since 2009. Only 2% of charities nationwide have received this distinction. C2C has a budget of $19.4M for FY25.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
As Cradles to Crayons leads the way to #EndClothingInsecurity and expands its high-volume clothing and essentials distribution work to also lead national change for clothing support for childrenincluding advocacy, education, and awareness of this hidden crisisthe External Affairs (EA) team is focused on consistent and impactful visibility for our work (Cradles to Crayons, Giving Factory Direct, and End Clothing Insecurity brands).
Reporting to the Director, Marketing Communications, the Senior Design and Brand Manager is a new position within our new centralized MarCom team and is responsible for developing, implementing, and safeguarding C2Cs brand identity, design production, and visual standards. This role serves as the primary brand ambassador, ensuring consistent and compelling representation across all MarCom work and channels, both internally and externallyand handles all aspects of work from hands-on designing to providing art direction. A key, skills-based member of the MarCom team, the Senior Design and Brand Manager collaborates with Market and function teams to design and create visually compelling and on-brand materials that effectively communicate Cradles to Crayons mission, values, and initiatives. Additionally, this position works in partnership with external agencies and vendors to support the development and implementation of marketing and communications campaigns.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Model and lead a positive One Cradles to Crayons culture, underpinned by Cradles to Crayons Cultural Values and related behaviors
Strategy
- Work collaboratively with key stakeholders and stakeholder groups to increase national presence and brand awareness for Cradles to Crayons and all our brand assets, such as the Giving Factory Direct platform and the End Clothing Insecurity movement
- Work with Leadership and org-wide staff to recognize internal and external brand and design needs and opportunities; define and execute appropriate strategies to support them
Brand Management
- Develop and maintain the organization's brand identity and guidelines; create and manage an asset library for creative resources; maintain and archive production and raw asset files
- Ensure consistent application of the brand across all MarCom materials and organizational brand assets
- Monitor and protect C2Cs brand integrity, reputation, and creative consistency
- Serve as a visual gatekeeper for all outputs (videos, photographs, website pages, emails, social media posts, etc.)
- Develop fresh new ways to push C2Cs brand
Design and Creative Direction
- Design, produce, and oversee visual identity and direction of marketing collateral, promotional materials, and all branded assetsfrom concept to implementation
- Collaborate with C2C teams and external agencies to develop creative concepts and designs
- Ensure design consistency across various channels (print, digital, social media, website, events, etc.); coordinate design projects from concept to completion
- Build practices for and execute dynamic visual storytelling to increase impact and engagement
- Manage vendors and external partners, such as printers and agencies
MarCom Support
- Contribute to the development and execution of MarCom strategies
- Collaborate with the MarCom team to ensure organizational brand alignment
- Provide design support for campaigns, events, and fundraising initiatives
Team Collaboration and Oversight
- Provide brand and design feedback, review, and approval for Market and function colleagues outside of the MarCom team
Other duties and projects as assigned
Required Experience/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:
- 4-5 years relevant brand management, design, and MarCom/advertising experience
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail
- Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite and other creative platforms
- Proficient in print and digital production and commercial printing
- Proficient in creative campaigning and direction
- Proficient in design/asset/rights management
- Proficient in using digital marketing to raise awareness and take action
- Experience in video production and motion graphics
- Experience in UX/UI and digital user design
- Experience with WordPress
- Experience in social media platforms and digital media content
- Experience with organizations in growth transition
- Endlessly curious in how emerging digital marketing trends can translate into excellent user experiences
- Ability to thrive on a new team in a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and collaborative environment
- Ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously
- Nonprofit experience a plus
- A passion for Cradles to Crayons mission
DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH:
Diversity and Inclusiveness are core values at Cradles to Crayons, and we continuously strive to be a team where everyone feels welcome and supported. It is the policy of Cradles to Crayons to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Individuals from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.
Working Conditions:
This is an office / work from home remote virtual environment with occasional visits to C2C Giving Factories. There are no hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions.
Accommodation:
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made by Cradles to Crayons which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others, or which impose undue hardships on the organization.
