Description

Overview

New Directions Housing Corporation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, has been serving Louisville and Southern Indiana for over 50 years. We are a community development corporation that focused on providing affordable housing and tailored social services to families of low income, seniors and the disabled. In short, we are Caring Neighbors Building Community.

Position Summary: 

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Sr. Director of Communication & Engagement provides leadership and oversight for philanthropic relationships and the organization’s external engagement strategy, including brand visibility, strategic communications, marketing, and media relations. The Director leads and manages a small, integrated engagement team, works across the organization and with external partners, serves as a key business leader on organization-wide strategic priorities, and collaborates closely with executive leadership to develop and implement integrated strategies that advance the organization’s mission, impact, and long-term growth.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm (flexible start times)

FLSA Status: Salary – Exempt / Full Time

Salary Range: $75,000 - $90,000 annually

Essential Responsibilities:

1. Philanthropic Engagement:

• Develops and implements an annual Resource Development Plan including donor stewardship, foundation strategy, and corporate engagement to meet revenue targets and support organization’s mission and goals.
• Engages staff, volunteers, and board members in fundraising events and sponsorship opportunities.
• Utilizes data, reporting, and analytics to inform fundraising strategy and decision-making.
• Identifies, researches, cultivates, and solicits individual, corporate, and foundation donors, ensuring timely and personalized communication.
• Oversees the creation, writing, and submission of Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) to prospective foundations, ensuring alignment, clarity, and compelling presentation of program needs.
• Tracks LOI deadlines, follows up with funders, and supports the transition from LOI to full proposal.
  
  2. Strategic Engagement:
• Develops and executes engagement strategies to increase organizational visibility and mission awareness.
• Leads branding, marketing, and communications efforts across digital platforms, media channels, and organizational publications.
• Serves as the organization’s primary storyteller, producing speeches, newsletters, and impact narratives.
• Manages media relations, including press releases, interviews, talking points, and crisis communications.
• Oversees the organization’s website, social media presence, and digital content strategy.
  
  3. Grant Writing, Reporting and Compliance:
• Leads and supervises staff responsible for researching and identifying grant opportunities aligned with the organizational priorities.
• Oversees the preparation, submission, and management of all grant applications and reports, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness.
• Partners with Finance to ensure grant compliance, accurate revenue tracking, and alignment with budget requirements.
• Maintains accurate grant and donor data within the CRM and supports the development of dashboards and reports.
• Tracks grant and fundraising performance metrics and provides regular updates to leadership and the board.
• Manages grant-related budgets and monitors expenditures to ensure responsible use of funds.
  
  4. Supervisory Responsibilities:
• Directly supervises up to two full-time staff members and provides day-to-day leadership, coaching, and performance management.
• Assigns work, sets priorities, and ensures timely completion of deliverables aligned with organizational goals.
• Fosters a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on accountability, professional growth, and results.
• Oversees the use of consultants and external vendors, as applicable, to support engagement and communications efforts.

Requirements

Essential Qualifications, Experience & Skills:  

• Bachelor's degree in Fund Development, Marketing, Communications, Nonprofit Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of nonprofit experience in fund development, fundraising, or a related field, with demonstrated experience in marketing and communications
• Proven track record of cultivating donors and building strong donor relationships, securing grants and creating mission awareness.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience with LOIs, grants, proposals, reports, storytelling, and presentations.
• Experience managing marketing, branding, and digital communications.
• Strong relationshipbuilding and publicfacing communication skills.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and analytics.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and lead crossfunctional teams.
• Experience supervising and leading teams (1-3 staff), including setting priorities, managing deadlines, and delivering results. 

Preferred Technical Skills:

• CRM systems (Salesforce, Bloomerang, Blackbaud, DonorPerfect)
• Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Mailchimp, Constant Contact
• Social media platforms and analytics
• Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace

Reporting to this Position: Up to 2 Fulltime Staff  

Physical Demands, Work Environment, Machines, Tools & Equipment: The characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical Demands: While performing duties of job, the employee will work with staff and community members, requiring high degrees of flexibility, listening, creativity and problem solving. Employee may be required to sit or stand for long periods of time, climb stairs, reach with hands and arms, and talk and hear. Position may require moderate amount of lifting and carrying items (25 lbs), bending and stretching. Position requires entering and exiting a vehicle numerous times during a workday along with various amounts of motor vehicle operation. Employee will be required to operate a motor vehicle for the purpose of traveling between various sites at various times during the work day. Position can require the employee to work extended weekend hours for special events or donor engagements.
• Work Environment:  The work is performed at numerous locations that can include, but not limited to employees' office, agreed upon public location, job site, New Directions Learning Center, and/or other community event locations.
• Machines, Tools & Equipment:  Ability to use and understand the operation of basic office equipment that includes, but not limited to computers and various applications, printer, photocopy machine, telephone, cell phone, calculator, and shredder.