Telling stories with purpose.
Hello, AUSL!
My name is Jake and I'm a passionate communications strategist, experienced project manager, and fierce advocate for equity and systems change. I believe in telling stories with purpose and amplifying the voices of traditionally marginalized identities in the process. These are the stories I choose to tell in my own filmmaking and the causes I champion in the places I work.
I have always been passionate about education and even amassed hundreds of classroom hours as a secondary education major for almost the entirety of my undergraduate career. However, during my time student teaching I never quite felt the sense of belonging that my peers described and I knew that without that feeling I would not be the teacher my students deserved. Instead, I felt called to work in education in other ways and I have been fortunate enough to keep education at the center of my work ever since, working in non-profit communications and higher education student development. Serving as AUSL’s Director of Marketing and Communications would be my ideal marriage of communications and education, allowing me to work passionately for our community.
I currently lead marketing and communication strategy for a culture-focused diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy. This experience has given me the opportunity to help inspire change within companies themselves, but I'm looking to return to the educational nonprofit world to realign my work with my values and to utilize my experience as a writer, designer, project manager, and storyteller in a new role that achieves measurable impact.
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30/60/90 Day Plan
This page outlines my recommendations for a 30-60-90 day plan as AUSL's Director of Marketing and Communications. This plan will allow me to work strategically toward high-priority goals and set realistic expectations.
Overview
Focus Areas
Based on preliminary conversations with AUSL team members, these are the four major buckets that we will discuss within the 30/60/90 day plan:
The First 30 Days: Learn
Summary: By the end of the first 30 days I will have developed a foundational understanding of the mission, the team, AUSL’s programs, our communications channels, tools available, and events.
Above: goals broken down by focus area for the first 30 days in the position.
30-Day Deliverables:
MarCom Strategy:
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Complete a SWAT analysis of past/current systems, tools, and strategies
Communications Functions:
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Communications channel assessment (including competitor analysis)
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Website audience Google Analytics assessment
Cross-Team Marketing Support:
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Conduct 1:1’s with team members across the organization
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Schedule time to walk through the events calendar with the Director, External Relations
Brand Development:
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Schedule onboarding meetings with Mollie, Martin, and Kate to better understand the individual brands that live under the AUSL umbrella (Jake to bring specific meeting focuses)
Click the button to view a comprehensive digital audience analysis created for The Chicago Public Education Fund.
The First 60 Days: Build
Summary: By the end of the first 60 days I will have built the strategy needed for short-term operation of Marcom functions (through 2023) and cross-team support, began deeper exploration needed to set a long-term Marcom strategy (3-year outlook), and set the foundation for brand exploration/revision.
Above: goals broken down by focus area for the first 60 days in the position.
60-Day Deliverables:
MarCom Strategy:
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Create an integrated thematic content calendar (social, email, blog, events) that runs through the remainder of 2023
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Create a social media calendar that runs through the remainder of 2023
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Create an events calendar that runs through the remainder of 2023
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Create supporting marketing plans for donor development, CTR, and Liberated way that run through the remainder of 2023
Communications Functions:
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Begin posting social media content, email campaigns, and blog content that align with the integrated thematic content calendar (see above)
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Evaluate mailing lists and create a plan for list development
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Enact in-house website updates that reflect the immediate changes of the organization
Cross-Team Marketing Support:
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Create a profile of target audiences for each program and development/advancement audiences
Brand Development:
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Hold focus groups that collect feedback from team members, leadership, board members, community members, and alumni that helps determine how we perceive our own positioning
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Meet with team members and leadership to lead development of our cohesive brand (beginning to map out one cohesive AUSL brand for the next 20 years
Click the button to view a sample social media calendar created for One Hope United.
The First 90 Days: Enact and Expand
Summary: By the end of the first 90 days I will have worked with key stakeholders to set a long-term vision and strategic plan for the MarCom team, set SOPs for how to best support other teams, and worked with the AUSL team and board to identify a plan for revisions to the AUSL positioning and brand structure.
Above: goals broken down by focus area for the first 90 days in the position.
90-Day Deliverables:
MarCom Strategy:
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Create a MarCom strategic plan that identifies goals, strategies, tactics, and KPI’s for success
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Working with the Director, External Relations, set a 3-year vision for AUSL’s marketing and communications team
Communications Functions:
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Enact, evaluate, and readjust the short-term plans created for MarCom channels, cross-team support, and event support
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Develop a plan for website revision in accordance with the branding and positioning work
Cross-Team Marketing Support:
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Create SOPs for how MarCom collaborates with each team/function to ensure efficient processes for support
Brand Development:
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Report on AUSL’s perceived value proposition, differentiators, and positioning
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Meet with key stakeholders to begin mapping out updated positioning and differentiation
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Create a final brand plan for telling a cohesive organizational strategy that brings together all sub-brands under the AUSL umbrella
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Assess what visual identity updates are needed to accompany this change and map out a working plan for these updates (including brand standard updates and website updates as needed)
Click the button to view a sample Integrated Marketing and Communications Plan created for LCW.
Featured Portfolio Items: LCW Brand Work
After the company was purchased by new ownership, I led LCW's internal and external stakeholders through a process of realigning our 20-year-old identity with the organization's vision for the next 20 years.
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While not exhaustive, the four components outlined below were key steps in the journey to creating "the new LCW":
1. Exploring our brand positioning
By interviewing and strategizing with internal and external stakeholders, we identified and defined our brand's unique value proposition, differentiators, and competitive landscape.
2. Translating our purpose into our visual identity
Using our newly defined positioning, we sought to create an identity that matched the new vision for the organization while respecting the work of the past 20 years. This meant adopting an updated logo, color palette, and font kit.
3. Standardizing our visual identity
The new visual identity was then standardized and used to build out a new website for the organization that fit the new positioning and aesthetic.
4. Creating a systematized roll out plan
Finally, as an organization that leverages a robust training and learning library, the internal rollout process was complex. Standard operating procedures were created to ensure clients experience a seamless brand transition. At the same time, unified messaging was prepared for brand launch.
Additional Portfolio Items
Scroll through below to view examples of a few of my projects that are most relevant to this role.
