Communications Associate Jobs in Kentucky

Description:

Reporting to the Associate Director of Digital Annual Giving, the Digital Communications Associate supports Berea College’s digital stewardship and engagement efforts with a primary focus on email communications. This role is responsible for assisting with designing, building, and deploying a wide range of stewardship, fundraising, and project-based emails that strengthen donor relationships and support institutional goals. The Associate assists with preparing email content, layout, testing, and audience segmentation while ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with Berea’s mission and brand standards. Working closely with campus partners across the ACP division and beyond, the Digital Communications Associate helps deliver timely, personalized, and impactful digital communications that enhance the donor experience and extend Berea’s digital presence.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Email Stewardship & Communications Support: Assist with design and deployment of stewardship and engagement emails including the monthly Stewardship Circle newsletter, endowed fund report emails, student craft emails, friend birthday emails, gift milestone acknowledgments, campaign emails, and other non-annual giving communications.

• Content Support: Use templates to develop visually engaging and mission-aligned email layouts, web pages, graphics, and content. Collaborate with supervisor and campus partners to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency of messaging.

• CRM & List Management: Assist with importing email recipient lists within the CRM, ensuring accurate segmentation, proper documentation, and adherence to data integrity and privacy standards.

• Campaign & Project Support: Assist with the execution of digital fundraising and engagement campaigns by supporting email production, scheduling, testing, and deployment timelines.

• Quality Control & Testing: Follow checklist to conduct thorough reviews and testing of emails prior to launch, including links, personalization fields, accessibility considerations, and mobile responsiveness.

• Performance Tracking Support: Pull basic email performance metrics such as opens, clicks, and engagement trends to support ongoing optimization and reporting efforts.

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work with Annual Giving, Donor Experiences and Services, Alumni Relations, Student Craft, and other campus partners to gather content and support timely stewardship communications.

• Platform & Process Support: Follow established procedures for using email marketing platforms and CRM tools, and assist with maintaining organized documentation and workflows.

• Online Giving Support: Assist with the setup, testing, and maintenance of online donation forms and giving pages, particularly as they relate to email campaigns and stewardship communications. Ensure links, form functionality, design, and donor experience are accurate, user-friendly, and aligned with campaign goals.

• Data Stewardship & Security: Handle donor and constituent information responsibly, following institutional policies and best practices to protect data privacy and security.

• General Digital Communications Support: Provide assistance on additional email and digital communication projects as assigned to support broader fundraising, stewardship, and institutional initiatives. This includes providing guidance and support to Alumni Philanthropy in creating and improving their digital communications, ensuring messaging aligns with Berea’s mission, best practices, and audience engagement goals.

What You'll Bring:

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Associates degree, required
• Bachelor’s Degree, preferred
• Degree in business, communication, or related field, preferred

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• One to two years of related experience in digital communications, email marketing, or fundraising support.
• Experience with email marketing, CRM systems, Canva, Photoshop, or other design software.
• Ability to coordinate multi-platform marketing campaigns and manage details accurately across channels.

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Understanding of and commitment to Berea College’s mission, Great Commitments, and the role philanthropy plays in advancing the College’s purpose.
• Experience supporting annual giving, donor stewardship, or nonprofit communications, preferred
• Working knowledge of digital engagement and fundraising platforms, including email marketing platforms, WordPress websites, and related technologies.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with campus partners and supervisors.
• Ability to follow data-informed guidance, track basic email performance metrics, and apply feedback to improve digital communications.
• Ability to accurately report digital metrics to show fundraising progress and digital engagement to various stakeholders.
• Capacity to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
• Creative mindset with interest in learning and applying new digital tools to enhance donor and constituent engagement.
• Demonstrated professionalism, discretion, sound judgment, and reliability in handling donor and institutional information.
• Ability to balance thoughtful execution with day-to-day production needs in support of fundraising and institutional communications.

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Valid Driver’s License and good driving record
• Required background check

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while working at a computer or attending meetings.
• Ability to use regular office equipment.
• Ability to communicate clearly in person, by phone, and via video conferencing.
• Ability to navigate campus and public buildings/grounds
• Ability to travel by car and/or plane and navigate airports, if necessary
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 20 lbs.

Environmental conditions:

• Professional office environment with interruptions and noise due to frequent visitors, students, staff and faculty
• Occasional travel required for meetings, conferences, etc.

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Vehicle
• Demonstrated proficiency and comfort with digital technology

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 46 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them with a no-tuition promise. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only ten federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2025. Washington Monthly has named Berea College the #1 Best College in the nation in its 2025 College Guide. Berea College appears in their rankings as #1 College (overall): Best College for your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars, #1 Best-in Class College, #1 Liberal Arts College and #1 Best Bang for the Buck Southern College.

LOCATION:

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team.

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

Our Benefits:

Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the Child Development Laboratory for children of College Staff, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Seabury Center Membership, Staff Development Funds and Tuition Reimbursement.

Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.

Part-time employees who work an average of 24 hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.