Philanthropy Communications Specialist

APA! BACKGROUND

Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and beloved nonprofits. The organization leads the No Kill movement nationally and is a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing a safety net for Austin’s most at‑risk shelter pets and helping Austin become a No Kill city while also supporting other communities in saving homeless animals.

The organization is distinguished by its large volunteer workforce and grassroots, community‑based animal rescue work.

APA! continues to innovate best practices to save lives and spreads its impact by offering resources and mentorship related to its renowned lifesaving model through American Pets Alive!, APA!’s national division. In 2020, American Pets Alive! began the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) – an innovative initiative aimed at rethinking the traditional model of animal sheltering. It focuses on supporting both people and pets in the community to reduce the number of animals entering shelters and improve outcomes for both.

The project encourages collaboration between animal welfare organizations and community‑based services, with a goal of providing personalized, proactive support that positions animal welfare as a social service.

The Philanthropy Communications Specialist is a key team member within APA!’s Advancement team, responsible for inspiring tens of thousands of supporters through strategic and compelling storytelling across various channels. This role involves leading the development and management of content for fundraising and donor engagement, ensuring alignment with APA!’s philanthropic goals and priorities, and collaborating across the team. The Specialist reports to the Director of Marketing Communications and will oversee direct mail, email solicitations (e‑solicits), CEO and other executive level stewardship communications, and other critical initiatives.

The Specialist manages daily responsibilities, maintains clear priorities, and delivers consistent, high‑quality work that aligns with APA!’s values and goals. This includes staying organized, using data or feedback to inform decisions, and following through on key tasks with minimal oversight.

Every individual at APA! works with volunteers: recruiting, training, and ensuring they feel impactful. A core part of this role is creating a welcoming and empowering experience for volunteers, including assisting with onboarding, training, and engagement as part of the day‑to‑day workflow.

• Independently manage the chip‑ins fundraising program, creating strategy to meet and exceed a monthly revenue goal of $10k, while coordinating with APA!’s clinic staff.
• Produce four or more e‑solicits per month outside of active campaigns and collaborate with the full Advancement team for urgent communications during natural disasters and other emergencies.
• Conduct A/B testing, analyze email performance on key metrics, and implement testing methodologies to continuously improve engagement and increase revenue.
• Work with team leadership to lead mass SMS efforts and incorporate text campaigns into fundraising initiatives.
• Manage volunteers and/or interns as appropriate.
• Lead the creation and execution of direct mail pieces from ideation through writing and project management, including managing vendor relations.

• Distill complex program information into concise and compelling messages.
• Manage and share a stream of key fundraising messages and stories for integrated campaigns, digital campaigns, and donor engagement.
• Produce weekly stewardship communications on behalf of the CEO, coordinating with the CEO.
• Maintain a content calendar for campaigns, e‑solicits, and other communications projects to ensure timely and effective messaging.
• Create event promotion communications to engage and invite supporters across multiple platforms.
• Create and manage campaign donation pages in Classy, involving the Graphic Designer and team leadership as needed.
• Collaborate with the…