Marketing and Communications Director

The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) is looking for a highly innovative and imaginative marketing professional with extraordinary communication skills to identify and define the current AAW brandand refine brand development strategies. Demand for our services and benefits is increasing.This position will research, identify and develop new strategies that will cultivate relationships with our current members and connect us with new audiences for growth.

Position Description:

• Identifies and defines the current AAW brand, and refines and directs brand development strategies that will align our brand with our mission and goals.
• Researches and identifies new audiences for growth.
• Leads the creation, development, evaluation, and maintenance of an ambitious strategic marketing and sales plan.
• Digital marketing to a global audience and leveraging global marketing channels.
• Branding/positioning membership renewals and new membership acquisition.
• Sales of AAW educational products and merchandise.
• Increasing attendance at the annual AAW international symposium.
• Identifying new collector markets for our professional members' artwork.
• Establishing strategic marketing affiliations with our vendors and our symposium exhibitors. 
• Prospecting for new corporate marketing partnerships. 
• Assists with print and electronic marketing content development,including press releases, direct mail and electronic communications, an annual report, periodic newsletters, and event invitations. 
• Collaborates on graphic design initiatives with the AAW's contract design firm.
• Coordinates public relations and publicity for the AAW annual international symposium.
• Develops copy for marketing initiatives related to symposium promotions and merchandise sales. 
• Develops marketing and sales tactics to increase AAW merchandise sales for product-specific initiatives such as the print-on-demand workbook series, and the planned digital edition versions of American Woodturner. 
• Analyzes and interprets internet and other electronic analytics to measure the effectiveness of various marketing and sales campaigns. 
• Plans, coordinates and leads communications projects that improve the AAW's membership retention rate and fulfill new member recruitment goals. 
• Anticipates the consequences of organizational decisions and develops proactive communication strategies to avoid foreseeable communication problems. 
• Fosters a sense of community and member investment and engagement. 
• Collaborates with the editor of American Woodturner to expand distribution of written and video content to our membership through other publication channels. 
• Supports AAW membership campaigns with strategic communications, annual giving, and the general cultivation of relationships with members, our affiliated chapters and other potential supporters of the AAW. 
• Ensures that we apply consistent messages and common graphical elements throughout all of our communications. 
• Coordinates and develops AAW's expanding portfolio of electronic communications including membership email announcements, AAW website content, and electronic periodicals such as our Woodturning FUNdamentals e-newsletter, and integration of social media. 
• Organizes and maintains a digital archive of photographs and video for use in print and multimedia productions. 

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing or related field required.
• A minimum 5 years of relevant experience with proven success in marketing, sales and communications. 
• Creative, entrepreneurial and globally minded with a positive spirit and a passion for nonprofit service. 
• Ability to be resourceful and industrious with limited resources. 
• Possessing persuasive and clear written and verbal communication skills and comfortable with presenting to groups. 
• Sound judgment and ability to assimilate and analyze information from a variety of sources.
• Multimedia marketing and sales experience and a passion for collaboration to create and grow relationships with industry partners. 
• Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Dreamweaver and Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word). 
• Demonstrated success with brand development and strategic marketing and sales campaigns to support a growing organization. 
• Analytical and creative, with ability to manage and deliver multiple projects under tight deadlines with a strategic orientation to problem-solving, backed with tactical experience implementing solutions. 
• Knowledge of or experience in supporting the communications aspects of fundraising and development campaigns. 
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and able to facilitate decisions when faced with various, sometimes conflicting interests. 

Company description: The American Association of Woodturners (AAW) is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) non-profit membership association with a global audience. We are the largest organization in the world dedicated to the advancement of woodturning, a branch of woodworking that uses a lathe to create functional wooden objects and artwork. The AAW has more than 15,000 members and nearly 350 affiliated local chapters worldwide, and we are growing. The core of the Association's mission is education: we foster a wider understanding and appreciation of lathe-turning as a traditional and contemporary craft and a form of art among amateur turners, part-time turners, professional turners, and the public. The AAW publishes a premier journal, sponsors the world's largest woodturning symposium, and provides instruction, fellowship, networking, resources, and services to our membership.

Email cover letter and resume to linda@woodturner.org

For more information contact Linda Ferber (651) 484-9094 or visit www.woodturner.org