Associate Director, Digital Engagement

BACKGROUND

Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.

The IRC is headquartered in New York and operates in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. Through 26 regional offices in cities across the United States, the IRC also helps refugees resettle in the US and become self-sufficient.

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

IRC-UK

IRC-UK was established in London in 1997 to support the organisation’s global activities and particularly to diversify its donor base, to better advocate with European policy-makers and to raise the profile of the IRC in Europe. IRC-UK comprises approximately 120 staff. The IRC also has offices in Brussels, Berlin, Bonn, Stockholm and Geneva.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

The External Relations (ER) unit is comprised of four complementary functions: Private fundraising, Mobilization & Marketing, Policy & Advocacy and Operations & Analytics. To enable IRC to deliver our Strategy100 commitments, the ER unit established a bold new approach that enhances our ability to raise diverse and flexible funding aligned with IRC’s top priorities, while raising our profile and influence. The ER unit is international, with colleagues in more than 10 offices globally.

STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

As Associate Director, Digital Engagement (Digital Fundraising) you will be based in the London office or work remotely and will be part of the Mass Markets team.

The purpose of the role is to lead within the digital engagement team on developing and producing supporter journeys for IRC’s priority markets – principally through digital channels – across key communication, mobilisation and/or fundraising priorities. The role will be the focus point within the team on designing and testing multi-channel supporter experiences that support the goals of national market fundraising and advocacy stakeholders.

In this role, you will focus on strategically chosen, globally distributed digital fundraising and supporter journey projects for IRC. This will also include working to support emerging and established fundraising programmes on key activities that drive income generation and lifetime value. In addition, you will also have oversight and strategic responsibility for our Remote Markets fundraising programme.

Focusing on acquisition, retention and supporter engagement, you will play a key role in helping the IRC to achieve objectives which are central to the Private Sector Engagement Strategy. These objectives include developing supporter journeys, diversifying our income streams globally and increasing income for our beneficiary programs around the world.

SCOPE AND AUTHORITY

Authority:

The post holder has authority to make strategic and implementation decisions regarding the delivery and optimisation of the remote digital fundraising and engagement programme to maximise financial returns to IRC in the short and long term.

Responsibility for Resources:

• Coordination and strategic oversight of the work of any and all agencies, freelancers and external consultants required to deliver on the agreed strategic plan.
• Line management of Senior Digital Fundraising Officer (International), including working with them to ensure their time is allocated effectively across the strategic project pipeline.
• Holds the Global Digital Engagement Budget including making decisions on spend in order to return the maximum returns to IRC.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Builds partnerships and supports Mass Market and/or Policy and Advocacy colleagues in the US and globally to develop a strategic and consistent global approach to digital engagement and supporter journey development across digital channels.
• Works with Creative studio colleagues to ensure market creative assets reflect the supporter journey activation.
• Coordinates across External Relations department progress of supporter journey development
• Partners with IT teams to ensure the strategic platform needs for supporter journey development are represented across international markets
• All other teams as necessary including colleagues in Legal, Finance, Procurement and HR

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Deliver integrated fundraising and advocacy focused campaigns

• Identify and drive forward supporter journeys, tests, experiments and pilots which grow and engage new or existing digital audiences through integrated External Relations campaigns.
• Drive forward campaigns in line with IRC’s External Relations priorities, with a particular focus on audience engagement and working closely with colleagues in Policy & Advocacy, Fundraising across international markets.
• Participate in cross-departmental project teams as needed to ensure reduction of silos and maximising internal returns for testing to develop supporter journeys.
• Partner with External Relations colleagues to ensure global campaigns are adaptable for all markets.
• Work with fundraising teams to ensure that local market needs are sufficiently and accurately represented.
  • Oversee efforts to ensure that audiences receive a highly optimised digital experience from first engagement through the point of transactions at different stages of the donor life-cycle.
  • Support and deliver the frameworks and ways of working that create best support for high quality digital innovation.
• Support the ‘one IRC’ strategy by fostering strategic cross-market campaign collaboration to build a consistent global brand.
• Ensure Supporter journeys and tech requirements are aligned with IT resources and priorities.

Functional leadership

• Support national market leads in the creation and delivery of digital engagement strategies and supporter journeys across key calendar moments.
• Foster cohesion and collaboration among departments, represent the needs and objectives of the global Chief Mobilisation & Marketing (CMMO), Policy and Advocacy, IT and Mass Markets teams
• Support the Deputy Director of Digital Fundraising to create a culture and ways of working that encourage testing, experimentation, and results-oriented collaboration between national and global teams, as well as effective partnerships with teams essential for delivery of Supporter journey (including Mass Markets, I.T, Creative Studio, Public Affairs, Entertainment Relations and Brand)
• Deploy and direct the Senior Officer, Digital Engagement, to work on the implementation side of income generating activities (e.g. digital ad and email set-up, copy-writing etc) and support on hands-on delivery of these activities when required.

Strategy and oversight of remote markets programme

Oversee and direct IRC’s remote global digital fundraising and engagement program. The post-holder is responsible for developing the strategy for this programme and for ensuring all implementation carried out by the Senior Digital Fundraising Officer meets the highest possible standard and to agreed priorities. Key aspects include:

• Overseeing the testing of remote markets Facebook Ad campaigns via paid advertising whether for recruitment of standard donor, emergency donors, to generate Rescue Gifts, to acquire leads or grow IRC’s sustainer (regular donors) file, and making decisions about campaign roll-out should these tests be successful
• Oversee any Search Engine Marketing Campaigns (and any other acquisition campaigns via digital channels for remote markets) for acquiring new donors. Manage IRC’s agency/suppliers where these activities are outsourced
• Strategic planning of supporter journey including welcome series, supporter communications cycles email – implemented primarily by the Senior Digital Fundraising Officer
• Oversee the global donation pages and manage implementation of new pages if and when required
• Ensure that tracking on activity is in place to ensure that activities can be monitored and analysed
• Ensure that critical data metrics are measured and regularly reviewed to improve performance
• Develop and lead in the creative approaches used for global digital activity and work with colleagues in the creative and brand teams to ensure all paid recruitment materials are on brand and of the highest quality
• Ensure regular real-time status reports on activities and campaigns are produced to the highest possible standard.
• Ensure the creation of marketing assets that meet campaign needs, goals and network specifications.
• Manage supplier relationships including developers and the like.
• Coordinate with IRC’s procurement team and HR teams in order to ensure contracts are developed and delivered on time and to IRC standards.
• Stay abreast of rapidly changing ad platforms and advise on new opportunities
• Be a key member of the Global Digital team demonstrating a commitment to the principles and policies of the “IRC Way” – IRC Global Standards for Professional Conduct including integrity, service, accountability and equality.

Supporting change

• Work collaboratively with colleagues in the IRC network to share and assist in digital supporter journey best practice sharing and implementation.
• Work collaboratively with Digital and Communications colleagues globally to maximize fundraising opportunities and financial returns.
• Ensure global digital fundraising practices are compliant with fundraising and other relevant regulatory standards.
• Be aware and mindful of cultural differences across multiple markets including what will help IRC generate income from them e.g. gift giving moments per market, media moments which may help us raise more income etc.
• Monitor developments and trends in global digital fundraising
• Contribute to overall strategic and financial planning as required
• Participate in Fundraising team meetings and events
• Carry out other duties as required to maximize IRC’s global digital fundraising.
• Fight for the organisation to continue to become more agile and thus supporting digital efforts
• Support new and emerging markets with input, advice and support in the development of digital fundraising and engagement in markets with in-country operations such as US, UK, German or Sweden

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of leading, developing and managing digital marketing campaigns, (remotely or in person), from initial strategic thinking through to planning activity, implementing activity and reporting on it.
• Demonstrable experience of developing, implementing and monitoring of paid digital fundraising campaigns with a particular emphasis on Facebook paid advertising and across multiple markets.
• Demonstrable experience in marketing to mass audiences in international organisations
• Experience in a digital fundraising or marketing role on a strategic level and team leadership level
• Experience of developing and implementing digital fundraising strategies.
• Experience of working collaboratively with members of a fundraising team and across departments
• Experience of fundraising for sustainers (regular donors)
• Experience of working with SalesForce or equivalent eCRM

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:

• Bachelor Degree or equivalent in Marketing field OR equivalent work experience
• Proven ability using analytics to inform and influence decision-making
• Proven ability of managing varied and complex tools and platforms such as Salesforce and the like.
• People person always looking for insights beyond the data – experience of working in close collaboration across varied teams and time zones
• Excellent IT skills including digital marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Business Manager / Power Editor, AdWords and Microsoft packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills, to deal effectively, efficiently and appropriately with internal and external audiences
• Excellent financial and numeracy skills
• Acute attention to detail.
• Excellent organisational skills, including the ability to plan and prioritise in order to handle a complex, varied workload
• Able to establish and build relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders at all levels and from a variety of backgrounds
• Able to understand and demonstrate commitment to IRC’s Equal Opportunities Policy and to ensure all activities are consistent with Equal Opportunities.
• Able to travel on occasion – for example to attend international meetings.
• Understanding of fundraising practices, codes of conduct and the basics of NGO legislation, privacy laws, GDPR etc.

Desirable

• Understanding of digital fundraising in multiple markets and fundraising remotely to them.

Other Attributes:

• Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
• IRC-UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.
• IRC-UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including underrepresented groups and refugees who have the right to work in the UK.
• IRC UK will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application and/or interview process, and for essential job functions if appointed to a role. Please contact us if you may need such adjustments.