Culture and Careers

The Senior Email and Lifecycle Manager leads the Email and Lifecycle Marketing Team and is instrumental in shaping and executing innovative strategies that engage, nurture, convert, and retain donors throughout their journey, leveraging email and other one-to-one digital channels such as SMS marketing. The position requires advanced technical proficiency in email marketing, automating ESP workflows, front-end development, and best-in-class practices for deliverability, such as list hygiene and authentication protocols. Additional responsibilities include donation page implementation and website development. The position emphasizes team leadership and cross-departmental collaboration. This role is client-facing and serves as a bridge between the Digital Department and other internal teams, ensuring seamless execution of campaigns.

Team Leadership and Management:

• Supervises, inspires, and mentors the Digital Implementation team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and professional growth
• Develops and enforces QC procedures to ensure flawless execution of campaigns on time and within budget

Strategic Implementation and Execution:

• Oversees email marketing campaigns, including building, testing, and deploying emails via platforms such as Delivra, HubSpot, MailChimp, Constant Contact, Pardot, Virtuous, and Blackbaud
• Designs and optimizes end-to-end email journeys, incorporating audience segmentation and behavior-driven automation
• Leads audience segmentation and list hygiene for email and text campaigns, ensuring accurate targeting and optimal deliverability
• Manages website updates and enhancements on WordPress, Squarespace, and custom CMS solutions
• Stays informed about fundraising industry trends and emerging email strategies that drive donor engagement and share insights with internal teams
• Oversees organic social media planning and implementation in collaboration with the strategy team
• Manages distribution of campaign assets to ensure proper implementation across email, text, website, and social platforms

Client-Facing Responsibilities

• Represents BDI Digital in client meetings, delivering insights on email marketing, customer journey performance, and recommendations for achieving campaign objectives
• Builds and maintains strong client relationships to ensure alignment on deliverables and goals
• Provides tailored technology and process recommendations to enhance email, text, donation platform, and website capabilities

Client Review and Feedback

• Evaluates email creative concepts and designs, including copy, layout, imagery, and calls-to-action, ensuring alignment with best practices for engaging and converting fundraising audiences
• Partners with Creative, Client Services, and Data teams to deliver campaigns that align with client branding and messaging
• Performance Optimization: Analyzes how creative elements (e.g., subject lines, preheader text, visuals, and content hierarchy) impact donor engagement and conversion rates, providing actionable feedback to maximize fundraising potential
• Testing and Insights: Recommends A/B testing strategies for email creative elements, such as imagery, headlines, or CTA placement, to improve campaign effectiveness
• Collaboration: Partners with the Creative and Client Services teams to refine concepts, ensuring designs meet industry standards while prioritizing fundraising goals

Special Projects and Professional Development

• Assists with onboarding new clients, offering technical support and troubleshooting
• Manages external contractors and vendors related to email, text messaging, website, and donation platforms. This includes providing partners with clear direction and project management, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and without error
• Contributes to thought leadership by producing one piece of BDI Marketing content per fiscal year (e.g., blogs, webinars, podcasts)
• Pursues professional development opportunities by attending trade conferences or training sessions

• Relationship Building: Must be friendly, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and professional. Must demonstrate ability to establish and develop relationships with prospects and serve as an ambassador of BDI. Positive attitude, good collaborator
• Has experience applying front-end development skills (HTML, CSS, basic JavaScript) to create or modify email templates, landing pages, and website elements for better usability and conversion rates
• HTML Skills: Proficient in creating and editing email templates using semantic HTML, including table-based layouts for email compatibility
• CSS Skills: Strong understanding of inline CSS, email-safe fonts, and media queries for responsive email design
• Platform Proficiency: Ability to effectively customize templates and workflows with drag-and-drop editors and advanced code views in email platforms
• Collaborates with developers and designers to implement technical improvements that enhance user experience across digital touchpoints
• Monitors emerging trends in web design and front-end technologies to ensure platforms remain modern and functional

• BA or BS preferred, ideally in Marketing, Communications, Business, Analytics, or a related field
• Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in email marketing, with a strong track record of implementing strategies focused on donor acquisition, retention, and loyalty
• Proficiency in using email platforms such as Delivra, HubSpot, Engaging Networks, Sales Force Marketing Cloud, MailChimp, Virtuous, Constant Contact, and Blackbaud
• Proficiency in donation platforms Qgiv, Fundraise Up, Classy, Donor Perfect, etc.
• Familiarity with Litmus or Email on Acid for email testing and QA
• Experience managing website updates and landing page creation on platforms like WordPress and Squarespace
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and manage cross-functional collaboration
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret campaign performance data and provide actionable insights
• Exceptional communication skills and ability to present complex ideas to clients and internal stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with marketing automation tools and CRM systems
• Experience with SMS marketing platforms and strategies
• Understanding of donation platforms and nonprofit digital marketing needs

Professional services office environment

Hybrid work schedule

Travel to conferences and client sites