MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW:

Forever Our Rivers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving the health and vitality of rivers across Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico to ensure a future where water and its connected communities thrive. We fund science-based river conservation, restoration and stewardship projects in close partnership with local communities. We research, vet projects and invest in long-term impact—ensuring donations support the most pressing projects and create the greatest impact.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Forever Our Rivers is looking for a creative, strategic, and data-driven Marketing & Communications Manager to help implement our marketing strategy, create engaging content across all marketing channels that resonates with our target audiences, execute day-to-day marketing channel management, support and grow our fundraising efforts, and track and report on analytics.

The Marketing & Communications Manager will focus on communications, marketing and outreachin alignment with our Marketing & Communications Plan and Strategic Plan, blending strategy and creativity with hands-on execution. This position works to ensure our communications channels are well developed, consistent, accessible, successful and aligned with our brand and organization goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Brand & Campaign Management

• Express our unique approach to river conservation in a way that motivates our target audiences, showcasing how our mission enriches lives and provides essential value.
• Represent our brand values of inclusivity, impact, science-driven, nimble and trust across marketing channels.
• Develop entertaining, informative and inspiring communications that connect with our target audiences, increase engagement, drive donations and build loyalty.
• Translate complex scientific concepts into relatable, human-centric stories across marketing channels to galvanize support.
• Maintain brand standards and brand voice, keep marketing channels brand-focused while seeking new avenues for audience connection.
• Manage and maintain our comprehensive, annual Content Calendar, incorporating projects, campaigns, conservation stories, successes, fundraising appeals, events and partnerships.
• Designate how, when and where content will be created and disseminated. Plan key storytelling with room for flexibility and spontaneity.

Social Media

• Manage, grow, optimize, and populate Forever Our River’s social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) with strategic and creative posts that drive engagement and conversion.
• Use social media as a storytelling and awareness engine that connects audiences emotionally to our work and drives support for river conservation to inspire action and grow a loyal community of supporters who see Forever Our Rivers as the trusted partner for community-driven river conservation in the Four Corners region.
• Authentically engage with Forever our Rivers followers to foster community, humanize the organization, and grow affinity and loyalty. Gather information about audience preferences.
• Provide timely audience-organization communication and activity, responding to comments and messages, cross-promoting and resharing posts. Follow, Like, and Comment regularly on accounts we follow—businesses, grantees, like-minded nonprofits, ambassadors, individuals, etc.
• Turn passive followers into active participants through interactive and story-driven content.
• Run quarterly themed social media challenges (photo contests, etc.).
• Manage collaboration posts with grantees, business partners and ambassadors to amplify reach.
• Execute social media giveaways with partners.
• Curate user-generated content.
• Inspire social media followers to sign up for emails, participate in events, donate and share river stories.
• Build a predictable posting rhythm and unified brand voice.
• Regularly feature partner organizations and impact outcomes.
• Utilize a social media management tool to create and schedule social media posts, and track and report on analytics.
• Stay up-to-date on relevant social media trends, platforms and new features.

Email Marketing

• Use email as a storytelling and engagement tool to build a passionate community of river advocates, deepen relationships with supporters and partners, and convert email subscribers into donors who actively contribute to river conservation.
• Prioritize shifting subscriber list from grant partners to donors and community members.
• Lead the creation of the monthly e-newsletter and expand email communications to launch an email marketing strategy that engages and inspires action.
• Utilize MailChimp to track and interpret analytics for future content planning to increase open rates, click-through rates, website traffic via e-newsletters and online giving.

Website

• Manage the Forever Our Rivers website, using human stories and visuals to connect mission to action. Maintain and frequently update the website as a hub for compelling storytelling.
• Clearly communicate our impact and drive meaningful action through online donations, partnerships and engagement. Motivate giving and participation.
• Ensure consistent, inspiring, on-brand tone.
• Improve SEO, increase website traffic, expand organic and referral reach, increase time on page and other key performance indicators.

Public Relations

• Elevate awareness and credibility of Forever Our Rivers as a leading river conservation nonprofit, building strong emotional and geographic connections across our service area, and inspiring people to support our mission through localized storytelling, media visibility and partnerships in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.
• Help make our organization visible, trusted and inspiring to donors, grantees and the public. Build confidence with the public and demonstrate measurable success. Secure local, regional and national media coverage.
• Coordinate and share PR hits across our marketing channels. Amplify our brand voice in PR efforts.
• Strengthen partner visibility and implement collaborative PR campaigns.

Ambassador Program

• Manage and grow Forever Our Rivers Ambassador Program, working with our coalition of athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, artists, educators, conservationists and community organizers to strengthen awareness of our mission, foster an inclusive community, create a deeper connection with our audience, grow donations and build brand affinity.
• Utilize dynamic content from our Ambassador Team to increase our credibility within the outdoor, conservation and environmental sectors. Elevate Forever Our Rivers in a sea of conservation nonprofits.
• Work with ambassadors to gather content, create and execute social media collaboration posts, and write profiles and features across social media, website and email.
• Maintain consistent communications and check-ins with Ambassadors to foster ongoing relationships and ensure goals and metrics are successfully met.

Business Partnership Program

• Manage and grow Forever Our Rivers Business Partnership Program to increase small business and corporate water stewardship and unlock financial capital to fund nature-based solutions that protect watersheds.
• Build meaningful collaborations with mission-aligned companies that share our commitment to river conservation. Broaden support from local, regional and national businesses.
• Through strategic business partnerships, amplify our impact, increase awareness and generate sustainable funding that supports conservation, restoration and community engagement efforts across our service area.
• Showcase business partnerships and utilize high-quality content and storytelling from business partners across our marketing channels for recognition and credibility.

Fundraising

• Support staff in the management of fundraising campaigns, helping to implement campaigns across marketing channels and analyze their performance.
• Assist the Executive Director in fundraising appeals.
• Maintain strong relationships and good rapport with donors, helping to expand monthly giving, annual gifts, donor acquisition and donor retention.
• Help design Annual Reports that showcase the organization’s achievements, credibility and transparency.
• Assist with grant writing and help seek out grant funding opportunities to ensure the long-term sustainability of Forever Our Rivers.

Events

• Assist the team with organizing and managing high-quality, mission-aligned events in key river communities to increase river conservation awareness and engagement, attract new supporters and strengthen partnerships. Events may include river clean-ups, stewardship or restoration days, guided trips, races or athletic events, culture, art and heritage tours, educational speaker series and small dinner parties.
• Grow donor and volunteer base by turning event participants into long-term supporters.
• Increase email sign-ups and social media following through events.

Strategic Planning

• Help Forever Our Rivers achieve the goals outlined in our 2026 - 2029 Strategic Plan and 2025 - 2027 Marketing & Communications Strategy.
• Provide monthly reports on social media, email and website analytics, looking at key performance indicators like engagement, audience growth, reach and giving.
• Brainstorm and discover ways to meet and advance marketing goals and improve performance.
• Stay current on marketing best practices and new technologies.

POSITION DETAILS:

• Full-time (40 hours/week), Exempt Position.
• Position reports to the Executive Director.
• Salary range is $70k - $88k, DOE.
• Benefits include medical and dental insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, an encouraging and flexible work environment, professional training stipend and career growth opportunities.
• Remote/hybrid with occasional travel to events and HQ in Crested Butte, Colorado.
• Flexible schedule with regular check-ins and meetings with team and partners.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of three years relevant work experience in nonprofit marketing at an environmental nonprofit.
• Understanding and passion for conservation and water issues in the Southwest.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, and reverence for storytelling.
• Proficiency with graphic design software.
• High level of attention to detail and the ability to efficiently manage your time across multiple work streams.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills and exceptional customer service.

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a natural resource management, environmental sciences or related field.
• Experience in fundraising and grant writing.
• Based in Forever Our River's service area in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico or Arizona.

YOU’LL BE SUCCESSFUL IF:

• You enjoy gathering information from the field and using it to create stories of change and hope.
• You work well under pressure with great humor, grace and professionalism.
• You propose solutions to problems and research subjects that will help you do your job.

Forever Our Riversis committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Like the communities we fund, ourstaff, board and partners have a rich diversity of talents, backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion,sex,sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other non-merit-based factors.