Claire Hodges
Here’s the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words.
Would YOU like to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro.
As marketing manager at Communities Foundation of Texas, Claire Hodges is in charge of all of her organization’s digital needs, including updating and maintaining the website, print advertising, online advertising, online event registrations, etc. She is also the graphics guru, so she works on informational one-pagers, invitations, photos, and more. Another large component of her job is managing the website for their annual giving day that takes place in September and has raised over $86 million in 6 years.
Here is a typical day:
Before 8:00 am: I usually check my email on my phone on the drive to work.
8:00 am – 10:00 am: I check emails, response to emails, login to our website and see if there are any pages on the web that need updating.
-Download any new news clips of CFT and Educate Texas in the news
-Upload them to the website if appropriate
-Work on mass emails to be sent to fund holders or professional advisors
-send to appropriate people for review and approval
10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Usually have a meeting or two each morning.
-Google Adwords, set up, monitor, maintain our Google Grant and Remarketing Campaign
-Work with Blackbaud support to get a Google Remarketing Tag installed on our website so we can start tracking and paying to advertising on the Google Display Network.
-Check Google Analytics
-Track Deep in the Heart of Giving Ad Campaign
Take an hour break for lunch or running errands
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Catch up on emails
-Work on Giving Guide (creating custom giving recommendation sheets for fund holders & trustees)
-Get Annual Report online
-Add Annual report photos to the website homepage slideshow
-Coordinate Advertising campaign deadlines with O&H brand design (our graphics and advertising firm)
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: – Take a mid-afternoon break for a snack
-Take a stroll around the office to say hi, ask questions
-Work on graphic design pieces – various one-pagers for prospect meetings, New Fund holder packets, invitation designs for upcoming events
-figure out how to get updated versions of Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign
-Research professional development opportunities
After 4:00 pm: Work day typically stops at 5:00.
-I always look at tomorrow’s schedule and see what meetings/events/off-sites I have the next day so I can be prepared.
-Final email sends, follow up on any tasks that have been emailed to me that I haven’t completed.
Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro.
