DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Since 2000, more than 5 million people and partners have contributed $1 billion to support 2 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. Projects range from art supplies to build the set for a school musical, to books and puzzles that affirm students’ identities, to bird seed for an at-home science project. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and we combat systemic inequity by driving a majority of donations to schools that have been historically underfunded due to economic and racial inequity.

DonorsChoose has been recognized as a best place to work by GOOD Magazine and the Nonprofit Times, while Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list. Our dedicated team works from across the United States bring classroom dreams to life.

About the Brand & Communications Team

As part of the Community Growth & Impact Team, which is responsible for raising $200M for classrooms each year, the Brand & Communications team is the voice of DonorsChoose. We drive awareness and engagement among donors, partners, teachers, and the public to generate donations, inspire new classroom projects, and elevate the brand. We work closely with our other 60+ Community Growth & Impact colleagues that manage marketing, partnerships, advocacy, and equity, in addition to other teams across the org. The Brand & Communications team also ensures that we’re protecting and properly leveraging our award-winning visual brand identity.

This role reports to the Vice President of Brand & Communications. Minimal travel may be required.

About the Role

The Design Director will be a user-focused creative and excellent collaborator who oversees production of all visual materials for our marketing and partnerships work. They are an accomplished problem solver and guardian of the DonorsChoose brand, ensuring that our visual identity is effectively and consistently implemented across the organization.

The Design Director will:

• Lead graphic design, photography and video storytelling strategy for the Brand & Communications team, ensuring that we’re using equity-forward, accessible design best practices to speak to our stakeholders and accomplish our internal clients’ goals.
• Provide visual design support for marketing channels (email, digital ads, blog), fundraising resources, social media channels, conferences and events.
• Design and code campaign landing pages, annual reports, data reports and other online communications resources.
• Consult with org executives, team leads, and internal clients to scope creative projects and execute according to plan.
• Be a partner with other Brand & Communications colleagues in developing our overall storytelling strategy and the evolution of our visual brand.
• Manage a part-time designer and relevant design/production vendor relationships.

About You

This position might be for you if:

• You have 5+ years of experience in visual design, including the management of other designers and/or design and production vendors.
• You have experience with Adobe Creative Cloud, HTML/CSS, Webflow (or WordPress), Figma, photo editing, print design and production, responsive email design, and vector illustration. Video production experience is a plus, but not required.
• You are a passionate creative collaborator with an eye for detail who can both accept/implement feedback, and provide constructive feedback to others.
• You have a personal commitment to public education and education equity, and you enjoy working with equally driven creatives.

Compensation and Benefits

Our compensation philosophy ensures that we are both externally competitive with tech-forward nonprofits of a similar size and internally fair in our pay practices. The following ranges represent the target offer range given the scope and experience expectations for this role.

• The hiring salary range for this role is $96,000 - $112,500
• We have a hiring salary range of $106,500 - $125,000 for specific higher cost of labor locations, which include New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Once employees are hired, the salary range for their role increases to ensure that employees are able to receive performance-based raises and grow in their role. We are open to a variety of experiences, and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced or more senior than this job description as posted. If that’s the case, an updated salary range will be shared with candidates if they move forward in our hiring process.

In addition, we offer full-time staff 25 paid vacation days per year and 11 paid holidays, a rich employer-paid individual and family health plan, a matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary), annual professional development stipend, and casual and flexible work environment. To learn more about what it is like to work for DonorsChoose, visit our careers page.

Hybrid Workplace and Other Details

In this role, you’ll have the option to work a flexible hybrid schedule in our NYC office, or to work fully remotely from CA, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TX, or WI.

Candidates who are not in the NYC area should expect to travel to our NYC office on as-needed basis, about 4-6 times per year. All work-related travel expenses will be covered by the organization and proper safety precautions will be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

DonorsChoose is a fully vaccinated workplace and all new employees, regardless of their work location, will be asked to share proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 within two weeks of their hire date or request an exemption from this policy due to a disability or sincerely held religious belief or practice.

To Apply

Apply online by submitting your resume and answering the application questions. A cover letter is optional and may be addressed to Christopher Pearsall, Vice President of Brand & Communications.

A Final Note

The DonorsChoose team works toward a nation where students in every community have the resources needed for an excellent education. To do this we hire and support a diverse team of the best and the brightest talent available.

We are an organization increasingly representative of the varied races and ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs, and abilities that comprise our nation. DonorsChoose focuses on attracting, retaining, and advancing diverse talent because it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative, and resilient.

If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a place where you can bring all of yourself to work, we want you.