Director of Audience Growth & Storytelling
About Madison Public Schools Foundation
The Madison Public Schools Foundation (MPSF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) by mobilizing community support, advancing advocacy, and generating philanthropic resources. We work in close partnership with MMSD, educators, families, donors, alumni, and community leaders to ensure students and schools have what they need to thrive.
MPSF is a mission-driven, community-centered organization that values collaboration, adaptability, and impact. Our work operates at the intersection of education, philanthropy, advocacy, and public trust, and requires leaders who are comfortable navigating complexity, change, and public accountability.
Role Summary:
This is a digital storyteller and audience-builder role, and a new position at MPSF. Over the next few years, your central charge is to significantly raise awareness of MPSF, increase understanding of the impact that Madison’s public schools have on our community, and raise support for MPSF by showing the impact that our partners are making in the schools.
You’ll be the engine behind our storytelling. You’ll find the MPSF related story in a school and you’ll get it in front of the right audience. You understand the attention economy: post often, study what resonates, and keep the spotlight on our community, not us.
You’ll report to the President of MPSF, and you’ll work with an Events & Marketing Coordinator who leads event logistics and provides marketing and project management support for the organization.
MPSF has helped lead communications for successful referendum efforts supporting Madison’s schools, including in 2020 and 2024. You will carry that work forward, telling the story of those campaigns’ successes and building enthusiasm for the impact the new school buildings are having on our students and teachers.
What you’ll own:
Audience growth and engagement. You’ll grow our reach and engagement across social and digital channels, turning followers into subscribers, donors, and advocates. You’ll publish frequently, track what’s working, and keep sharpening the approach to bring more of Madison into this work.
Storytelling across formats. You’ll promote the strength and needs of our schools, teachers, students and volunteers through text, short and long form video, and other visual formats in a compelling, emotive way, crafting each story from idea to finished piece.
Communications strategy and budget. You’ll set the strategy behind our priority moments and campaigns, and own the marketing budget across paid advertising, direct mail, and other channels. You’ll keep MPSF’s voice consistent with our brand guide and shape how our biggest arcs, like the 25th anniversary, come together.
All media and channel ownership. You’ll own MPSF’s strategy across every channel we use: social, website, email, direct mail, and print. You’ll coordinate the cadence so we stay a consistent, welcome, accessible presence everywhere the public encounters us.
Advocacy support. You’ll produce and publish messaging and materials that support MPSF’s advocacy and referendum work. The President and Board of Directors set the message; you bring it to life with care.
Core strengths we’re looking for:
- Digital storytelling range. You find the story, and you can carry it end to end: writing it, capturing and editing video, and getting it in front of the right people. You’re scrappy about production (you know a real, lo-fi phone video often beats a polished ad), and you adapt tone and format to the audience and platform.
- Data-driven audience building. You know how to grow reach and engagement across platforms and with various audiences. You can move people from viewers to followers to newsletter subscribers to donors, and read the data to double down on what’s working. You set targets, track them consistently, and can show where your work moved the numbers.
Preferred experience:
- Experience with political campaigns, ballot-measure, or issue-advocacy
- Fluency in digital fundraising or donor communications: segmentation, appeals, stewardship
- Experience partnering with a large public institution, school district, or comparable bureaucracy
- 5 – 8 years of experience in fields like journalism, digital organizing, nonprofit or advocacy content creation, or digital marketing
We know the best candidates rarely check every box. We care about what you’ve owned and shipped, so if you’re demonstrably strong in the two core strengths and excited about our mission, we want to hear from you.
What success looks like:
In your first eighteen months, success means measurable growth in MPSF’s public presence, including our social media following and engagement, our email newsletter list, and the number of people giving online. You’ll help set ambitious targets with the President and own the strategy to reach them. This is a chance to shape a brand-new role and see your work make a visible difference for public education, our community partners, and the future of our city.
Details:
This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position based in our office in Madison, WI, reporting directly to the President.
Compensation & Benefits:
Salary range is $70,000-$80,000 based on experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including health benefits, paid time off, and support for professional development.
To Apply
Email careers@SchoolsMakeMadison.org with the subject line “Director of Audience Growth & Storytelling – [Your Name].” Please include:
- Your resume (No cover letter please)
- Two paragraphs or less describing examples of what you have owned end-to-end, and why you are interested in this role at the Madison Public Schools Foundation
- Links or attachments to examples of your digital storytelling work
The Madison Public Schools Foundation is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
