Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by community leaders engaged in the social justice movement. Our mission is to provide transformative legal services that enable diverse communities in East Palo Alto and beyond to achieve a secure and thriving future. We serve low-income and working-class populations, predominantly communities of color, in the areas of immigration, housing, employment, and reentry law. We maximize our impact by coupling direct services with community education, technical assistance, and policy advocacy.
Our Values
We value Service, Equity, Humility, and Inclusion and practice:
- Working towards our mission in concert with colleagues, our clients, and community. We recognize that people come to us as whole Service is inherent in treating others the way you want to be treated and recognizing we all have the power to create change.
- Acknowledging, addressing, and reducing harm that results from inequities in society and within our own organization. Working for equity involves decreasing systematic mistreatment and barriers created by systems of social It also involves working towards increasing shared access to power, privilege, and resources in the community and within the workplace
- Understanding that learning is a life-long process, and we can learn from non-traditional sources, like clients and each other. Humility is listening with active curiosity and thinking about your own reactions and judgments. Humility is appreciating other identities, expressions, behaviors and ways of being and doing that are different from your own.
- Creating an environment where everyone, including those who have been historically excluded, is valued, able to participate fully, and have a voice.
The Digital Communications Specialist (DCS) is responsible for digital strategies to reach and engage CLSEPA constituencies in support of our mission and vision. Reporting into Programs and liaising closely with the Strategic Partnerships team on fundraising campaigns, this position achieves communications goals via all digital communication channels, including email marketing, CRM database management, website management, and social media channels. As an integral member of the organization, the DCS plays an important role in partnering with all teams to share CLSEPA’s mission and values with our diverse digital audience of supporters, including funders, law firm and corporate partners, and clients. This position is an excellent match for a candidate who is a Digital Communications enthusiast with a passion for social justice.
This position requires commuting, when necessary, particularly to support video/photo production. It will also require commuting/in-person presence for periodic team or all-staff gatherings (frequency is approximately once or twice a month).
As a Digital Communications Specialist, you will:
- Generally:
- Use communications best practices to effectively communicate CLSEPA’s social justice mission, values, and fund development efforts
- Collaborate across departments to gather and produce content that supports CLSEPA’s mission
- Build and manage a library of digital assets for use across digital media
- Support photo/video production capacity
- Measure the effectiveness of campaigns and communications by generating reports, audits, and analysis related to performance and results
- Support the launch of new technologies such as text messaging, mobile apps, and other innovations
- Undertake additional digital communications projects as needed
- Email campaigns:
- Design and implement email communications and fundraising campaigns to drive supporter growth, engagement, and financial contributions
- Administer mass marketing platforms, graphic design suites, and testing tools
- Demonstrate knowledge of email industry best practices including campaign and pipeline management, contact strategies, A/B testing, donation and sales tracking, and analytics
- Website:
- Design and maintain of our organization website, bringing experience administering all aspects of our website platform
- Demonstrate knowledge of best practices in web and visual design, including responsive design, familiarity with WCAG 1 accessibility best practices, and device breakpoints and workarounds for limitations of email clients/browsers
- Social Media:
- Implement a social media calendar, with capacity to enhance communications using social media APIs
- Source and edit assets for various social media platforms
As a Digital Communications Specialist, you have:
- Two years of practical work experience in the use of digital communications tools and platforms for an organization or brand preferred
- Demonstrated track record of creating and maintaining comprehensive digital communications strategy
- Ability to be a team player – collaborating effectively with multiple stakeholders and departments
- Able to work independently and autonomously, organize a high volume of work, manage deadlines, and carry out tasks with minimal supervision
- Attention to detail, with ability to handle confidential information in a discreet and professional manner
- Experience working with CRM systems (Neon in particular), WordPress and other web content management systems (HTML, CSS, SEO optimization), and various social media platforms (currently Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube)
- Experience working or volunteering in/with a nonprofit or other social benefit organization is a plus
- Experience with photography and/or videography is a plus
Compensation
This is a Full-time, Non-exempt position with the following starting hourly rate range:
- $31.25 – $38.46 (Depending on Experience)
The range(s) provided is/are CLSEPA’s reasonable estimates of the base compensation for this/these roles. The actual salary amount may be higher or lower, based on non-discriminatory factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Benefits and Perks
In addition to a competitive compensation package, we offer competitive benefits, including health insurance, generous PTO and a 403(b).
To promote and support financial wellness, CLSEPA pays state bar dues, malpractice insurance, Health Care FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter benefits. This position qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods of concentration while sitting at a desk and working on a computer and may require lifting boxes.
Location
CLSEPA is a hybrid workplace. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most CLSEPA employees work remotely with some in-office presence due to their personal preference, work-related needs, or client needs. Employees are expected to reside in the Bay Area/Northern California and at a distance allowing them to commute to their physical CLSEPA base location or other service delivery locations as needed and in compliance with public health advisories.
COVID-19 Policy
Proof of completed COVID-19 vaccination, including eligible booster(s), will be required for all employees (except for reasonable accommodations due to medical and/or religious beliefs).
CLSEPA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees/applicants in all of our employment practices without regard to race, religion, color, sex or gender (including gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, pregnancy-and childbirth- related medical conditions), sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, uniform-service member/veteran status, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, taking/requesting statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, CLSEPA will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Application Process
The success of our mission is dependent on building and maintaining an organization that includes people from different backgrounds and experiences who can challenge each other’s assumptions with new perspectives. To that end, we look for a diverse pool of applicants including those from historically marginalized groups — women, people with disabilities, people of color, formerly incarcerated people, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender nonconforming, first- and second-generation immigrants, veterans, and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible by submitting a resume, cover letter, marketing portfolio (preferred) and 3 professional references using this link -> Digital Communications Specialist, All Programs Application Form. We will begin reviewing completed applications starting February 6, 2023.
Why a cover letter? We want to learn more about why CLSEPA – CLSEPA’s clientele is extremely diverse, and the majority of our clients are low-income persons of color. It is critical that our staff work effectively in all cross-cultural situations, with clients, with our coworkers, and with the community, and that we create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.
Cover Letter Prompt
Feel free to think broadly about your response to the following question (applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences):
How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural humility and diversity amongst our staff?