Associate Creative Director

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary reviewer and approver for creative work in its final stages, ensuring readiness for client presentation or production.
• Understand messaging strategies for direct response to align copy to brief and ensure strategic integrity across projects.
• Lead planning and execute client resource trips. Manage gathered assets for team use and application across campaigns.
• Assume responsibility for the direct execution of video (resource gathering and creation) and content creation for campaign projects.
• Creative Direction & Approval:
• Provide hands-on creative direction across copy and design for direct mail, email, digital, video, and integrated campaigns.
• Review and refine messaging, layouts, and storytelling to strengthen donor engagement and response.
• Partner with writers, designers, and freelancers to improve work quality through clear, actionable feedback.
• Ensure creative briefs and concepts are executed faithfully and effectively.
• Video & Resource Gathering:
• Write video outlines to detail concepts and then execution for video needs like CTV, digital ads, and campaign videos.
• Prep for upcoming shoots with details like schedules, shot lists, and communication.
• Draft interview questions to help guide conversations and on-camera storytelling that support the campaign objective.
• Quality Control & Risk Reduction:
• Catch errors, inconsistencies, or strategic misalignment before work reaches clients or production.
• Protect the organization from last-minute creative risk through disciplined review and attention to detail.
• Ensure compliance with client requirements, legal considerations, and internal standards.
• Reduce rework and escalation by resolving issues at the appropriate level.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Collaborate closely with Creative Services leadership, Digital, Project Management, Account, and Production teams to support smooth execution.
• Maintain clear communication around approvals, revisions, and decision rationale.
• Creative Standards & Continuous Improvement:
• Help uphold and reinforce creative standards, best practices, and brand consistency across Fundraising Solutions.
• Identify recurring creative issues or gaps and recommend improvements to workflows or guidelines.
• Stay current on trends in fundraising, marketing, and creative execution relevant to nonprofit audiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) preferred.
• 5-7 years of experience in creative roles within fundraising, marketing, or agency environments.
• Prior experience serving as a creative contributor or informal creative lead strongly preferred.
• Experience in direct response fundraising, proposal development, or major gift/campaign communications highly desirable.

Required Skills

• Strong creative judgment across both copy and design, with the ability to evaluate work holistically.
• Deep familiarity with direct response fundraising, donor-centric messaging, and multi-channel campaigns.
• Demonstrate ability to execute video projects from pre-production through post, including shoot coordination and editing oversight.
• Able to synthesize strategy into clear creative direction and actionable feedback.
• Confidence making final decisions without relying on consensus or escalation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfort working with freelance and contract creatives.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Preferred Skills

• High personal standard for quality and accountability.
• Comfortable operating as an authority without formal people management.
• Calm, decisive, and constructive under deadline pressure.
• Collaborative, but willing to push back to protect the work.
• Aligned with DickersonBakker’s mission-driven work and faith-based nonprofit clients.
• Motivated by strengthening creative output rather than owning the spotlight.