Communications Director

Vision: Friends of Detroit Animal Care and Control is committed to saving animals’ lives, ensuring equal access to companion animals for those of all socio-economic levels, and raising the level of care for animals living in the city of Detroit.

Core Values: Our goal is to create and train a team of volunteers who are knowledgeable of canine and feline body language, adept at handling animals in the most humane way, practice current scientifically based training methods, and who are advocates for this city, its citizens, and all animals.

Goals: Our goal is to supplement the budget allocated to the shelter by the city of Detroit in order to operate a fully functional shelter with innovative and lifesaving programs by applying for grants, holding fundraisers, forming relationships with and stewarding donors and foundations, and accepting all material and in-kind donations from our volunteers and supporters. Our goal is to work with DACC to expand and perfect their adoption program, foster program, and transfer/transport program. We want to host off-site adoption events and get animals from Detroit adopted back into Detroit, as well as surrounding communities. We also want to work with partner shelters in other regions of the state and country to move dogs and cats from our overpopulated area to areas where there is not such an abundance of homeless animals. We also want to expand our shelter intervention services to stem the flow of animals into the shelter in the first place by keeping them in their homes or reuniting them quickly if they become displaced. Our goal is to practice and promote science-based training methods that are not harmful to a dog’s mental or physical state and encourage and strengthen the bond between humans and animals. Our goal is to promote education both inside and outside the organization and community that all dogs are individuals, that breed-specific legislation and policies don’t work, that no cat should be declawed, and that community cats should be cared for in line with progressive humane programs like trap-neuter-return.

About the role

The Communications Director oversees external and internal messaging, manages volunteers who work in communications or public relations, oversees the organization’s website and social media content, ensures adoptable animals are posted with consistent marketing guidelines, maintains animal status and shares leads, builds and maintains the official calendar, ensures events are promoted online, and answers or forwards organizational emails and messages to the appropriate parties.

Responsibilities

• Oversee external and internal messaging and manage volunteers in communications or public relations.
• Oversee and monitor the organization’s website content (https //www.friendsofdacc.org) and social media accounts such as Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat, Twitter, TikTok, Nextdoor.
• Ensure all adoptable animals are posted on the proper media outlets with consistent marketing guidelines; maintain the status of each animal and share leads for adoptable animals to the correct outlet (foster team, in‑shelter, or otherwise).
• Build and maintain the organization’s official calendar; ensure all events have a calendar event and/or post on social media outlets; maintain accurate information for each event.
• Answer or forward the organization’s emails and messages (from any official media) to the proper party.