Meet Jen, our Senior Campaign Manager at Tapestry.
She joined our team 6 months ago but has been part of our extended family for a long time. Before taking on her current role, she was the Community Investment and Marketing Manager for SolarShare, one of Tapestry’s earliest clients. Jen is a creative powerhouse who has helped to raise over $70 million in community bonds through inventive sales and marketing strategies and passionate determination.
Jen has seen Tapestry grow from a mere incubator idea into a rapidly growing organization that is pushing the boundaries of traditional financing. Today, Tapestry is being sought out across the country by meaningful organizations that are excited about the power of community financing to bring their projects to life.
This is why Jen is looking to grow her team with the addition of a new Campaign Specialist. Are you interested in learning more or know a friend who might? We’ve asked Jen what a day in the life of a Campaign Manager looks like.
What type of clients do you support?
We work with inspiring non-profits, charities and co-ops that are creating positive change within their communities. These organizations typically approach us when they have a big plan to scale their impact, and need to unlock the capital to make their visions become a reality. Most often these are large capital projects, like buying a building or constructing a renewable energy project.
Tapestry supports all sorts of different projects of varying scale, but in most cases we are helping organizations to raise between $1 million and $20 million in investment.
Right now we are working with some amazing groups in affordable housing, co-working, social services, sports, education and renewable energy. We are in the middle of a really exciting bond raise with SKETCH Arts for Homeless and Marginalized Youth at the moment, supporting them in raising $1.4 million to buy their art studios in downtown Toronto.
What does the Campaign Team do at Tapestry?
Once an organization makes the decision to finance their project with community bonds, we support them every step of the way until they reach their investment goal. We give them access to Tapestry templates, materials and resources, and help them to customize these to their project and needs.
The team is very aware that community bonds are a new concept to most people, so we do a lot of training to make sure our clients are investment ready. We help them to define who their community is and find the right channels to speak to them effectively. As campaign managers, we also help to support their investors and guide them through the process of purchasing a community bond (often for the first time).
Essentially, we are on standby to make sure they will raise the money they need, and to pull out all the tools to get that done.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day is different, and that’s one of the reasons I love my job. To give you a snapshot, today, I am starting out with a quick check-in with the team – we like to stay connected and social despite our current covid situation. Then I will check the reports on bond sales and share this news with the issuers I’m working with. I will help them to update their customer relationship management (CRM) systems, which make it easier for them to track their investor leads and update their financials. I’ll probably nip out for a decaf coffee (even though I’m trying to cut back), and then chat with my colleagues over Teams.
This afternoon, I have a few calls scheduled – one to discuss an upcoming workshop for an affordable housing group and another to check-in on the redesign of a client’s investor website. Between calls I will often open my communications calendar and assist with writing some of my clients’ social media and e-newsletter content for the next week. I will finish up the day with one of my weekly client calls where I am planning to walk them through the process of onboarding new investors.
What motivates you to do this work?
I am a sales strategist at heart. I have always loved the challenge of raising money, and the thrill of seeing it come in. But what I love most is seeing money come in for the right reasons and going to causes that are making our communities better places.
How would you describe Tapestry as an employer?
We work in a very open environment where you can communicate your ideas freely, and feel that you are shaping the vision of the organization. Our team is always supportive and we lean on each other a lot. I love working for Tapestry because we are doing something really new and cutting edge and that makes every day dynamic. Our flexible working situation has also been a real bonus – particularly over the last year as we’ve all been navigating lockdowns.
What is the team looking for in a new Campaign Specialist?
We would love to find someone who is really excited about sales and marketing, and using their skills to help amazing organizations realize their dream projects. We are looking for someone who is confident, organized and fun. It is important that they have experience implementing marketing and sales plans and are familiar with project management, customer relationship management, and website management tools. Most of all we want to find someone who is just as passionate about social finance as we are!
Are you interested in supporting social change with innovative financing? Are you driven by creatively engaging local communities towards meaningful causes?
We are hiring for a Campaign Specialist. Applications are due on January 29th, 2021. Click HERE to see the full job description.