Erin Strick

Experience

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  Armory Free Theatre

  Sept 2007 - May 2010

  General Manager

  - House Manager; directed ushers, attended to the needs of artists and patrons- Formulated six theatrical seasons with a team of professors and students; produced new works to re-envisioned classics

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  Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

  Dec 2009 - Jun 2010

  Artistic Director Intern

  - Served as a liaison between KCPA Director and students; helped make marketing more accessible to younger audiences- Worked independently to present a theater company based on the new model of “theater-hopping”

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  Interlochen Center for the Arts

  Jun 2010 - Aug 2010

  House Manager

  - Welcomed and provide assistance to audiences ranging from campers to important donors- Trained volunteer ushers, created environment of professionalism for student performers

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  Vodori

  Sept 2010 - Jan 2011

  Content Manager

  Implemented HTML code based on client's specifications

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  Collaboraction

  Sept 2010 - Oct 2010

  Box Office and House Manager

  - Managed tickets and seating of Jeff Theater Awards Committee and press, ensuring they had the best vantage-point- Processed all ticket orders and assisted wait listed patrons, resulting in a nearly sold-out house every performance

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  Goodman Theatre

  Jan 2011 - Jun 2011

  Development Intern

  - Assisted in high-level solicitations by writing personalized invitations and cultivate relationships at events- Compiled a $5,000 grant and wrote benefit tracking letters for corporate donors- Contributed to their Student Subscription Series, transforming play themes to an accessible teenage reading guide- Digitized archived paper records of Corporate, Foundation, and government donors, making research easier

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  University of Chicago

  Jun 2011 - Apr 2015

  - Managed feature set improvement for alumni group websites, working directly with clients and scrum team to ensure user stories are accurately captured and prioritized in the team backlog- Launched 40+ UChicago group websites developed in a SaaS environment- Examined communications' performance metrics, apply data to increase web traffic and social media participation- Wrote and built monthly e-newsletter in HTML to promote alumni accomplishments and volunteer opportunities- Project managed print and digital marketing materials that reach over 100,000 alumni and friends- Managed video production, including conducting interviews, editing footage, finding music and images, all while keeping the videos on time and under budget- Created Awards Wednesday, a social media campaign that reached over 15,000 users weekly- Drove attendance at new regional event through targeted communications, surpassed goal of 200 attendees- Taught social media best practices to volunteer alumni board; in-turn, the board leveraged their social media channels to increase registrations and award nominations by 25% Show less

  • Assistant Director, Digital Communications

    Oct 2012 - Apr 2015

  • Development Associate

    Jun 2011 - Oct 2012
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  Chicago Shakespeare Theater

  Apr 2015 - Mar 2018

  - Created user stories and wireframed new gala ticket purchase path for external web vendor; advised leadership to utilize in-house services to avoid unnecessary costs- Implemented Basecamp project management CMS to effectively liaise between graphic designers and web developers, which shortened project turnaround by 3-4 weeks- Established KPIs for print, digital, and tele- fundraising; presented weekly progress reports to leadership; successfully met $455,000 goal for FY17 and FY18 Annual Fund- Lead copywriter for all external positioning communications, including bi-monthly e-newsletters, "behind the scenes" features about the Theater, and the welcome letter in each production's program, in addition to speeches and accompanying presentation materials (powerpoints, handouts), for the Theater's leadership, fostering patron loyalty and brand recognition. Show less - Wrote and edited grants and reports for over 100 corporate, foundation, and government donors accounting for a third of 16-million operating budget- Turned annual narrative on our education program, Team Shakespeare, into engaging visual, branded report for funders, additionally used as a stewardship tool with prospective donors- Creative consultant for annual fund, campaign/major gifts, and institutional donors communications, including fundraising collateral, powerpoint presentations, and acknowledgement letters Show less

  • Advancement Communications Manager

    Aug 2016 - Mar 2018

  • Institutional Relations Coordinator

    Apr 2015 - Aug 2016
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  NeonCRM, a Neon One company

  Apr 2018 - Jul 2019

  Professional Services Consultant

  - Supported 20+ Account Executive team to help ensure a 23% close rate: discovered 200+ solutions for individual client goals, devised and scoped 10 custom objects, demonstrated functionality and use cases within Neon portfolio for Account Executives to share with leads- Established implementation project roadmaps based on industry best practices and client goals for 30-40 non-profits concurrently; documented and shared workflows to promote product adoption- Sold 5 custom data imports, 20 hours of training, 3 training packages, and a $6,000 custom object with accompanying webpage; oversaw implementation to ensure on-time completion- Diagnosed CRM challenges for 5+ new and current clients per day; applied my knowledge of the Neon stack to provide real-time solutions via web-based and in-person training - Review and analyze client data, conduct data consultations with clients, and prepare data import rules for software engineers to ensure a successful transition to NeonCRM Show less

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  The House Theatre of Chicago

  Jul 2019 - Mar 2020

  Director Of Development

  - Devised and administered corporate, foundation, government, and individual fundraising plan; raised 98% of budgeted contributed income goal by March of fiscal year ending August 2020.- Rejuvenated individual giving program by refining donor benefits and cultivation events; established pipeline of $1-10k+ donors in preparation for upcoming capital campaign- Directed major and principal gift solicitations of $5-15k for annual gala, culminating in 81% of the fundraising goal achieved despite the event being because of the COVID-19 outbreak- Planned and execute all fundraising and cultivation events, including annual gala; kept all events under budget; increased paid attendance by 30% Show less

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  Erin Strick Consulting

  Apr 2020 - Mar 2021

  Fundraising and Communications Consultant

  - Research, identify and apply for corporate and foundation grants for increased general operating and program support, in addition to $4.6 million capital campaign- Implement database for volunteer-led NPO to automate membership exclusive events and communications; create corresponding content on NPO’s website- Lead content refresh on chiropractic business' website, developed simplified user experience for patient inquiry; increased new patient traffic by 35%

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  Victory Gardens Theater

  Mar 2021 - May 2022

  Interim Director Of Development

  - Manage the strategy, creation and execution of $1.3 million annual fundraising campaign; on track to meet FY22 goal- Responsible for retaining, increasing, acquiring, and reactivating individual, corporate, foundation, and government donors, including cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding through in-person meetings, multi-channel direct response communications, and grants; increased Board giving by 30%- Oversee a team of 3 full-time and 1 part-time employee; retain talent through mentorship and tailored supervision for each employee- Spearhead recruitment for new Board of Directors members; met goal of onboarding two new members before the end of calendar year 2021 - Collaborate with Gala Committee, Board of Directors, and VG leadership and staff to plan and execute annual in-person Gala fundraiser, including live and silent auction, plus paddle raise; secured 90% fundraising participation from event attendees Show less

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  Northwestern University

  Jun 2022 - now

  Associate Director, Reunion Giving Officer