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Taproot Foundation

Official Philanthropic Partner of Chicago AMA

Chicago AMA is committed to advocating pro bono work within the marketing profession and recently selected the Taproot Foundation as its official philanthropic partner. Many Chicago AMA members are already serving as Taproot volunteers. View one of our testimonials and see how your marketing expertise can benefit Chicago’s nonprofit sector and the community at large.

About Taproot Foundation

Nonprofits have the greatest potential for addressing our communities’ most challenging social and environmental problems, but often lack the operational resources they need to thrive. The Taproot Foundation exists to close this gap. The Taproot Foundation model leverages skills of the business community to provide nonprofits with free, reliable, high-quality services. As the country’s largest nonprofit consulting firm, the organization has engaged over 2,000 business professionals in rewarding pro bono work, delivering more than $21 million worth of services to over 450 nonprofits in Chicago, New York, Boston and the Bay Area. More information is available at www.taprootfoundation.org.

Chicago AMA and its board of directors are enthusiastic about this partnership. Taproot Foundation’s innovative and successful approach has our support and admiration. We look forward to donating to this worthwhile organization and to providing opportunities to inform and engage our membership in this important initiative.
James Heckman
 || Chicago AMA interim executive director


Taproot Foundation is excited to partner with the Chicago AMA to expand pro bono opportunities for the local marketing profession. Through our collaboration, more Chicago marketing professionals can share their passion for their craft and the community, and deliver exceptional resources to local nonprofit organizations whose work improves the quality of life for us all.
Megan Kashner
 || Taproot Foundation Chicago managing director


This partnership will demonstrate how the Chicago marketing community can make great things happen in our own backyard.
Tanya Earley
  || senior manager, marketing communications, USG Corporation
Chicago AMA Member
Taproot Foundation Volunteer Account Director

Go Pro Bono with Taproot Foundation

The Taproot Foundation is currently recruiting Chicago business professionals to volunteer their marketing, information technology and creative services skills. The following is a sample of the 12 volunteer roles that comprise Taproot Foundation pro bono teams. To view additional volunteer roles, visit the Taproot Foundation.

Account Director

The Account Director is the most senior Service Grant volunteer and typically oversees two to three Service Grants concurrently. With the client, the Account Director ensures that the grantee client is ready to begin a project, negotiates project issues such as scope or timelines that the Project Manager cannot resolve, pre-sells deliverables, coaches the nonprofit's Executive Director on possible internal political challenges, and ensures that the nonprofit grantee is both upholding their responsibilities and ultimately pleased with the project. With the Taproot Foundation team, the Account Director makes final staffing decisions, reviews deliverables for quality and coaches the Project Managers.

A successful Account Director has managed team leaders, feels comfortable negotiating executive or board-level relationships, and has experience directly related to one of our grant area (i.e. marketing, database/IT, or human resources.) Account Directors typically have held at least director, vice president, or partner level roles in their professional careers. The Account Director corps in each city contributes impressive strength to each office's leadership. Apply now.
  • Key Benefits - Exercise leadership skills, significant contact with grantee leadership including Board of Directors, mentoring, new professional contacts, nonprofit experience, applying skills to new environment, exposure to multiple nonprofits concurrently
  • Primary Skills - Client expectation setting, project staffing, mentoring, coaching, negotiating
  • Related Titles - Vice President, Partner, Director, Account Manager, Creative Director

Project Manager

The Project Manager is the primary day-to-day point of contact with the nonprofit grantee client, and the day-to-day leader of the Service Grant team. A Project Manager owns the project schedule, ensures effective task delegation to both team and client members, and coordinates regular communications. A successful Project Manager has two or more years of experience leading teams to deliver quality results, as well as experience directly related to one of our grant areas (i.e. marketing, human resources or databases/IT). Apply now
  • Key Benefits - Exercise leadership skills, new professional contacts, nonprofit experience, relationship building, applying skills to new environment, team/project management experience
  • Primary Skills - Project management, client relationships, team building, entrepreneurial, milestone setting, communication skills
  • Related Titles - Manager, Director of Staff, Project Manager, Consultant, Technical Consultant, Technology Director, Technical Lead, Team Lead, Account Supervisor

Brand Strategist

The Brand Strategist is the content leader of a branding Service Grant team. He or she works with the nonprofit and the volunteer team to define the branding strategy and ensure that all deliverables align with the strategy. The Brand Strategist is a senior role that frequently requires working with a nonprofit’s board of directors and therefore requires someone with very strong presentation and consensus building skills. A successful brand strategist will have at least four years experience as either a Brand Strategist, a packaged goods product manager or as a senior manager in a marketing or creative agency. Apply now
  • Key Benefits - Team content leader, in-depth nonprofit market experience, relationship building, applying skills to new environment, new professional contacts
  • Primary Skills - Brand awareness & positioning, gaining "buy-in" from stakeholders, creative leadership, facilitating project discovery
  • Related Titles - Brand Manager, Marketing Manager, Marketing Director, Naming Specialist, Corporate Communications Director, Identity Manager

Marketing Manager

The Marketing Manager helps to set the strategy for brochure, annual report and branding Service Grants. A Marketing Manager is responsible for gathering requirements and working with the nonprofit and volunteer team to define the marketing strategy for a project and ensures that all deliverables are aligned with the strategy. A successful marketing manager will have at least three years experience creating and executing print marketing programs and have a solid understanding of the identity development and management process. Apply now
  • Key Benefits - In-depth nonprofit market experience, relationship building, applying skills to new environment, team content leader, new professional contacts
  • Primary Skills - Marketing collateral development, client relationships, facilitating project discovery, creative leadership
  • Related Titles - Corporate Communications Manager, Product Manager, Account Executive

Copyeditor / Writer

The Copyeditor/Writer is responsible for creating the marketing copy for web, annual report and/or brochure projects, as well as the key messages for key messages and brand strategy projects. He or she will often work closely with the nonprofit’s marketing personnel to improve existing marketing copy. A successful copywriter has two or more years experience in copywriting at an agency or as an internal copywriter. In this role, you should have extensive experience working with visual designers to develop marketing collateral (brochures, websites, direct mail pieces), and be familiar with either the AP Style Guide or Chicago Manual of Style. Apply now
  • Key Benefits - Writing sample addition, nonprofit experience, team collaboration, applying skills to new environment, new professional contacts
  • Primary Skills - Marketing writing, advertising, editing, creative
  • Related Titles - Editor, Communications Specialist, Journalist

Graphic Designer / Web Designer

The Graphic Designer is responsible for the design of a brochure, annual report, website or identity system. Identity and brochure projects are often assigned two designers who work as a team to create and refine multiple design options. On web projects, designers work with a web developer who implements the designs and codes the pages; a successful web designer will be familiar with web technology, its implications for successful designs and be comfortable working with a developer. A successful Graphic Designer has three or more years experience in graphic design at an agency or as an internal graphic designer. In this role, you should have extensive experience with print and/or web design, graphics production, and be familiar with relevant design and production tools (i.e. PhotoShop, Illustrator, QuarkXPress, DreamWeaver, or equivalents). All Graphic Designers have the benefit of working under guidance of Taproot Foundation's Creative Directors, who hail from three of the country’s premier organizations: Landor, Interbrand, and Luxon Carrà. Apply now
  • Key Benefits - Portfolio addition, nonprofit experience, team collaboration, applying skills to new environment, new professional contacts
  • Primary Skills - Design and layout, print production, typography, creative
  • Related Titles - Creative Director, Art Director, Design Director, Sr. Graphic Designer, Graphic Artist, Brand Designer

Web Developer

The Web developer is responsible for coding our Website Service Grants. The Web Developer will work as part of the team to translate business requirements into technical requirements and implement the project. A successful web developer has three or more years of experience including standard web development background: - DHTML, CGI, VbScript, ASP, PHP, JSP, SQL (database connectivity), and basic web server administration. - Familiarity with Internet protocols, procedures (FTP, Telnet, etc.), and version control software (VSS). Apply now
  • Key Benefits - Portfolio addition, nonprofit experience, team collaboration, applying skills to new environment, new professional contacts
  • Primary Skills - Website development, HTML, JavaScript, project experience
  • Related Titles - Web Engineer, UI Developer
To view additional opportunities, visit Taproot Foundation.
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