Michael Sikora Email & Phone Number

Greater Boston

I help mission-driven teams communicate more effectively.

Greater Boston

FUNDRAISING COMMUNICATIONS: Collaborated with senior leadership to develop and launch a roadmap for elevating donor- and partner-oriented communications.CONTENT DEVELOPMENT: Created original written, graphic, and video content for external (donors, partners, volunteers) and internal (staff, affiliates, alumni) audiences.MARKETING CAMPAIGNS: Delivered increased impressions and engagement for corporate partners via global social media campaigns with local and regional JA affiliates.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY: Developed and implemented strategic communication plans that grew audiences, strengthened relationships, and advanced business development goals.PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Managed staff and vendors in developing and launching brand development strategies, designing and developing a new website, and producing new visual assets. WEBSITE PERFORMANCE: Increased traffic and user engagement by improving web design and content strategy. AUDIENCE CULTIVATION: Engaged and grew audiences via email marketing and social media.

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

BRAND STRATEGY: Led the development of new brand messaging platform, including a new mission, services, and core principles, and coached team members in adopting new messaging.COMMUNICATION STRATEGY: Developed a communication strategy and built a communication function to execute the strategy with a focus on audience engagement.

Greater Boston

BRAND STRATEGY: Developed a new brand strategy for WaterEquity, Water.org's impact investment firm, including competitive and benchmark review, target audience analysis, and brand positioning.WEB DESIGN & COPY WRITING: Co-designed website and developed copy for WaterEquity.

Boston, Ma

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY: Mobilized HQ, regional leaders, and partners in the design and execution of strategies that aimed to raise awareness of social innovations, create demand, and scale effective practices in public schools.FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP: Established a communication function, overseeing one FTE and contractors, to steward brand development, support national and regional impact, and build a communicative org.PRESS: Directed efforts to earn strategic media placements in national & regional outlets, including the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Education Week, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Boston Globe. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: In partnership with the CEO, created content to advance public advocacy campaigns focused on measuring social impact and scaling via public-private partnerships.CREATIVE LEADERSHIP: Directed design and production of media projects and strategic PR campaigns to advance equity in education.B2B CAMPAIGNS: Led concept, creation, and implementation of marketing material and outreach to strategic partners, including publications, videos, webinars, email, and through in-person events.B2C ENGAGEMENT: Deployed email and social media marketing to engage and cultivate brand champions in new markets as evidenced by industry-leading open and click-through rates. CONTENT MARKETING: Shaped the vision and crafted content for multi-channel inbound campaigns to earn respect of parents as customers, teachers as recruits, and school and district leaders and donors as business partners.

Boston, Ma

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT: Cultivated relationships with a portfolio of growth capital funders and strategic partners, leading to successful fundraising and program growth.GROWTH CAPITAL: Crafted case statements, managed philanthropic partnerships, and helped raise more than $20MM to build BELL’s capacity and scale its impact, including grants from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Wallace Foundation, etc.B2B CAMPAIGNS: Led concept, creation, and implementation of marketing material and outreach to strategic partners, including publications, videos, webinars, email, and through in-person events.SEEDING OPPORTUNITY: Earned recognition via the Social Capitalist Award from Fast Company Magazine, as winner of the Growth Philanthropy Network’s Business Plan Competition, and via the Social Impact Exchange to create new philanthropic opportunities. GRANTS MANAGEMENT: Facilitated cross-functional teams in the messaging, design, and communication associated with a Social Innovation Fund grant and shepherded the creation of an AmeriCorps program.

Boston, Ma

CRM OPTIMIZATION: Helped design and build a customized Salesforce.com application to manage sales and communication processes with institutional partners and donors.DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS: Directed fundraising to support program operations in Boston, New York City, and Baltimore. EVENT PLANNING: Showcased mission and impact by conceptualizing and executing installations and events at the DNC in Charlotte and with the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

Boston, Ma & New York, Ny

Boston, Ma

LAUNCHING NEW IDEAS: As an independent consultant, provided the fundraising and communication capacity needed for the Founding CEO of Achieve Mission to create & launch the new talent-focused nonprofit organization by launching its first cohort selection process and raising start-up funding.

Discovery Bay, Jamaica

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Secured funding from US AID to launch a fisheries management initiative (learn more: http://coralreefs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Reef-Encounter-32-Apr-2004.pdf)COACHING & MENTORSHIP: Managed a team of Youth Service Corps volunteers and created an environmental education program for schoolsCONTENT DEVELOPMENT: Produced marketing content for the Ocho Rios-based nonprofit, Friends of the Sea

Ba, Communication

Activities and Societies: Service: 4Boston, Appalachia, Carribbean Culture Club Honor Societies: Order of the Cross & Crown, National.

Ma, Media, Culture & Communication

M.A., Media, Culture & Communication