Sarah Farmer Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Oversaw the management and success of two AOA affiliate non-profits.● Within 3 months of employment was hand selected by CEO to assume managerial responsibilities for DOCARE● Managed all aspects of operations including management of the Board of Directors, finances, membership, communications and marketing, meetings, programs, tax and legal documentation maintenance, merchandising, and administrative management.● Provided exceptional relationship management with board members, internal staff, and 3000+ members. ● Planned and managed conferences and special events virtually and in person to engage members and promote organizational missions.● Built, managed, and maintained relationships with internal staff and external affiliates to support strategic plan implementation.● Editorial manager of weekly affiliate newsletter distributed to over 80 affiliate organizations and key stakeholders.● Developed Board training resources, educational programming, and engagement opportunities● Enhanced fundraising initiative by designing, implementing and ongoing management of Point of Sale merchandising product suite.

Chicago, Illinois

Led communications, customer experience, and membership operations for 900 members.Transformed member management framework by creating and implementing a customer-centric engagement strategy.- Developed full-service solutions and tools spanning the membership lifecycle, leading to increased conversion from new customer inquiries to membership, member retention, membership referrals, and overall customer satisfaction.- Provided extraordinary customer service and continually analyzed membership experience seeking ongoing improvement opportunities.- Expanded membership outreach platforms such as creation of membership referral programs and targeted promotional programs.- Transformed membership engagement experience. Developed a new charter, strategic plan, and organizational structure for the Executive Membership Committee. Prioritized roll out of Board of Director’s top strategic initiatives and developed achievable implementation project plans.Designed and implemented communications strategies across multiple engagement platforms.- Ensured consistent messaging and upheld brand standards throughout the organization.- Tracked and analyzed engagement data and communication strategy performance.- Developed and produced weekly member digital newsletter and maintained open rate of approximately 50%; increased social media followers by 20% in 18 months; implemented a new mobile app and launched new website.- Managed website content, mobile push notification system, form creation, and email marketing.- Developed news and special interest stories; wrote, edited, and distributed communications; served as ghost writer for executive leadership to disseminate key messaging.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

- Conducted website review and usability testing services; developed prototypes for innovative brand marketing; and identified new ways for the provider to engage and deepen relationships with current and new clients for multi-practice behavioral health provider.- Inventoried all communication vehicles; identified and prioritized core messaging; created a member engagement strategy; created a directory of volunteer opportunities for a religious institution.- Special event consultant for fundraising gala, which generated $375K+ and attracted 750+ attendees; oversaw database and content management to maximize relationships; wrote creative content.

Greater Chicago Area

Led, supervised, & mentored 55 employees.Employee Engagement, Training, and Relationship Management- Interviewed potential employees and assessed goodness of fit with organizational culture.- Onboarded employees, trained on company values and expectations, procedural and job requirements, fostered understanding and enhanced customer engagement skill set, trained employees on how to exceed customer expectations with each interaction.- Performed employee reviews: provided performance feedback on an ad hoc and structured basis emphasizing ongoing opportunities for growth and development.- Developed review templates allowing for clear, evidence based, targeted feedback, identified professional performance metrics.Customer Care Management and Business Operations - Oversaw and ensured consistent corporate branding and messaging throughout the store.- Analyzed business inefficiencies and identified solutions by creating a new store policy to improve customer service. Streamlined employee scheduling system which led to an increase in management productivity by 80%. - Created an employee-engagement challenge that resulted in the highest daily sales in the 7-year store history.- Led efforts to deliver daily exemplary customer service; resolved customer issues quickly and effectively to cultivate long-term customer relationships.

Valparaiso, In

Coordinated non-academic services for 700 graduate students per semester, with special focus on ensuring satisfaction with programs, engaging students, and building relationships with students for long-term connections.- Ensured students felt part of the university and were comfortable expressing their needs and concerns; served as a resource for trouble shooting, served as advocate for students in meeting their administrative, academic, and social needs, mediated, created a culture of proactively addressing concerns, fostered long term relationships and goodwill towards university.- Assessed marketing needs, communicated objectives to senior marketing leaders, & served as team leader by collaborating with Integrated Marketing office to overhaul print, & digital marketing materials to elevate graduate school’s profile.- Developed strong internal & external sustainable relationships by creating newly designed quarterly graduate school newsletter to keep students, alumni, and donors invested and connected; wrote articles, conducted interviews, oversaw graphic design and printing, and targeted distribution to multiple stakeholders.- Created continual communication and engagement throughout the student life cycle; planned and managed special events to enrich relationships and connections, strengthen networks, and create a richer experience and sense of belonging.

Valparaiso, In

Directed internship initiative funded by Lilly Foundation; solicited and managed external business partners to build relationships and ensure long-term participation; coordinated regional placement of interns. • Coordinated annual internship fair and managed all communications including marketing, promotional themes, printed and digital materials, press releases, direct marketing, employer sponsorships, event surveys, and post-event analysis. • Wrote comprehensive semi-annual grant compliance reports in coordination with senior leadership, and maintained all requisite documentation.• Recruited and recommended students for internship placements and recruited new employers to provide new internship sites; placed 80+ students in regional internships; mediated issues between employers and interns.

Valparaiso, In

Drove planning and promotion for 2006 Porter Hospital Foundation Gala, which generated $150K+, the highest funds ever raised at one of their gala events.• Served as special events manager, managing and executing donor events to raise funds and awareness. Built and managed donor, vendor, sponsor, and volunteer relationships.• Developed and managed event budgets, set and oversaw timeline and milestone compliance, negotiated catering and decorating contracts, venue selection, and post-event reporting.• Managed volunteer network and coordinated training, supervision, and evaluation of student intern.• Created the 1st comprehensive report for the Foundation Board of Directors that summarized all the details and data on the Foundation’s 15+ funds.

Des Plaines, Il And Rolling Meadows, Il

Planned and executed special events and facility rentals. Served as liaison between DePaul University and City of Rolling Meadows International Business Center; managed key communication and website elements of the strategic partnership.

Valparaiso, In

Coordinated communication and publicity for the arts, which included 120+ annual events. Developed and maintained collaborative relationships between the arts, the internal community, and external local, regional, national, and international communities. Assessed and managed goals of all arts divisions.- Managed communication & promotional plan for major music event that later generated $3.5M donation to fund creation of The Bach Institute at Valparaiso University.- Served collaboratively on multiple university-wide committees, including the marketing committee which oversaw the re-branding communication initiative for the university, including the creation of new vision statements & a website.- Initiated and led a special project at Valparaiso University that brought a 90-year campus music tradition to a sold-out Symphony Center in Chicago for the first time. Event established the arts as a critical role in attracting new students and financial donations.- Chaired university’s Special Events Management Group and managed events at high-profile venues to raise visibility of university across regional, national, and international markets.

West Chicago, Il

Managed budget and procurement, prepared technical reports and coordinated internal and external communication and filing system.

Dekalb, Il

Assisted with day to day operations of Northern Illinois University’s Fine Arts Series, an annual performing arts public program featuring guest artists of international recognition.

M.A., Communication Studies

B.A., Communication Studies

Emphasis: Organizational/Corporate Communication