Director of Marketing and Communications

Legends of Basketball•Chicago, IL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Legends of Basketball is a nonprofit association of former professional basketball players, united by a shared journey and shared belief that legacy does not end when the ball stops bouncing. Founded in 1922 with the support of the NBA and the NBPA, Legends of Basketball brings together former players from the NBA, ABA, WNBA, and Harlem Globetrotters. As a registered 501(c)(3), Legends of Basketball is committed to supporting its members beyond the game through 5 pillars: Camaraderie, Community, Family, Financial Stability, and Health. The Legends of Basketball fosters a strong and growing membership community that includes some of the most iconic players in basketball history. This role serves as both an external storyteller and an internal strategic communications advisor, ensuring all organizational communications consistently reflect Legends’ mission, pillars, values, and evolving brand identity. The leader will oversee member communications, digital platforms, storytelling strategy, brand alignment, and executive communications while helping to establish a unified organizational narrative across National leadership, chapters, partners, and stakeholders. The Director of Communications will work closely with the CEO, executive leadership team, external partners, and chapter leadership to strengthen member engagement, enhance public identity, elevate partnership positioning, and document the organization’s collective impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Journalism, or related field
8+ years of communications, brand strategy, public relations, or organizational storytelling experience
Experience managing multi-channel communications platforms and digital engagement tools
Strong writing, editing, and executive communication skills
Experience supporting senior leadership and managing sensitive communications
Demonstrated ability to build brand consistency across large or distributed organizations
Experience with: MailChimp, SMS/Text communication platforms, Website content management tools, Basic analytics/reporting tools
Strong written, verbal communication, and problem solving skills
Learns new skills quickly and develops abilities as necessary to contribute to a small but mighty team

Nice To Haves

Experience in sports, entertainment, nonprofit, membership organizations, or athlete relations
Understanding of brand positioning, sponsorship storytelling, and community engagement
Experience managing creating vendors and content production
Familiarity with retired athlete organizations, alumni associations, or mission-driven organizations
Experience serving VIP clients, alumni networks, and donor or member communities with high expectations
Experience with automated and personalized member communications
Ability to serve a unique population of professional athletes, entertainers, or high profile individuals

Responsibilities

Establish a consistent and unified Legends narrative
Improve member communication engagement and participation
Strengthen alignment across chapters and leadership
Increase visibility and quality of organizational storytelling
Enhance partnership and sponsorship presentation materials
Produce measurable impact reporting and year-end storytelling assets
Elevate the overall public identity of Legends of Basketball
Lead development and execution of the organization’s marketing and communications strategy aligned with business priorities
Translate leadership vision into clear, cohesive narratives across all platforms and initiatives
Oversee brand positioning and ensure consistency across content, events, partnerships, and communications
Shape how Legends shows up at marquee moments (e.g., Annual Meeting, All-Star Weekend) as high-impact brand and business platforms
Own the organization’s content and storytelling strategy across digital, social, and email channels
Develop and maintain a distinct brand voice aligned with the Legends mission and five pillars
Oversee content calendar planning tied to key initiatives, events, and partnerships
Lead execution of external communications including announcements, messaging, and media-facing materials
Manage social media strategy, publishing cadence, and platform performance
Drive partner visibility and storytelling across all marketing channels
Develop marketing materials, decks, and recaps that reinforce sponsor value and ROI
Support partnership development efforts through narrative building and strategic positioning
Ensure alignment between marketing execution and revenue-generating initiatives
Manage and execute member-facing communications across: MailChimp, EZ Text, Top Fan App, Website communications, Social media platforms, Digital newsletters, Event communications
Develop communication calendars and engagement campaigns supporting membership participation, events, initiatives, and organizational priorities
Create repeatable storytelling formats including: Member spotlights, Legacy features, Community impact stories, Program highlights, Newsletters
Monitor engagement analytics and optimize communication performance across channels
Oversee marketing infrastructure including email, SMS, social media management tools, and content systems
Manage audience segmentation and communication workflows across platforms
Support integration with CRM and event platforms to improve engagement and tracking
Continuously optimize tools and processes to improve efficiency and performance
Serve as a strategic communications partner to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team
Draft executive messaging including: Speeches, Talking points, Board communications, Leadership updates, Partnership messaging, Internal organizational communications
Support leadership with on-brand messaging and narrative consistency
Coordinate communications supporting chapter alignment and organizational initiatives
Support development of board-level and executive-facing materials, including presentations and recaps
Play a key role in shaping the organization’s Annual Report and major storytelling deliverables
Ensure consistency and clarity in high-priority organizational messaging
Manage external creative, content, and production partners
Oversee timelines, deliverables, and quality control across all marketing outputs
Serve as a central connector across marketing, events, partnerships, and operations
Drive alignment and execution within a fast-paced, evolving environment
Oversee website content strategy, updates, and messaging alignment
Ensure digital platforms reflect the organization’s pillars, initiatives, and strategic priorities
Coordinate with external vendors, designers, photographers, videographers, and digital consultants as needed
Maintain content libraries, media assets, and brand resources
Develop integrated storytelling strategies around: NBA All-Star Weekend, WNBA All-Star Weekend, Annual Meeting, National activations, Community Initiatives, Other mission events
Produce and distribute media kits, press materials, event recaps, and impact stories
Capture and package stories demonstrating inspiration, action, legacy, and measurable impact
Help position the organization as the leading voice and representative body for basketball legends
Redesign and support partnership and sponsorship materials aligned with Legends manifesto and organizational pillars
Create partnership narratives and materials demonstrating engagement opportunities and impact
Develop case studies and activation recaps supporting sponsor retention and new business development
Standardize organizational impact reporting and representation materials for corporate partners
Establish systems for collecting organizational impact stories, participation data, and outcomes
Aggregate chapter and national impact metrics into cohesive narratives
Lead development of annual impact reports and year-end storytelling initiatives
Support organizational transparency, visibility, and stakeholder engagement