Community Engagement Manager

Summary

Description

Company: Salida Mountain Trails 
Title: Community Engagement Manager

Starting Salary Range: $50,000 – $60,000 DOE

Location: Salida, CO

Reports to: Executive Director

Status: Full Time, Salaried, Exempt

Benefits: Stipend for health insurance. 15 days PTO plus all federal holidays. Flexible scheduling and hybrid home/office work opportunities.

Start Date: August 1, 2026; sooner if possible.

Application Deadline: June 19. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Organizational Summary:

Founded in 2004, Salida Mountain Trails (SMT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to build and maintain sustainable, multi-use trails; steward public lands; and promote a thriving trail community. SMT manages 100 miles of singletrack in and around Chaffee County, Colorado. Since 2021, SMT has grown from an all-volunteer organization into a staff-led nonprofit with an expanding trail crew, growing membership base, and increasingly ambitious community programming. 

Position Summary:

The Community Engagement Manager plays a key role in growing SMT’s visibility, strengthening community relationships, increasing volunteer and member engagement, and supporting organizational fundraising goals. This position blends event planning, storytelling, and community building, and requires a highly organized, creative, and people-oriented individual. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of trails and outdoor recreation in one of Colorado’s premier mountain communities!

This role works closely with SMT’s Executive Director, Trail Crew, volunteers, board members, and community partners, while also managing projects independently. 

This role requires occasional night and weekend hours for events.

Position Duties:

The following defines the high-level job responsibilities for the position of Community Engagement Manager.

Community Events + Volunteer Engagement
 

• Lead planning and execution of SMT’s annual events calendar, and ad hoc events (eg. Member Appreciation Party, Spring Kickoff, Community Chats).

• Manage event logistics including venues, permits, vendors, food/drink, and marketing/ promotional materials.

• Recruit and manage volunteers.

• Represent SMT at community events, meetings, and outreach opportunities.

• Manage event budgets, timelines, and post-event reporting.

• Coordinate with partners to support their events (eg. Run Through Time, Salida Enduro, Clean Up Green Up).

• Identify and develop opportunities to grow events and fundraising impact.

• Support Trail Crew in recruiting volunteers for events and roles.

Communications & Storytelling:

• Lead SMT’s communications strategy across social media, email, website, and digital storytelling platforms.

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to develop and execute annual communications calendar and project-specific communications calendars.

• Lead SMT’s social media presence (Instagram, Facebook).

  • Create compelling visual and written content that highlights SMT’s trails, volunteers, events, and community impact.

  • Create paid social media campaigns to support membership growth, fundraising and events.

• Develop and manage drip campaigns for new members, volunteers, and newsletter subscribers.

• Capture photos and short-form content at events and volunteer projects.

• Coordinate annual year-end communications/fundraising campaign with the Executive Director.

• Coordinate drafting and design of Annual Report with the Executive Director.

Membership + CRM:

• Manage CRM to log donations, track memberships and keep an accurate database of supporters.

• Collaborate with SMT staff and volunteers to improve CRM, mailing lists, and communications tools.

• Sustain, grow, and diversify SMT’s membership base through targeted outreach, storytelling, events, and stewardship engagement opportunities.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for SMT members – answering questions, updating memberships, providing swag.

• Lead biannual membership drives (spring and fall), and promote membership program throughout the year.

Organizational Support

• Support fundraising campaigns, sponsorship fulfillment, and donor communications.

• Build and maintain relationships with nonprofits and community partners.

• Maintain and update SMT website (news, event calendar, volunteer links, home page, etc.).

• Print and distribute trail maps to local businesses.

• Participate in staff, board, and committee meetings.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 2–4 years experience in event planning, communications, marketing, or community engagement

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Experience managing multiple communication channels simultaneously

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously

• Strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for working with volunteers and the public

• Comfortable working in a small, collaborative nonprofit environment

• Self-starter with strong initiative

• Passion for trails, outdoor recreation, conservation, and community building

• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed for events

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in the nonprofit or outdoor recreation sector

• Familiarity with the Salida community and/or SMT trail systems

• Graphic design, photography, or content creation skills

• Experience with tools such as Mailchimp, Canva, WordPress or similar platforms

To Apply:

Send a resume and cover letter to jobs@salidamountaintrails.org with “Community Engagement Manager” in the subject line.