Job Description
Communications and Storytelling Officer (Remote)
External Affairs Remote
Funders for LGBTQ Issues
Reports to: Director of External Affairs
FLSA: Exempt (Full-Time)
Location: Virtual
Industry: Philanthropy
ABOUT FUNDERS FOR LGBTQ ISSUES
Funders for LGBTQ Issues is a network of more than 100 foundations, corporations, and funding institutions that collectively award more than $1 billion annually, including approximately $200 million specifically devoted to LGBTQ issues.
We work to educate and organize funders, and support power-building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer communities through our research, programs and philanthropic organizing.
Funders for LGBTQ Issues is unique in that the organization not only raises funds to support its own work, but also works to increase resources for the LGBTQ movement, particularly the most under-served communities within the LGBTQ movement including LGBTQ people of color, transgender communities, and women. Please visit www.lgbtfunders.org for more information on our work.
MISSION + VISION
Funders for LGBTQ Issues educates and organizes funders, and supports power-building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer communities.
We envision a world where all queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people are liberated, loved, valued, respected, and thriving.
OVERVIEW OF THE POSITION
Funders for LGBTQ Issues is a philanthropic organizer committed to increasing resources for LGBTQ movements. The backbone of this work is its original research which describes the scale, scope, and impact of funding for LGBTQ communities and influences its programmatic work.
The Communications and Storytelling Officer (CSO) will play an integral role in the organizations communications and marketing infrastructure, strengthening the organizations communications capacity to better tell the story of Funders for LGBTQ Issues work. The CSO will work closely with all departments at Funders for LGBTQ Issues to develop and enhance branding, messaging, content creation, and social media campaigns and will serve as a thought partner to the Director of External Affairs.
Together with the Director of External Affairs, the CSO will support organization-wide communications and marketing goals, with a specific focus on storytelling and the use of the narrative to support the organizations philanthropic organizing work. This position will help design and execute a strategic communications plan for Funders, coordinating communications activities that help build the organizations brand identity for various stakeholders (e.g. institutional members, individual donors, the philanthropic sector, and LGBTQ nonprofits), better clarifying opportunities for partnership with each.
The CSO fills an essential role in Funders for LGBTQ Issues Department of External Affairs, which oversees the organizations communications and development work. They will work closely with the Director of External Affairs and Membership Engagement Officer to ensure unified external messaging. The ideal candidate will be aligned with the organizations mission and vision and will approach the work from a place of curiosity, working cross-departmentally to identify gaps and opportunities for external communications; proactively building communications plans to fill them in line with the broader strategic communications strategy.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- As a close thought partner with the Director of External Affairs, support the development and execution of the organization’s strategic communications strategy.
- Create and maintain the organization’s communications calendar.
- Support the creation of written communications (e.g. op-eds, annual recap reports, and public statements).
- Develop, design, and produce key communications products including: Q-Notes (our monthly e-newsletter), news posts on lgbtfunders.org, social media posts, event copy, and other promotional content as needed; podcast editing experience is a plus.
- Provide guidance and editorial support to team members creating communications materials.
- Work with the Director of External Affairs on the creation and delivery of semi-regular talking points to staff and board on the organizations key activities to drive development prospects and ensure cohesion of institutional voice.
- Coordinate with department and program leads to amplify our programs and activities to our membership and other core audiences.
- Manage the organizations social media presence (e.g. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter) focusing on growing our audience and providing useful resources to members and philanthropic partners while building brand identity and cohesion.
- Drive promotion for and support event production of organization and partner events, including the Funding Forward Conference, the Pride in Philanthropy Awards, and our quarterly funder briefings.
- Maintain and update the organizations website and work with our web developer to fix bugs and ensure seamless delivery of all web content.
- In collaboration with other staff, manage our CRM (Everyaction) and maintain up-to-date data to drive email marketing and engagement with key audiences.
- Represent Funders for LGBTQ Issues for key partners and at relevant conferences (normal travel for this position is 10%)
- Regularly maintain and update style and branding guides, communication processes, and other internal knowledge management documents.
- Audit the website and serve as a project manager on a rebrand of our organizations website and materials over the next 2 years.
- Attend virtual webinars and funder briefings where organization staff are presenting to promote via social media and to recap for news posts and sector publications.
- Identify opportunities for communications partnerships (e.g. pitching content to peer organizations and landing earned media in press)
- Support the storytelling aspect of Board meetings and assist with the creation and editing of reports and presentations for the Board.
- Stay current and knowledgeable on the field of communications and marketing, the philanthropic sector, and the landscape of LGBTQ nonprofits.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to proactively manage projects, the CSO will work closely with all departments at Funders for LGBTQ Issues on branding, messaging, content creation, social media, and print materials. The ideal candidate operates well independently and is used to working dynamically across a small team to ensure they have a holistic picture of the organization and its work.
- Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to synthesize ideas in a succinct and compelling manner.
- Demonstrated interest in building and maintaining brand identity for a variety of external audiences.
- Strong design sense and experience creating collateral materials. The ideal candidate has experience with and is comfortable using Adobe Creative Suite (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or InDesign; experience with Audition for podcast editing is a plus) or comparable design software.
- Demonstrated broad range of communications skills, comfort with strategy development and execution of publications, web, social media, earned media, and media relations including experience employing an array of platforms (print, digital, media) to reach targeted audiences.
- Demonstrated thought partnership with a previous team or supervisor.
- Passion for Funders for LGBTQ Issues mission and vision with a broad understanding and commitment to LGBTQ issues and social justice.
- Organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to prioritize and juggle multiple projects and deadlines while advancing long-term organizational goals.
- Understanding and experience working with WordPress sites.
- Strong aptitude for learning and adapting to new technology, with experience using e-mail marketing software such as Constant Contact or EveryAction.
- Minimum of 4 to 6 years of equivalent experience; experience in the philanthropic sector is not required but a commitment to learning the intricacies of the sector is.
- Excellent sense of humor.