Associate, Communications (COF)

Council on Foundations - Washington, D.C.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Associate, Communications at Council on Foundations will manage communications objectives from ideation to execution, juggling multiple tasks and deadlines. You will write on philanthropy, support storytelling, and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to produce external content.

The role requires exceptional writing, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work independently within a small team to advance the Council’s mission and messaging across diverse channels.

Qualifications

• Exceptional writing and storytelling abilities.
• Experience developing video and written assets.
• Strong interpersonal skills and representation of the organization.
• Excellent organizational skills and deadline management.
• Ability to work independently and with a small team.

Responsibilities

• Write on topics related to philanthropy to uplift the field.
• Support the storytelling efforts of the Council.
• Gather information from internal stakeholders to draft content for external distribution.
• Research topics to prepare first drafts for external content.
• Edit and proofread drafts for external distribution.
• Coordinate with departments to stay abreast of philanthropy trends.
• Write and edit press releases supporting initiatives and messaging.
• Collaborate with outside writers for submittals and coordinating to publications.
• Create, develop and update messaging materials for communications strategy.
• Prepare content for external meetings and speaking engagements.
• Support the digital strategy by drafting messaging for social media and web pages.
• Work independently on multiple projects and report to the Director, Communications and Marketing.
• Monitor breaking stories and trends in philanthropy; share updates with the team.
• Maintain Council subscriptions to news services.
• Serve as editor for Council web content and update pages.
• Engage in special projects such as message frameworks and focus groups.
• Maintain the Council’s blog and monthly newsletters.

Skills

Writing skills

Storytelling

Organization

Social media

Independence

Communication

Press releases

Education

Bachelor's degree in Communications/Journalism/English

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Department: Government Affairs & Strategic Communications

Reports to: Director of Communications & Marketing

Job Summary:

The Associate, Communications will ensure all communications objectives are managed from ideation to execution. He/She is responsible for managing project tasks and deadlines, handling preliminary logistics and keeping all parties updated on the progress. The Associate, Communications must be able to multitask, organize and collaborate. He/She will juggle a wide variety of requests from internal and external stakeholders with competing deadlines. Strong decision-making and prioritization skills are essential to help ensure all projects runs smoothly, and he/she needs to be as organized as possible to schedule, monitor and adjust deadlines and resources as needed.

Essential Functions, Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for writing on various topics related to philanthropy to uplift and advance the good work of the field.
• Support the storytelling efforts of the Council
• Gather information from internal stakeholders to draft content for external distribution
• Perform research on each area of the Council to prepare first drafts on external content
• Edit and proofread various drafts prepared within the organization for external distribution
• Coordinate with various departmental personnel to stay abreast of the changing landscape of philanthropy
• Write and edit press releases that support the Council’s key initiatives and messaging
• Work with outside writers to develop and edit content for submittal and coordinating submittal to publications.
• Create, develop and update messaging materials as part of communications team and Council’s strategy
• Prepare content/materials for external meetings and speaking engagements (i.e., research briefings and PowerPoint presentations).
• Support the digital strategy of the Council by drafting messaging for social media, events and various web pages.
• Work independently on multiple projects and other tasks assigned by the Director, Communications and Marketing
• Monitor breaking stories, developments in or related to philanthropy and communications, industry trends, and relevant commentary; work with internal departments to communicate out as appropriate; and provide updates to team on articles, issues, and news of note.
• Maintain Council subscriptions to news services.
• Serves as an editor for Council web content,creating,reviewing and updating pages as assigned.
• Engage in special projects such as message frameworks, focus groups, etc
• Maintain the Council’s blog and posts copies of Washington Snapshot and monthly newsletters after they are sent via email.

Education and Experience:

• 2-3 years of experience in communications, journalism and/or a related field.
• Bachelor degree preferably in communications, journalism, English and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Exceptional writing skills and storytelling abilities, including experience in developing video and written assets
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to listen well and positively represent the organization and its mission
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects and stay on deadline
• Flexibility and willingness to work as part of a small, efficient team
• Good graphic design sense
• Understanding of social channels and search engine marketing
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Skills in design software, blogging software and social media platforms preferred
• Ability to work independently

NOTE: As organizational needs change, management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time. This document represents a description of intended job content and should not be construed in any way to be a contract of employment.