Communications Associate (COF)

Council of Foundations; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Council of Foundations is seeking an Associate, Communications to lead and execute a wide range of external communications from ideation to delivery. You will write on philanthropy topics, support storytelling, draft content for external distribution, and edit materials for publication.

Strong writing, research, and collaboration skills are essential as you coordinate with internal teams and external writers to ensure timely, impactful messaging across press releases, blogs, social media,

Qualifications

• 2–3 years in communications, journalism or related field.
• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, English or equivalent.
• Exceptional writing and storytelling abilities; experience with video assets.

Responsibilities

• Write on philanthropy topics to uplift field work.
• Support Council storytelling efforts and external content drafts.
• Gather information from internal stakeholders for external content.
• Research areas to prepare first drafts for external content.
• Edit and proofread drafts for distribution.
• Coordinate with departments to track evolving philanthropy topics.
• Write/edit press releases supporting key initiatives.
• Collaborate with outside writers for submissions.
• Develop and update messaging materials for strategy.
• Prepare content for external meetings, briefings, and slides.
• Draft social media messaging and web content as part of digital strategy.
• Assist Director, Communications and Marketing on multiple projects.
• Monitor industry trends and report findings to team.
• Maintain Council blog and newsletters post-dispatch.

Skills

Exceptional writing

Storytelling abilities

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Graphic design sense

Social media understanding

MS Office proficiency

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s in communications/journalism/English

Tools

Microsoft Office

Design software

Blogging software

Social media platforms

Job description

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

Annual compensation is $55,000 - $60,000 with an excellent benefits package.