Global External Communications Manager

VisionSpring; United States; Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) with match

Generous vacation/personal time

Job summary

A global nonprofit organization is seeking an External Communications Manager to enhance donor engagement and produce high-quality donor-facing communications. This role involves developing narratives from data, ensuring alignment with the organization's brand voice, and managing cross-departmental projects. Candidates should have 5-8 years of experience in donor communications and exceptional writing skills. The position is remote, requiring some in-person visits to New York City, with a salary range of $80,000 - $90,000.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of experience in donor communications.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and narrative development abilities.
• Proficient in producing communications for donors and foundations.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort with project coordination.
• Experience in a social enterprise or global health environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine donor-facing materials such as reports and presentations.
• Package data and evidence into compelling narratives.
• Coordinate donor communications with various departments.
• Engage fully in donor-focused events and campaigns.
• Track donor engagement and contribute to communications performance analysis.

Skills

Writing and editing

Narrative development

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication strategy

Education

Bachelor's degree in communications, marketing or related field

Tools

PowerPoint

Canva

Adobe Tools

Job description

Job Description

This is a global, remote role that will require in-person visits to New York City.

Location: East Coast of the United States, or Washington D.C. Metro Area.

Are you ready to craft strategic communications that fuel fundraising for clear vision globally? VisionSpring seeks a collaborative, strategic, creative External Communications Manager to elevate our engagement with philanthropic funders, institutional partners, and visionary donors. Your storytelling will help deepen relationships and unlock the resources that bring eyeglasses to millions of people vulnerable to poverty.

You will serve as the central architect of donor‑facing communications: reports, case studies, donor updates, white papers, research summaries, talking points, presentations, event messaging, and stewardship materials.

You will package data, evidence, and field insights into compelling narratives that are precise, emotionally resonant, and tailored to diverse donor audiences.

Working closely with colleagues across Programs, Monitoring & Evaluation, Resource Mobilization, Marketing, and country teams, you will build a donor communications ecosystem that is structured, repeatable, and deeply human.

This role is ideal for someone who loves shaping meaning — who can see the story inside the data, the human impact behind the outcome, and the strategic opportunity inside a donor conversation.

About You

• You are emotionally intuitive and passionate about crafting sophisticated, high‑quality narratives that help donors feel the impact of their investment and see the possibility of deeper partnership.
• You combine editorial excellence with strategic thinking. You can understand a donor’s motivations, distill complex program information, and translate field realities into polished, donor‑ready communications.
• You excel at working across functions — from programs to finance to fundraising — and you enjoy bringing clarity, structure, and cohesion to multi‑stakeholder projects.
• You are energized by iterative collaboration with global team members, and you are known for being reliable, diplomatic, deadline‑driven, and deeply curious about the lived experiences of the communities we serve.
• You believe in the power of clear vision, and you are excited to help share proof of the life‑changing impact of eyeglasses with donors who want to drive meaningful change.

About Us

• VisionSpring increases lifelong earning, learning, safety, and well‑being through eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty. We believe in the wonder of clear vision for everybody. Our vision is to ensure that everyone who needs eyeglasses will have them by 2050, and your role as a Senior Proposal Writer will be instrumental in achieving this inspiring goal.
• We sell and deliver radically affordable optical products and services and develop markets for eyeglasses. This 700‑year‑old technology has failed to reach 1 billion people in need of vision correction, most of whom live on less than $4 a day.
• We serve low‑income consumers, not as beneficiaries but as customers. Our customers expect high‑quality, affordable products and eyewear services, and are willing to spend their limited discretionary income on the immediate and tangible benefits of vision correction.
• As a social enterprise, we are purpose first. We blend philanthropic and earned revenue, drawing on nonprofit and business practices, and utilize sales and efficiency metrics, as well as social impact measures, to bring vision correction to an ever‑growing number of people.
• We catalyze collaborative action in an expansive, multisector partner network and use our evidence and experience to influence systems change and close the global clear vision gap.
• We believe in scaling our impact, not our organization. We are a lean team of doers, which means you'll have the opportunity to take on significant responsibilities and make a direct impact on our mission.
• Our big goal: Everyone who needs eyeglasses will have them by 2050.

Job Requirements

• 5‑8 years of experience in donor communications, development communications, external communications, editorial strategy, or related roles.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and narrative development abilities.
• Demonstrated success producing communications for donors, foundations, philanthropists, or institutional audiences.
• Ability to distill complex program and research information into clear, compelling messages.
• Experience coordinating cross‑departmental projects with multiple contributors and tight deadlines.
• Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Comfort working across time zones and cultures with flexibility and diplomacy.
• Commitment to equity, dignity, and ethical storytelling.
• Highly organized, proactive, and accountable.
• Experience in social enterprise, NGO, or global health environment.
• Skills in PowerPoint, Canva, Adobe tools, or digital publishing platforms.
• Legally authorized to work in your current location.

You will impress us if you have

• Familiarity with M&E frameworks, research dissemination, or impact measurement.
• A track record of preparing high‑impact donor decks, data visualizations, or storytelling presentations.
• Experience working within a philanthropic grant‑making institution.
• Substantial professional or personal time spent within Low‑ and/or Middle‑income countries (LMICs).

Job Responsibilities

Donor Communications Development

• Develop, write, edit, and refine high‑quality donor‑facing materials, including:
  • Reports (quarterly, annual, ad hoc)
  • Case studies and impact stories
  • White papers, research summaries, and evidence translations
  • Fact sheets, one‑pagers, primers
  • Donor‑specific slide decks and presentations
• Package data, impact evidence, research findings, and field insights into clear, compelling, emotionally resonant narratives.
• Ensure all donor communications reflect VisionSpring’s brand voice, values, and commitment to dignity.
• Act as the primary liaison for donor comms with Programs, M&E, Resource Mobilization, and Finance, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and consistency.
• Build on templates, guidelines, and workflows that improve quality, speed, and internal alignment.
• Build donor audience frameworks including segmentation, personas, and tailored messaging.

Donor Engagement & Event Communications

• Shape communication strategy and messaging for in‑person and virtual donor‑focused events, briefings, and convenings.
• Support production of global and in‑market donor event materials: scripts, run‑of‑show content, visuals, talking points, and follow‑up communications.
• Collaborate on donor‑facing campaigns and special stewardship moments (e.g., end‑of‑year communications, donor delight gifts, milestone updates).

Project Coordination & Content Farming

• Manage the end‑to‑end production of donor reports and communications:
  • Structuring the narrative
  • Setting timelines / production calendars
  • Coordinating with subject matter leads
  • Farming out contributions
  • Managing reviews and approvals
  • Overseeing design and formatting
• Collaborate on packaging customer stories, photography, and multimedia content for specific donors.
• Ensure country teams are equipped with donor‑aligned collateral, messaging, and materials for in‑country fundraising communications.

Measurement & Optimization

• Track donor engagement with communications and analyze their role in retention, satisfaction, stewardship, and relationship expansion.
• Use data, storytelling, and insight to strengthen donor relationships.
• Contribute to internal tracking on communications performance.

Media, Research & Dissemination

• Support dissemination of research studies, RCT findings, and evidence‑based publications to donor audiences.
• Package technical insights into accessible, donor‑friendly formats.
• Collaborate with the Comms team to share relevant media features, press releases, and field stories with donor audiences.

Job Benefits

Compensation: Salary range is $80,000 - $90,000 per year, based on location, experience and education. We offer comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision, as well as 401(k) with match, pre‑tax commuter plan, and generous vacation/personal time.

To Apply

• A thoughtful cover letter.
• A CV/résumé that includes links to writing samples or donor‑facing communications you have produced.
• A one‑sentence description of the mission of each prior employer.

A skills assignment is part of the interview process.

Please note, only candidates invited to interview will be contacted.

Applications without this context are at a disadvantage.

At VisionSpring, diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly aligned with our core value to advance equity. Our mission is predicated on removing a fundamental barrier to full economic and social participation—uncorrected blurry vision. The values that underpin our mission energize our commitment to a diverse and inclusive team. We actively recruit, develop, and retain talented people from diverse backgrounds and support everyone in being exactly who they are. VisionSpring is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes people from all experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply.