Communications Associate

Title: Communications Associate

Unit: Development and Communication

Reports to: Senior Director, Individual Giving and Communication

Status: Full Time; Regular; Exempt

Job Code: D205

Location:  Long Island City

Date Prepared: February 10, 2021

The Fortune Society’s mission is to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.

We do this by believing in the power of individuals to change, building lives through service programs shaped by the needs and experiences of our participants, and changing minds through education and advocacy to promote the creation of a fair, humane, and truly rehabilitative correctional system. Founded in 1967, The Fortune Society’s vision is to foster a world where all who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated will thrive as positive, contributing members of society.

Position Summary:

Responsible for supporting the Development & Communications department and agency-wide communications efforts, the Communications Associate will help communicate core messaging and implement data-driven strategies that increase Fortune’s visibility, brand recognition, resources and advance the organization’s mission. The Communications Associate will be responsible for managing Fortune’s digital media platforms (website, social media, and list-servs); writing and editing communication and fundraising materials; capturing and recording key mission moments and activities; and executing communications and fundraising strategies. They will also have an opportunity to manage a Communications Assistant and interns. Reports to the Senior Director, Individual Giving & Communications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Create Communications & Fundraising Materials:

• In collaboration with the Development & Communications team, write and edit marketing materials and other communications and fundraising collateral including one-pagers, flyers, our bi-annual Fortune News print publication and annual report.
• Write and edit our digital outreach including our e-newsletter Fortune Weekly and blog posts.
• Oversee up-keep of our website.
• Interview and capture the stories of clients, staff members, volunteers, and others from the Fortune community.
• Support Communications and Advocacy teams in organizing virtual events including webinars and rallies.

Social Media Management

• Actively generate, edit, publish, and share content for all social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
• Monitor content from peer social media channels, media outlets, and thought leaders, sharing and promoting when appropriate.
• Manage online reputation and respond strategically to comments and feedback as needed.

Digital Strategy Development and Monitoring

• Conceptualize, implement, and execute search engine optimization (SEO) and social media optimization (SMO) strategy to grow number of visitors to Fortune’s website and increase ranking in search engine results.
• Create dynamic reports and goals within Google Analytics to monitor web traffic sources, analyze user behavior, and track web signups and donation conversions.
• Monitor digital platform insights and data to adjust goals, strategies, and objectives to maximize engagement with digital communities.

Building Communications Capacity

• Plan and maintain communications and production calendars.
• Help identify key staff members to help the communications team engage the agency on digital platforms.
• Monitor press and digital coverage of Fortune’s work and criminal justice related issues.
• Manage the Communications Assistant, interns and relationships with communications vendors and consultants.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong writing, editing, and communication skills with a passion for finding the right words and images, and communicating accurately and succinctly.
• At least 2-3 years of social media and virtual communications work experience.
• Experience with CRMs and Donor Management systems such as Mailchimp and Convio strongly preferred.
• Experience managing social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube) with proven success in fostering engagement and increasing followers.
• Demonstrated experience with WordPress or similar content management systems
• Working understanding of SEO and SMO strategies.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier, Lightroom) and photo archiving systems strongly preferred.
• Experience with digital photography and videography strongly preferred.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and meet deadlines while effectively managing multiple projects with creativity and flexibility.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Familiarity, commitment, and passion for criminal justice reform and The Fortune Society’s mission.
• Bachelor's degree preferred, or equivalent experience and skill set.

Travel and Scheduling Requirements – Requires some travel for events and meetings, along with travel to our Harlem location, and ability to attend key events and meetings periodically held on evenings or weekends.

Physical Demands:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The responsibilities and requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensing, experience and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

The Fortune Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of conviction history, race, religion/creed, citizenship status, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status or marital status.