Girls Write Now Fellowship Program

ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION

For more than 20 years, Girls Write Now has been a leader in arts education as New York’s first and only writing and mentoring organization for girls. We match underserved teen girls and gender non-conforming youth with professional writers and digital media makers as their personal mentors. Our mentees are published in outlets including The New York Times, Newsweek, and BuzzFeed, perform at Lincoln Center and the United Nations, and earn hundreds of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. 100% of Girls Write Now seniors are accepted to college. The organization has been distinguished three times by the White House as one of the nation’s top youth programs and twice by the Nonprofit Excellence Awards as one of New York’s top ten nonprofits. Reaching over 6,000 girls annually in all 51 council districts, Girls Write Now is a founding partner of the New York City Council’s STARS Citywide Girls Initiative.

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Girls Write Now Fellowship Program offers up to three full-time paid fellowships annually. Fellowships are customized, and typically last up to one year. The program is a competitive opportunity with a leading nonprofit to get on a solid track post-graduation with intensive, on-the-ground training from Girls Write Now. Fellows emerge from the program well positioned for promotion within Girls Write Now or to be competitive candidates in any career.

Girls Write Now Fellowships allow young professionals to apply their chosen field of graduate education and/or build on significant experience they already have in the field. Fellows come to Girls Write Now with a deep knowledge and successful track record in a range of disciplines that help deliver on Girls Write Now’s multi-pronged mission of transmedia storytelling, mentoring, and community. Recent Fellows hail from NYU in Arts Politics, MIT in Brain & Cognitive Science, and Sarah Lawrence in Publishing Publicity. At this stage, we are particularly interested in Fellows who do not fit the obvious profile of Girls Write Now, for example with hard skills such as technology & design, software engineering, public policy, and data science & analytics.

Girls Write Now Fellows play an integral role behind the scenes while gaining valuable experience across departments—from internal programs and operations to external relations through marketing, fundraising, and beyond. Working closely with the senior team, Fellows identify areas of focus, set ambitious goals and milestones, then receive training, mentorship, and regular feedback to meet them, emerging with concrete, resume-boosting deliverables.

Fellows develop skills in event production, project management, program evaluation, systems maintenance, design, editorial, and more—all while learning to navigate the politics of a diverse, multi-generational community filled with talent and strong opinions. The Fellows’ toolbox prepares professionals to be highly effective leaders in today’s world.

Fellows work remotely until staff can safely return to the Girls Write Now midtown Manhattan headquarters. 

PRIORITY CORE COMPETENCIES

• Scientific Problem-Solving: Fellows consider Girls Write Now their laboratory—they are practical, analytical, and solution-oriented. Fellows observe, research, ask questions, and come to the table prepared. They develop clear goals and plans of action, then head to the “lab” to experiment. They report back, get feedback, iterate, and test out new approaches to complete the job.
• Ownership of Work: Fellows have autonomy of their creative work as they build out their areas of strength and expertise. Tasks are the steps towards the goals, not an end in themselves. When Fellows’ steps take them in the wrong direction or they confront an obstacle, they ask for help where needed, and find another pathway. Fellows are proactive and a few moves ahead. They don’t wait to be asked.
• Team Player: Fellows thrive in a collaborative environment. They expect peer critique, to learn from those around them, and to leverage diverse ideas to get the best result.
• Communication: Fellows are strong writers who can clearly communicate with a range of audiences. They keep stakeholders posted, manage up and down to move forward a project, bringing concerns and multiple solutions to the table.
• Pushing the Envelope: Fellows show curiosity, seek to understand the bigger picture, and where their work fits in. They are imaginative, innovative, and inclined to shift the paradigm. They don’t just settle for something because that’s the way we’ve done it before. Their methods are designed to be the most effective way to meet the larger goals for the long haul.
• Systems-Oriented: Fellows approach their projects knowing that their colleagues may need to access them now or in the future. Fellows leave a blueprint, documenting and archiving their work to contribute to our collective institutional knowledge.
• Flexibility & Adaptability: As much as we try to develop systems and schedules, we are constantly evolving, adapting, and growing. This means Fellows need to think on their feet, be prepared to respond at a moment’s notice, and thrive on change in a fast-paced environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Collaborating closely with a small team, the responsibilities of a Girls Write Now Fellow may include but are not limited to:

• Enrollment: Coordinate aspects of mentor and mentee recruitment, including outreach, interviews, assessment, trainings, orientations, and matching
• Data Systems & Operations: Help maintain and update extensive Salesforce database, and meet day-to-day administrative needs across departments and platforms
• Corporate Partnerships: Liaise with corporate partners across a range of industries, from publishing and entertainment to beauty and finance—partnerships entail employee engagement workshops, in-house mentoring and apprenticeships, internship and job placements, publicity campaigns, and more
• Website & Social Media: Help maintain components of the Girls Write Now website to ensure information is current, consistent, and on brand; contribute creatively to a robust social media calendar with programmed and real-time postings
• Marketing & Publications: Create and maintain a range of assets for regular news, events, and initiatives; Provide editorial and design support with annual print and multimedia publications
• Event Production: Support planning and production of in-person, virtual, hybrid, live and pre-edited events on Zoom, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and more. Events may range from multi-genre/multimedia workshops, readings, presentations, and salons, to fundraisers, and special events like the Girls Write Now Awards and Girls Write Now Live.
• Pair Management: Manage assigned case loads of mentor/mentee pairs throughout the program cycle, developing close working relationships with the pairs, and tailoring support to help them meet the program requirements, often in the midst of turmoil
• Volunteer Engagement & Management: Motivate and organize high-level volunteers, including active and alumnae mentors and mentees, identifying and engaging them for select opportunities, events, initiatives, and enriched programming

ELIGIBILITY

Successful candidates are strong writers, clear communicators, analytical thinkers, and outside-of-the-box problem solvers. They have strong project management skills, are comfortable working collaboratively and iteratively, pivoting when needed, and ultimately getting the job done (see core competencies above). Fellows must have:

• A graduate degree and/or a college graduate with a successful track record of at least 2-3 years in a field relevant to Girls Write Now’s mission of transmedia storytelling, mentoring, and community. We encourage Fellow applicants who do not fit the obvious profile of Girls Write Now, for example with hard skills such as technology & design, software engineering, public policy, and data science & analytics.
• Availability full-time (40 hours per week) for at least one calendar year
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Strong data and project management skills, including Salesforce and G-Suite
• Good people skills and a high emotional intelligence
• Experience with HTML, WordPress, and basic CSS
• Experience with design software including InDesign, Photoshop, and Canva
• Experience with film editing software including iMovie, Premiere Pro preferred
• Experience on all major social platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn
• Love of writing and literature and a commitment to Girls Write Now’s mission
• Knowledge and eagerness to learn in the realms of media, technology, education, fundraising, and community organizing