Communication Strategist

Communications Strategist

About The Fair Budget Coalition

Since its founding in 1994, the Fair Budget Coalition (FBC) has brought together community members directly affected by poverty, human and legal services providers, advocates, faith organizations, and concerned District residents to advocate for a District budget and public policies that meaningfully address poverty and human needs. FBC leverages the collective power of its sixty-plus member organizations to accomplish this work, including by helping them increase the civic engagement of those they serve and by creating processes and structures to ensure that those directly affected by poverty are at the forefront of crafting solutions. FBC’s vision is of a just and inclusive D.C. that supports strong and stable communities, allows low-income residents to live in dignity, and makes it possible for all residents to achieve economic security.

About the position:

The Fair Budget Coalition (FBC) is seeking a Communications Strategist who under the direction of the Executive Director will lead the work in amplifying our advocacy and campaign efforts, engaging our community, and effectively communicating policy priorities. This role involves managing campaigns, creating impactful content, and driving outreach initiatives to advance our mission and engage diverse audiences.

The successful candidate will have strong knowledge of the District of Columbia’s policy/budget formulation and implementation process, will have exceptional written and verbal communication skills, management and leadership skills and a passion for supporting a small but mighty coalition.

Annual Salary

$78,000 to $86,500 based on years of experience, mission alignment, and practiced skillset in communicating with diverse constituencies and stakeholders (ie an ability to communicate with and alongside communities of impact as well as with elected officials and policy experts)

Location

Hybrid/Remote.

Candidates should anticipate initially working on-site, followed by a reasonable hybrid/remote schedule.

Essential Job Duties include but are not limited to:

Communications Strategy, Content Creation and Outreach (40%)

• Develop and execute a cohesive and impactful communications strategy.
• Create, curate, and schedule content for the organization's social media platforms to drive engagement and visibility.
• Manage the overall process of communicating with both internal and external stakeholders, ensuring clear and consistent messaging.
• Create and distribute compelling communications to engage individual members, donors and supporters, institutional partners, and funders.
• Lead in the development of FBC intellectual property including blog posts, website content, policy white papers, organization talking points, storytelling, testimony, and infographics.
• Monitor and grow the company’s social media and online presence.
• Spearhead any digital campaigns to ensure member engagement and campaign success.
• In partnership with the organizing team, manage the outgoing messaging stream to make sure email, SMS, and social content reflect priority campaigns and align well with each other.
• Support event planning and promotions.
• Build out compelling storytelling campaigns, ensuring that the voices, consent, dignity, and agency of community members is upheld and centered.
• Design and distribute surveys to gather insight from stakeholders, supporters, and the community.
• Maintain and expand regular communications with members, donors, and supporters via newsletter and other messaging tactics via Salsa Labs, Action Network, Canva, Asana, Google listservs, and Microsoft Suite platforms.

Advocacy & Campaign Communications (25%):

• Track, respond to, and communicate breaking news and longer-term trends affecting organizational, Coalition, and campaign priorities.
• Create FBC’s campaign communications that are strategic, impactful, and properly resourced.
• Serve as a strategic internal partner to the numerous campaigns the Coalition is running at any given time -- helping determine how to message and elevate our campaigns, resource them with staff capacity and budget, and supporting FBC staff and members on their campaign strategy, tactics, and plans.
• Implement messaging and communications priorities on behalf of the Coalition and its leadership.
• Monitor and develop communications around policies and legislation moving through the Council, based on active Coalition work, FBC sign-on’s, and other relevant Committees.
• Review, respond to, and communicate legislative sessions, committee votes, and relevant bills; track Council votes, press releases, public statements, and other public facing media.
• Support FBC relationships with Council staff through resource sharing, direct communications with staffers, phone calls, opportunities to host Council information sharing sessions.
• Monitor and analyze campaign performance, making data-driven recommendations for improvement.
• Coordinate with programming teams to articulate complex issues into accessible, audience-focused messaging.
• Draft educational and advocacy materials (e.g., fact sheets, blog posts, call-to-action emails, social media, etc.) to support program and campaign goals.
• Create community- and Coalition-facing communications to keep all stakeholders informed and activated through our campaigns.

Policy Communications (20%)

• Write and disseminate policy briefs for diverse audiences, increasing audience engagement over time.
• Create opportunities for collaborative policy education programming (ie verbal communication spaces and channels) with FBC members, organizations, and spaces where FBC is attempting to build community and engagement.
• Interpret, critique, explain, and apply academic, participatory, legal, and other original research to the policy work; educating staff, membership, and constituency about relevant budget policy and adjacent legislation.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and relevance of policy.
• Create educational publications, messaging, and digital content.
• Contribute to educational spaces, including community facing events.

Earned Media and Public Relations (15%):

• Develop an earned media strategy, and create relationships with local and national media partners to amplify FBC’s messaging and raise visibility– working to shape public discourse and narrative.
• Monitor and grow the company’s earned media, social media and online presence.
• Recommend techniques to build the company’s public image.
• Create press releases and op-eds aligned with our priorities and Coalition strategy.
• Identify and resolve any issues with promotional content in a timely and professional manner.
• Build relationships with media outlets and secure coverage to amplify organizational needs.

Education and Experience

• Seven to nine years of communications for advocacy and organizing/movement building in a nonprofit organization.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of experience and education.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including ability to present complex information to diverse groups (both internal and external).
• Ability to coordinate and prioritize multiple projects within a deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to communicate with, to and alongside diverse audiences including communities of impact, constituents, organizers, paid advocates, and elected officials and their staff, and policy experts.
• Collaborative working style, able to create and maintain good working relationships with a variety of internal and external constituencies.
• A personal approach that values the individual and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances.
• Strong facilitation skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including an ability to work collaboratively, share responsibility and credit, and navigate and resolve conflict in a manner that values and respects relationships with colleagues inside and outside of FBC.
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage details, work independently, and follow through with limited supervision.
• Familiarity with policy analysis and advocacy.
• Proficiency in digital communication tools, including social media platforms, email marketing systems, and website management.
• Strong time management skills, with an ability to work effectively under pressure and to prioritize multiple activities and responsibilities.
• Familiarity with DC history, culture, and unique characteristics.
• A commitment to Black liberation.
• A sense of humor.

COMPUTER/TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

Proficiency with Salsa Labs, Action Network, Canva, Asana, Google, and Microsoft Suite platforms.

Benefits include:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending account (FSA) and Dependent Care
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Professional development

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Fair Budget Coalition is committed to offering equal employment opportunities in all employment practices and ensuring employment decisions are based on an individual’s job qualifications and abilities.