Blog Contributor

Position Description:  UMR is looking for talented volunteer blog contributors to generate engaging, original content for our new blog, “Reflections of a Humanitarian.” Contributors will research topics and develop interesting posts focused on international humanitarian crises around the world from environment disasters to man-made catastrophes to refugee resettlements and migrations. Their posts should appeal to our target audience while reflecting the values and mission of our organization. Contributors should also promote the blog using social media, direct email, and other methods to alert and expand the blog’s readership. 

The ideal contributor will be a writer who can create appealing, insightful posts that will reach and grow our audience. To succeed as a contributor, you should be focused on generating and composing interesting content and expanding readership of our blog. You should be creative, adaptable, and analytical with excellent writing skills and a unique voice. We list the responsibilities of this role as well as the qualifications, post requirements, and application process below:

Department/Individuals Assisting: Our DC office’s Volunteer department

Responsible to: Our DC office’s Volunteer Management Coordinator and Social Media & Communications Officer

Responsibilities: 

• Generating, researching, and pitching ideas for posts.
• Writing, editing, publishing, and promoting content for our “Reflections of a Humanitarian” blog.
• Promoting new posts using email, text, social media, and other methods to alert and attract new readers to your post and our blog.
• Staying current on current affairs and humanitarian trends for possible opportunities to attract new readers or create stronger, more engaging content.

Position Qualifications: 

Required:

• Excellent written communication skills in English.
• Results oriented with the ability to meet self-imposed deadlines.
• Be a team player and work effectively with others, including editors of your pieces.
• Be receptive to constructive feedback and willing to make necessary changes or adjustments to your pieces.

Preferred:

• Previous experience blogging or drafting columns, journals, articles, or op-eds for publication.
• Knowledge about current international affairs, humanitarian assistance, and refugee populations, with a focus on the MENA, East Africa, and South Asia regions.

Blog Post Requirements: All submissions MUST abide by the following guidelines to be accepted and published on our platform. Any pieces that do not meet these requirements will not be eligible for publication. The post guidelines are as follows:

• Written in English.
• Have a title.
• Word count of minimum 250 words and a maximum of 1,000 words.
• Contain original material, we will not accept plagiarized posts.
• If citing specific facts, figures, or data, please link the source of your information to your piece. All links should direct to credible, reputable sources, preferably in English.
• All blog posts should be within the geographic and programmatic scope of our organization’s work.
• Refrain from any politicization of your piece including speaking in support of or against the actions of governments, groups, or leaders.
• Refrain from promoting other organizations, groups, or projects unrelated to UMR.
• Refrain from using any inappropriate, offensive, incendiary, or insensitive language.
• Be free of spelling and grammatical errors.
• Be free of any images. We will select one of our images to accompany your post.

Commitment: To be worked on at your convenience! If after your first published piece you would like to come up with a recurring schedule to post on, our Volunteer Coordinator would be happy to discuss such with you.

Technology Needed:

• Reliable internet connection
• A word processor, ideally Microsoft Word or Google Documents

Application: Sign up to be a volunteer blog contributor here where you will submit a draft of your post that meets the requirements listed above. Upon receipt of your post, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you to discuss your piece, edits needed before publication, and if accepted as a volunteer blog writer, create a consistent schedule for you to submit publications. We are strongly welcoming blog posts on the following topics:

• Beirut Explosion/Lebanon's Economic Crisis
• Importance of Education for Refugee Children
• Winter in Poverty-Stricken Countries
• Women Economic Empowerment among Refugees
• Refugee Camps/Overcrowding
• Water Scarcity 
• Food Desserts 
• Effects of COVID in Countries We Operate
• Disabled Refugees
• Child Labor due to Extreme Poverty
• Child Refugees

If you would like to discuss a possible blog post topic or idea before writing to confirm it falls within our guidelines that is not only acceptable but encouraged! Feel free to email your intended topic or outline to volunteers@umrelief.org for approval before drafting to ensure your piece will be considered for publication once submitted!