About Water.org
1 in 9 people around the world lack access to safe water and 1 in 3 people don’t have access to a toilet. We are working every day to change this. We are Water.org. We’re here to bring water and sanitation to the world. We want to make it safe, accessible and cost-effective because we believe that water is the way to empowering a bright future that we can all share in, worldwide. We are an international nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, Missouri that has positively transformed millions of lives around the world through access to safe water and sanitation. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, we pioneer market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis. For more than 25 years, we’ve been providing women hope, children health, and families a future.
Summary
The Communications Specialist within the Strategic Alliances department is primarily responsible for the development of communication materials supporting the stewardship and acquisition of Water.org donors. This includes working closely with Water.org’s first-class Marketing team to facilitate the creation of communication materials, tailoring templates and crafting messaging to meet the needs of the Strategic Alliances department; in addition to crafting original content as necessary. Water.org’s Communications Specialist reports to the Research Lead, Strategic Alliances, and collaborates cross functionally with domestic and global departments throughout the organization. The right candidate for this position is extremely detail-oriented, a strong multi-tasker and swift learner, and capable of producing effective and compelling communications across a wide range of donor audiences; from individuals with little or no knowledge of the water crisis, to highly technical and sophisticated funding institutions.
The Communications Specialist, Strategic Alliances is based in Kansas City, MO.
Key responsibilities
Donor Communications & Content Development (75%)
- Serves as point of contact and conduit between Strategic Alliances and Water.org’s Marketing department.
- Leads the submission and execution of project requests to Marketing for the development of donor related fundraising tools and materials.
- Works with Strategic Alliances colleagues to identify key communications priorities based on goals, and then works with the Marketing department to initiate and manage projects related to those priorities.
- In collaboration with the Marketing team, develops fundraising communications that convey informative and compelling messaging to be shared with current and prospective funders.
- Leverages and tailors existing tools such as templates, proposals, PowerPoint presentations, reports, thank you gifts, etc. to support Strategic Alliances in relationship development and prospecting to corporations, foundations, and high net worth individuals.
- Develops a high level knowledge of the tools developed by the Marketing department to support Strategic Alliances in fact management, and visuals needed to bring content to life.
- Partners with the Marketing team to identify fundraising resources and collateral such as videos, graphics, statistics, and stories to be utilized for donor messaging.
- Responsible for tailoring communications to donors around key inflection points throughout the year, including but not limited to: World Water Day, World Toilet Day, Country-specific holidays and crafting other messages to donors as relevant (example: sharing sector-specific news that might be of interest, etc.)
- Serves as Strategic Alliances POC with Public Affairs to prepare talking points and presentations for SA team members participating in conferences
- Responsible for incorporating Insights & Innovation data into key materials for fundraising use, in partnership with Marketing
Departmental and Cross Functional Project Support (25%)
- Provide project management and communication support for organization-wide initiatives and special projects led and managed by members of Strategic Alliances and Office of the CEO.
- Provide copy-editing support as needed.
- Provide research support as needed.
- Other duties as assigned or required.
Management responsibility
- Individual contributor with no subordinates.
This description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required. Some duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.
Scope data
- This is an individual contributor position. There is no supervisory responsibility.
- Facilitate communication and content development on behalf of the Strategic Alliances.
- Manage multiple projects simultaneously, driving each to timely completion.
Skills and competencies
- Customer Focus – Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
- Communicates Effectively – Is effective in a variety of communication settings: one-on-one, small and large groups, or among diverse styles and position levels.
- Collaborates – Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
- Nimble Learning – Actively learning through experimentation when taking on new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
- Drives Results – Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
- Interpersonal Savvy – Relating openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.
- Optimize Work Processes – Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.
- Self-development – Actively seeking new ways to grow and be challenged using other formal and informal development channels.
- Manages Ambiguity – Manages ambiguity by operating effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward is not clear.
- Instills Trust – Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
- Financial Stewardship – Demonstrates fiscally responsible decision making as applicable to one’s role.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required in Business, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or Marketing; Master’s degree preferred.
- Minimum five years of relevant work experience.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office products (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe software) required. Proficiency in Office 365 products (e.g. SharePoint, Teams, etc.) strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success in creating powerful, effective written and oral communications for fundraising, with the ability to convey complex ideas in simple and compelling terms.
- Proven success supporting leadership roles by aiding in presentation development and conducting research.
- Strong project management experience.
- Documented success in grant writing and management with a nonprofit, or serving in a critical role to support grant writing activities
- Strong understanding of the international development space preferred
- Knowledge of the water and sanitation and microfinance sectors preferred
- International business or philanthropic experience a plus, specifically in Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and/or Africa
Travel requirement
- Up to 5-10% of domestic and global travel.
Salary and benefits
This position offers full-time benefits, including medical/dental insurance, life and disability insurance, retirement program and periodic review for merit and incentive pay based on organizational and personal achievement.
Water.org is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an inclusive environment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, military and veteran status, genetic information, and any other status protected by law. We provide qualified applicants and employees reasonable accommodation, when necessary, to enable individuals to complete the application process and/or perform the essential functions of the job.
