Media Relations Manager

We are looking for emerging leaders who are passionate about strengthening capacity in local communities to sustain powerful grassroots movements for social change at the local, state, and federal levels!

About Black Voters Matter (BVM):

Our goal is to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. We agree with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he said, “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” We operate with the following 5 core beliefs:

1. The key to effective civic engagement and community power is understanding, respecting and supporting local infrastructure.
2. Black voters matter not only on election day, but on all 365 days of the year. This means we must support individuals and organizations that are striving to obtain social justice throughout the year.
3. Black voters matter *everywhere*, including rural counties and smaller cities/towns that are often ignored by candidates, elected officials, political parties and the media.
4. In order for Black voters to matter, we must utilize authentic messaging which speaks to our issues, connects with our hopes and affirms our humanity.
5. The leadership, talent and commitment demonstrated by Black women in particular must receive recognition and, more importantly, *investment* in order to flourish and multiply.

POWER

At BVM, we often explain to friends and stakeholders that we are NOT an electoral organization. We are first and foremost, a power building organization, and while we firmly believe that voting and electoral organizing is one way to build power, it is by no means the only way. Within the space of electoral organizing, we do not measure our success on electoral “wins”. We take this position not only because of our status as a 501c4 organization, but because philosophically we strongly believe that in order to truly build power, we must begin to redefine what a “win” is. The traditional approach of defining wins based on whether a particular person has won a certain office is far too limited given the obstacles that our communities face. Instead, we believe in centering a community-defined agenda and the process by which a community seeks to implement that agenda. With this in mind, we seek increase the capacity of community-based organizations working on a wide range of issues: from mass incarceration to gentrification, from health care to education and more.

Intersection of Political and Economic Power

We believe that independent political power requires independent economic power, and we are sensitive to the many forms of economic coercion which often discourage community members from fully participating in civic life. We also believe that political victories that lack a strong economic base are simply not sustainable. As we explore the intersection of political and economic power, we strive to uplift economic models and policies which support the equitable distribution of wealth rather than deepening economic disparities.

MOVEMENT BUILDING

Relational Organizing and What’s Left After Election Day

An important aspect of BVM’s core beliefs (mentioned above) is an approach that emphasizes relational organizing. We prioritize local infrastructure because we know existing organizations have authentic relationships with community members in general, and voters more specifically. While some experts look at communities critically for lacking infrastructure, our approach is that relationships are infrastructure. For these reasons, BVM seeks to intentionally build on existing relationships via our door-to-door canvassing, texting, phone banking, social media, and radio messaging.

Similarly, while organizational relationships are important, so are the relationships that each community member has with other friends and family members. We regularly incorporate efforts to have each person contacted to reach five other friends/family, and to then ask those five contacts to each reach five more. Our emphasis on relational organizing and local organizations has several long-term effects. First, by investing in local organizations instead of working around them, we build capacity, introduce tools, and connect them with partners (national, state, and other counties) in ways that benefit their ongoing work throughout the year. Second, by enabling local organization to hire local canvassers themselves (rather than simply extracting their local knowledge to hire through outside organizations), we strengthen their relationships with community members rather than undermining those relationships. And third, using a relational organizing approach inherently poses greater potential for accountability, compared with the results of a transactional process.

Position Description:

Black Voters Matter is seeking a Media Relations Manager to be responsible for managing the implementation of our strategic communications, including social media, text-based and print materials. The Media Relations Manager will work closely with the Communications Director to increase visibility for BVM as well as provide support to community-based network partners to strengthen local communications efforts and movement infrastructure related to communications.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Create style guides and brand voice outlines for all public relations, marketing, and advertising in print and radio related to BVM’s electoral and social justice organizing work.
• Respond to media requests from TV, radio, journalist, and digital outlets on BVM’s overall electoral and social justice organizing work and Bus Tours.
• Cultivate, track, and manage relationships with all media outlets and journalists to help amplify the work of BVM and BVM’s partners.
• Management and Coordination of onsite media at special events including periodic bus tour events.
• Create press kits, manage ad buys, and develop scripts for radio ads which highlight BVM’s programmatic work (elections, issue organizing, tours) and overall issues important to BVM.
• Draft press releases and speeches following organizational news or events.
• Develop talking points related to issues that are important to the organization.
• Providing training to assist team members and BVM Partners on how to engage media to amplify electoral and organizing work.
• Perform communications research and monitor the progress of various best practice communications strategies for BVM to adopt and implement.
• Assist Communications Director with other tasks as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or four+ years’ experience in non-profit marketing and media development.
• Skilled in creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications.
• Ability to convey complex ideas through brief, simple materials; copywriting skills are a plus
• Experience and credibility when presenting materials to external audiences.
• Professional experience with media/journalist procurement, cultivation, and management.
• Proficiency in Cison, SalesForce, and a familiarity with Canva or similar graphic design software.
• Familiarity with Constant Contact (or other email marketing software) and WordPress.
• Excellent computer skills, along with the ability to adapt to changing technologies.
• Superior organizational skills, including managing multiple tasks effectively with strict attention to detail.
• Professional presentation and ability to work in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Problem-solver who takes initiative, has a “can-do” attitude and has the ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
• Experience managing organizational media needs, including social media experience.
• Experience working in social justice preferred.

This position reports to: Communications Director

Travel Requirements: Ability and willingness to travel approximately 20% of the time (based in Atlanta, GA)

Salary & benefits: Commensurate with experience, plus unlimited PTO, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, and $25,000 life insurance benefit.

This position also supports Black Voters Matter Fund (BVMF), an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization. While motivated by the same core values – power building, equity and justice – BVM and BVMF operate independently of one another and each organization has its own board of directors.

BVM is an equal opportunity employer. BVM prohibits unlawful discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, age, national origin, genetic characteristics, disability, status as a special disabled veteran or veteran, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual identity or any other basis prohibited by law.