Staff Writer/Communications Consultant: Starting Early Newsletter and Social Media (part-time)

At the Burke Foundation, we are focused on improving the health of mothers, babies, and families through the all-important First 1,000 Days from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. Backed by data, we believe that relieving stress on families during this critical start to life can build the foundation for a lifetime of physical and mental health and well-being.

High-quality birth-to-five programs for children can deliver a 13% per year return on investment. As Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman puts it: Society improves when we invest in early childhood education and development. The short- and long-term impact on families, health, education, and our workforce is worth the investment.

Our home state of New Jersey suffers from some of the nation’s widest racial disparities in maternal and infant health; our mission is to close these gaps and support families as they navigate the challenges of early parenting.

Using an entrepreneurial, data-driven approach, we identify and support changemakers whose early-childhood initiatives can transform communities and improve health and achievement outcomes for children and families. Our grantmaking focuses on supporting healthy pregnancies and births, healthy parent-child relationships, and high-quality early care and education. We are committed to effecting systems-level change; to accomplish this, we partner on shared priorities with peer foundations and government at the state and local levels. Our funding supports statewide initiatives and place-based projects in Camden, Newark, Trenton, and other communities. The Staff Writer/Communications Consultant will be instrumental in communicating this work.

Overview of Staff Writer Role

This is a unique opportunity for a skilled writer and communications consultant with a strong commitment to collaboration. The ideal candidate is someone who is excited by the opportunity to communicate the Burke Foundation’s mission through the monthly Starting Early e-newsletter, as well as social media posts and other networks.

The successful candidate will come to this role with a strong background in non-profit communications and will bring strong relationship-building, interpersonal, and analytical skills to the work.

Key Responsibilities

The Staff Writer/Communications Consultant will execute content and communications strategies that engage and inform the Foundation’s audiences, including grantees, peer funders, policymakers, and other influential leaders. The Foundation’s highly collaborative and fast-paced work environment requires the Staff Writer/Communications Consultant to work with Burke’s Program Team and also to develop relationships with external parties to communicate Foundation goals and successes on a time-sensitive basis.

Starting Early Newsletter and Communications Planning

• Map out Starting Early e-newsletter strategy and editorial calendar for September - June that reinforces the Foundation’s strategy and pillars and includes themes, goals, and detailed outlines
• Maintain newsletter production schedule
• Write 2-3 articles per issue and additional copy as needed for our Axios HQ newsletter platform
• Conduct first pass edit of newsletter; work with Burke’s copy editor on additional edits as needed
• Draft Linked In/social media copy for 2 posts per newsletter issue
• Explore opportunities for growing Starting Early newsletter subscriptions
• Work with Foundation staff to identify Key Performance Indicators for the newsletter
• Build on the Foundation’s branding work to build a flexible, functional communications framework that provides a roadmap for talking about and engaging others in Burke’s strategy
• Act as sounding board for Foundation communications planning

Social Media, Publicity, and Website Content

• Develop 2-3 postings per week on Burke social media highlighting Starting Early newsletter topics, relevant events, reports, and grantee updates
• Attend in-person check-in meetings once per week
• Write additional communications as needed
• Review Foundation website and develop content as needed
• Execute communications strategies for special initiatives as needed

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5-7 years of related experience in nonprofit, philanthropy, or government; consulting experience a plus
• Professional background or expertise in communications, marketing, and/or public relations
• Superb interpersonal skills, with an ability to work respectfully and efficiently with a
• broad range of stakeholders
• Excellent writing, editing, and analytical skills: ability to identify, collect, organize and
• synthesize information from various data sources
• Effective project management and organizational skills, including the ability to
• coordinate, organize, prioritize, and execute multiple tasks; ability to meet deadlines
• Experience in delivering verbal and written communications (reports, memos, briefs
• and decks) to senior leaders and Board members
• Solid technology and computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word,
• Excel, PowerPoint); experience with WordPress and Axios platforms a plus
• Understanding of, and alignment with, the philanthropic mission and values of The Burke Foundation
• Interest and ability to engage authentically and build trust with grantees, partners and
• other diverse stakeholders; knowledge of the New Jersey philanthropic field a plus
• A collegial, curious spirit: ability to work well independently and as part of a team,
• share ideas, ask questions and receive feedback

Application Process

Please send a resume and cover letter that thoughtfully explains how you will contribute to the mission of the Burke Foundation, as well as 2 writing samples, as a single PDF attachment (filename: LastName_FirstName.pdf) to Sandy Moskovitz at sandra@burkefoundation.org with the email subject “Staff Writer/Communications Consultant.”

The number of hours/month will not exceed 80 hours, and we appreciate the opportunity to meet with the consultant several times a month on-site in Princeton, NJ. The consultant will be expected to submit a monthly invoice with a breakdown of hours/activities.

Applications will be accepted until May 15; qualified candidates will be contacted on a rolling basis. The preferred start date is June 15.

The Burke Foundation celebrates the diversity of our nation and community, and we seek to build a team that reflects that diversity. We welcome and encourage all qualified applicants who share that vision, and we want to engage all those who can contribute to our work and the mission. We encourage any individual to apply for this position, and we do not discriminate based on ethnic, racial, gender, socioeconomic background, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. The Foundation abides by all applicable rules and regulations in its recruiting and employment practices, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and state disability laws.

About the Burke Foundation

The Burke Foundation is a leading philanthropic institution in New Jersey, with a history of supporting innovative programs that create equal opportunities for all families and children. The Foundation was established in Princeton in 1989 by the late Jim E. Burke and his wife Diane (“Didi”) Burke. During his 37 years with Johnson & Johnson, Jim Burke built a legacy of visionary leadership and served as Chairman and CEO for the last 13 years of his tenure. Jim received the highest civilian honor in the nation in 2000, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was named one of history’s greatest CEOs by Fortune magazine.

In 2017, the Foundation reimagined our grantmaking focus and strategy, identifying prenatal health and early childhood development as areas where our investments can achieve the greatest good for New Jersey children and their communities.

Through grantmaking and intense collaboration, we work with nonprofits to identify, rigorously evaluate, and help scale programs and policies that foster the healthy development of children and families in New Jersey.

To learn more about our history and work, please visit our website.