Communications (read time: 14 min)
So you want to work in Communications?
If everyone understood one another, we wouldn’t need social justice work. But the world is a diverse place, filled with individuals who struggle to imagine the incentives, priorities, and needs of those who are different from themselves. That misunderstanding is the root of violence, oppression, and injustice.
Communications:
Communications targets injustice at the source by aiming to dissolve the misunderstanding that fuels conflict. Communications roles strive to build bridges between diverse audiences to craft a common understanding of an issue or mission.
Successful social impact communications raises awareness for causes, attracts donations to organizations, and galvanizes action. While individual actions can be powerful, broader social change is impossible without effective communications to educate and connect supporters. Think about viral campaigns like the Ice Bucket Challenge (which increased ALS research funding by 50%), or longer-term campaigns with sharp slogans like the Fight for 15 or the Green New Deal. These communications campaigns demonstrate that no matter what issues you care about, telling a persuasive story about that issue is one of the most powerful methods to spark positive social change. Starting your career in communications will enable you to build skills that will be valuable across a variety of roles, causes, and sectors, and catapult your influence as a social sector leader.
If this career path sounds exciting to you, this guide will take you through everything you need to know about working in social impact communications. To inform our work, Second Day has spoken to experts in the field and gathered the best information out there for upcoming and recent graduates. First, the guide will take you through the different entry-level positions to look out for in this field. Then, we’ll provide tips on actually getting those jobs in Communications. We’ll finish with our next three steps: actionable items you can take to make progress towards finding your first job in Communications. Let’s get started!
This guide was written by Phil Dearing in partnership with the Second Day team.
Many thanks to experts in the field who supported this work:
Mara Chan, Content Producer, Luminos Fund
Grace Dearing, Director of Events, Veritas Group
Alyssa Isakower, Manager of Digital Engagement, The Bridgespan Group
What types of jobs exist in Communications?
The different roles on a Communications team
Communications teams are typically responsible for a few core functions. These include
Sharing the story and good work of their organization via blogs, partnerships, and media (primarily for fundraising, awareness-building, and advocacy purposes),
Building an engaged audience of supporters via social media and newsletters, and
Planning events for the organization.
Communications teams can range from one person to hundreds of people and the bigger the team, the more specialized your role will be. For smaller organizations, there is often an “all hands on deck” atmosphere where you will be expected to help out with a lot of different things and have the opportunity to take on a lot of responsibility very quickly. For nonprofits, communications and fundraising employees are closely intertwined and often work on the same team (to learn more about fundraising careers, see our Fundraising Guide). The name of the department can also vary--from ”Marketing” to “communications” to “Advancement” to “Development“ and beyond. For larger organizations, there is far more specialization and clearer expectations. Some of the most common roles are listed below:
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
This is a role that focuses on developing social media content that is engaging to an organization’s supporters. Oftentimes, this will include posting on social media, writing newsletters, and executing on marketing campaigns leading up to big events for the organization you work for. At some organizations, you’ll be given significant creative autonomy to try things out. At others, there will be clear instructions for how to execute on a strategy built by a more senior member of the communications team. Social Media Coordinators may also be asked to Tweet, reshare posts on LinkedIn, or otherwise engage with current events and “conversations” happening online. Because social media is so reliant on graphics and video, Social Media Coordinators are often expected to be able to develop that content.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Larger organizations will often have a specific role for a Graphic Designer, whose role is to develop content and designs for the organization. All organizations need good design, and nonprofits are no exception. If you have an artistic bent, this path might work well for you. Graphic Designers are expected to create compelling designs across a range of mediums from digital to print. Daily tasks may include creating compelling presentations for new funders, designing reports, drafting social media graphics, designing materials to be printed for events, and more. Compelling candidates will have a solid grasp of design and experience working with the Adobe suite of software (Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.). Web-design is an added plus. Both the Graphic Design and Social Media Coordinator roles can be great for those who are more introverted as well, as they involve significant solo time producing materials. See our Social Impact Design Guide for more information on careers in design.
EVENT PLANNER
Nonprofit galas or celebrations, federal conferences, or other large events require an incredible amount of planning and execution. For some organizations, events can be their largest source of fundraising dollars. An Event Planner is in charge of all of the details required to pull off an event: requiring fine attention to detail and pragmatic problem-solving ability. An Event Planner is typically in charge of finding a venue, coordinating food orders and delivery, making sure technology is set up, having a timeline of events organized (a “run of show”), and figuring out about 5,000 other little things.
If you are working in communications at a social impact organization, event planning will often be one piece of your role (even if it’s not your full-time job). You’ll work on other communications projects for most of the year, and then you will be charged with coordinating the big events that the organization puts on. Some larger organizations host enough events that they employ full-time Event Planners, but if your dream is to do this full-time, the most direct way to do that is to work for a firm that specializes in outsourced event planning. Whether it is all of your role or just an element, people that thrive in these roles are often active, organized, and enjoy working with a wide range of people.
MEDIA OR PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATE
For organizations that are involved in advocacy or otherwise influencing the broader public, there can often be roles with a stronger focus on storytelling. The exact details of this role can vary considerably. Some roles focus on developing newsletters or printed mail brochures that can be used to raise money for your organization. Others focus on pitching the media for coverage of your organization and its impact. At times, this work can shift to crisis management if something bad happens or speech writing for executives at your organization who frequently present at conferences, rallies, or other events. In general, Media or Public Relations is only a distinct job title at larger institutions like universities, museums, and national nonprofits. There are also a number of firms that specialize in media access (eg. F.Y.EYE), PR support (eg. Teak Media), or fundraising solicitations (eg. Meyer Partners) and sell their services to social impact organizations.
COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE OR COORDINATOR
This job is the most common communications title in the social sector, and it encapsulates a range of the responsibilities mentioned above. It is critical to thoroughly read each job description and ask questions as you are going through the interview process because a “Communications Associate” at one organization can look vastly different than another. By and large, this role will let you dip your toes in a variety of functions: from gathering photography and video content, to writing, fundraising, and social media. In international organizations, this role could be based on the ground in foreign countries. For more information on communications abroad, see our International Development Guide.
Communications by the numbers (pay and hours)
The pay in communications is fairly typical for a social impact role. At the lowest end, freelancing or entry-level roles can be around $25K-$40K. At more established organizations or in bigger cities, pay can be closer to $40K-$60K. In general, roles with more responsibility and/or positions that require more experience will pay more. The highest paying opportunities for communications professionals in social impact are likely to be found at wealthier organizations like foundations or corporations. Event Planners are sometimes salaried at similar rates, but they can also be paid on an hourly or project basis. It is not uncommon for early-career event planners to patch together dozens of different contracts to make ends meet.
The hours of your communications role depend on your specific responsibilities. If you are mostly doing backend writing, social media, or graphic design, the hours are typically similar to a standard work day of 9-5 (although social media roles may require doing some engagement or postings on the weekend). If you are focusing more on events, the hours are much more variable. Usually, the time leading up to an event and facilitating it will be quite intensive, with more lulls when you have a break between events. Most events are on nights and weekends, so it is common to work more unusual hours. Media relations roles can have wide-ranging hours--these positions often demand a quick response, and time zones can influence your work hours. For example, a communications Associate on the west coast who is working with the New York Times might need to wake up at 6am PST (9am EST) to touch base about an article.
Communications positions are some of the best opportunities for getting your foot in the door of a social impact organization you admire. Nonetheless, it is important to assess if you want a communications career or if you want to use communications as an entry-point (see Exit Opportunities). It takes care and intention to not get pigeon-holed into a purely social media position, for example. Proactively looking for opportunities to work on other projects through the lens of narrative creation and to think more broadly about how your organization is building a base of engaged followers is critical to moving up in the ranks, but this may require additional work beyond typical hours. If you are committed to a position in communications and want to focus on executing well at your specific job title, communications will often have a great work/life balance, generally limited between 9 and 5.
How to get a job in Communications
Pathways to getting your foot in the door
If you are passionate about building a career in communications, there are several key steps for building up the skills and network that you need. While many communications roles involve an intersection of these skills, we’ll talk about them separately below for the sake of simplicity.
SOCIAL MEDIA/GRAPHIC DESIGN
If you are already confident in your social media or graphic design skills, consider the following:
For many, curating a strong, personal social media account is a great entry point to the skills required for communications work. The same care that goes into crafting personal posts and images is a relatable baseline for organizational accounts. Yet, to get paid to do this professionally, it is essential to demonstrate those skills beyond your personal profiles.
One of the best ways to hone your professional social media talent is to volunteer to help either a club on campus or a small business or nonprofit in your area whose social media could use some significant improvement. It is likely that smaller nonprofits or businesses do not have a social media expert on their team, and you approach them with an offer to improve their online presence would be welcomed. If you start volunteering, make sure to note the number of followers and date that you started supporting the organization. If engagement on those platforms improves thanks to your work, quantifying your impact on your resume (# of followers grew x%) will be a critical way for you to stand out to potential employers.
Another route is to apply for a formal internship focused on social media, marketing, or graphic design. Even if you want to work in social impact, taking a communications-related internship at a corporation or mission agnostic organization can be an excellent way to “cut your teeth,” learn the basic skills, and build your resume for social impact organizations.
If you aren't yet confident in your social media or graphic design skills, there are plenty of ways to learn.
Many schools will have classes in the media arts, where you can get course credit while building up your skills.
If you are in more of a hurry or those courses aren’t of interest, many people teach themselves how to use tools such as Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign by playing with the software
There are lots of free online learning courses as well, including Fundamentals of Graphic Design by CALARTS, the Canva Design School, or the Graphic Design School.
The best way to learn is to put your skills (even rough skills!) into action. Both to practice and to build your portfolio (see our Social Impact Design guide for more advice on building your portfolio), look for opportunities in your community to volunteer your design skills. You could go way overboard in creating flyers for a friend's birthday, put together a funny set of images for a school event, or just play around to see what is possible on your own.
Beyond social media and graphic design content creation, another key skill to develop is social media campaign creation and engagement strategy. There are dozens of online guides and best practices (like this or this) that are worth a read, but most of the learning here comes from actually practicing. Check out your favorite brands on social media and see what they do that seems effective or interesting. Then, if possible, try out these types of campaigns or activities on your own profile (or volunteering) to see what works!
When actually applying for a full-time role in social media or graphic design, networking can be helpful, but a lot of emphasis will be placed on your portfolio and demonstrated previous success. If you have clear statistics and a portfolio to demonstrate your skills, then you will be well-positioned to secure and succeed in these roles. Importantly, a good portfolio and statistics of success can supersede actual years of experience. If you have worked in communications for 5 years but never launched a successful campaign, you are a less attractive candidate than a recent graduate who launched a TikTok for their school’s Model UN team that now has 10k followers. While a portfolio speaks volumes, networking is particularly important at well-known organizations or when applying for more positions with more responsibility. In this space, “networking” could include volunteering your time for a campaign, interning at an organization (even if not in a communications role), or trying to connect with the director of marketing or development for an organization to learn more about their team and strategy. Typically, your grades or school credentials matter less for communications roles than your ability and desire to do the job well.
EVENT PLANNING
Planning an event is kind of like conducting a symphony. With so many different things to keep track of, it can seem astonishing when someone pulls off a major conference or event seamlessly. In the world of Event Planning, there is strong alignment between building the skills and the network you need to get a job in this space. Often, the easiest place to get started is to help plan events for clubs that you are involved with or even social events with your friends. Many of these events are smaller and less complex than a major conference, but they give you a great taste for whether you like organizing and pulling off an event. Create the sign-up link, the event poster, or coordinate the meal delivery. If you love and are great at coordinating these moving parts, then this career could be right up your alley.Once you’ve identified Event Planning as a focus area, there is plenty of paid work to be done. You can begin by working as day-of production support for large events. Often, you can get paid $15/hour to handle event check-in, registrations, sound checks, or whatever else. These jobs are typically posted on local job boards (e.g., Glassdoor/Indeed), your local chapter of ILEA, or other local listservs. The community of event organizers is typically not that large, so once you start working at a couple of events, you can typically learn about other opportunities through the other people working at the event with you. Over time and once the head organizers get to know you, you can start taking on larger and larger roles and responsibilities. Beyond major events, you can often build skills and get more money by helping to organize private parties at restaurants, museums, hotels, or other venues. If you reliably get your assignments done and keep in touch with people that you meet, you’ll likely build up a solid network in short order and ideally generate some helpful income while you are in school.When it comes time to find a full-time Event Planning role, having a network is everything. First, you can sign up for lots of one-off opportunities. In addition to day-of roles paid by the hour, you can scaffold up into event planning roles that will pay you $300-$500 per week. Some people build a career by patching together freelance opportunities like this, but if you want a full-time role, this flurry of activity is also the way to get there. Proactively mention that you are looking for full-time event positions at event venues or with event planning organizations. Organizations are often much more likely to hire someone full-time that they’ve worked with or that comes recommended from a source that they trust. Even if your desire is to focus on events with mission-driven organizations, working with private sector venues at first can be a great way to build the base of skills and network that you need to thrive in this space. Finding full-time event roles with mission-driven organizations certainly is possible, but it may require more concerted effort and networking to do so. On the other hand, if you are open to a more general communications role, bringing an event-planning skill set will often distinguish you from other candidates.
OTHER COMMUNICATIONS ROLES
For other communications roles, a critical skill to demonstrate is your ability to tell stories. You can showcase this skill by writing a blog or submitting op-eds for publication. You can also do other creative projects such as photo-driven campaigns or petitions for social change in your community. A great way to start is to help raise money and awareness for causes you care about. If you can figure out a compelling way to tell that story and raise significant funds for a social cause that you care about, then a potential employer will have more confidence that you could do that for their organization as well. It is important to record your process for designing, executing, and tracking the success of your storytelling. This could include screenshots of your final product or data on how much money you raised. Examples of projects include:
Publishing an article about a social cause in your school newspaper
Launching a recruiting campaign for a mutual aid network in your community, convincing people to join the cause
Designing an email campaign to raise money for a half-marathon you’re running in support of cancer research
Beyond writing, building a set of other media arts skills will often serve you well throughout your career. While none of these skills are necessarily “essential”, the more that you can add to your toolkit, the more compelling you will be as a candidate (and the more you can contribute to causes you care about). Some additional skills include website building (e.g., Squarespace or basic website development code), UI/UX design, photography, videography and video editing, sound editing, public speaking/theater, or creating visual art. Hopefully, many of these skills can begin as hobbies that bring you joy. Capturing these skills in a portfolio will also serve you well throughout your career.
Exit opportunities
The skill set you build in a communications role will serve you well no matter what you do in your career. If you are committed to working in communications, one clear way to grow your career is to climb the ladder within organizations or causes that you care about. Proactively looking for opportunities to work on other communications projects and to think more broadly about how your organization is building a base of engaged followers is critical to moving up in the ranks of any organization or movement. Individuals that become a Director of Marketing or Director of Communications often start out their careers in one of these entry-level roles. If you are looking for higher pay, pivoting into a private sector communications role or working for a communications consulting company is often possible because the baseline skillset is the same.
Accessibility:
If you are not sure exactly what type of role you want right out of school, communications can be a great way to scope out who is who and what is what at an organization you admire. Entry-level roles will expose you to many parts of an organization, helping you identify which team you might want to work on someday.
If you want to pivot out of communications, it is relatively common to shift your skills specifically towards fundraising or advocacy. On the fundraising side, you can pivot more and more into the fundraising team (also known as the development team), using your communications skills to get the word out about the organization (and building the other fundraising skills as needed). See our Fundraising Guide for more details here. On the advocacy side, there are numerous campaigns and organizations fighting to raise awareness or change narratives around social justice.
Finally, if you want to totally change paths, that is very doable. No matter what sector or role you end up in, having communications skills will serve you well.
Next three steps
Determine which element of communications you enjoy and want to specialize in (or already have specialized in). Work to start building the foundational skills in that area.
Apply your skills in the professional world! Whether that is running a social media account or working at a few conferences, getting out there is critical to the transition to the post-grad world.
Record your success. In both your portfolio and your resume, make sure to keep a running list of all of the successful projects you are involved in to distinguish yourself as a job candidate.
Last updated: July 2021