Date Posted	June 03, 2026
Industry	Digital Media, Government, Nonprofit
Specialty	Not Specified
Job Status	Temporary/Contract
Salary	$100,000 to $120,000

Description:

Director of Narrative Strategy & Media Engagement

Charitable Independence Initiative (CII)
Washington, DC (Hybrid)

About the Charitable Independence Initiative

The Charitable Independence Initiative (CII) is a national, nonpartisan effort dedicated to strengthening the independence, visibility, and long-term public standing of the nonprofit sector.

Through our Frontline Voices pilot, CII partners with local nonprofit organizations to help them build stronger relationships with public officials, communicate their impact more effectively, and position themselves as trusted community experts and indispensable civic partners.

Our work helps nonprofit leaders tell compelling stories that resonate with policymakers, media outlets, and local communities—ensuring charitable organizations are not only heard, but recognized as credible, trusted voices that public officials and their staff want “on speed dial.”

The pilot is currently active across multiple states and communities and focuses on strengthening nonprofit communications capacity, civic engagement, media visibility, and cross-sector trust.

Position Summary

The Charitable Independence Initiative is seeking an exceptional storyteller, communications strategist, and relationship-builder to serve as Director of Narrative Strategy & Media Engagement.

This role is designed for someone who combines strong narrative instincts with emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, excellent judgment, and the ability to work independently across multiple communities and stakeholders.

The successful candidate will help nonprofit leaders strengthen how they communicate their impact, engage effectively with public officials and staff, and build meaningful relationships with local media and trusted community voices.

This position requires someone who can both coach others and execute independently—a person equally comfortable facilitating trainings, developing messaging strategies, conducting media outreach, and identifying stories that elevate the value, influence, and civic importance of the charitable sector.

The Director will also research and engage local media ecosystems across pilot communities, identify opportunities for earned media coverage, and help nonprofit organizations become trusted civic resources within their communities.

This is a highly collaborative and self-directed role that requires strong initiative, excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.

The position reports jointly to the CEO and the Managing Director of Programs & Public Affairs.

Key Responsibilities

Narrative Strategy, Storytelling & Messaging

• Help nonprofit partners develop compelling stories, messaging, and strategic narratives that clearly communicate their community impact and civic value.

• Support organizations in positioning themselves as trusted local experts and valued civic partners.

• Coach nonprofit leaders on communicating effectively with public officials, media outlets, and community audiences.

• Identify and elevate stories that strengthen public understanding of the nonprofit sector’s role, value, and influence within communities.

• Assist nonprofit partners in refining messaging for meetings, public engagement opportunities, media interviews, and relationship-building efforts.

Media Engagement & Relationship Building

• Build on initial research and mapping of local media ecosystems across pilot communities, including reporters, editors, outlets, digital platforms, and trusted community voices.

• Conduct proactive outreach to local media and help nonprofit partners identify opportunities for earned media coverage and public visibility.

• Support nonprofits in preparing for interviews, media interactions, public events, and strategic communications opportunities.

• Identify communications trends and opportunities that can strengthen nonprofit visibility and credibility. Maintain and improve CII website including stories from training and other examples that support the work.

Training & Capacity Building

• Refine and scale CII’s Frontline Voices training curriculum, including workshops, presentations, guides, templates, and coaching materials.

• Deliver engaging trainings, peer-learning sessions, and one-on-one coaching for nonprofit leaders with varying communications experience levels.

• Facilitate practical skill-building on storytelling, media engagement, strategic communications, and relationship-building with public officials and community stakeholders.

Strategic Research & Field Intelligence

• Conduct research on local communications environments, media dynamics, and civic engagement landscapes within pilot communities.

• Develop practical background materials, media lists, messaging recommendations, and strategic communications guidance for nonprofit partners.

• Track lessons learned, emerging opportunities, and field insights to help strengthen and improve the Frontline Voices model.

Collaboration, Evaluation & Project Support

• Work closely with the CII team to support all logistics needs for the training sessions including “on the ground support” at the training sites.

• Collaborate closely with CII leadership, program staff, and evaluation partners.

• Contribute to project planning, learning documentation, funder reporting, and replication materials.

• Help ensure alignment with program goals, implementation timelines, and funder expectations.

• Manage team communications including media outreach, articles and other communications prepared by the CII team.

Some responsibilities may be shared across team members.

Qualifications

Required

• Exceptional storytelling, writing, editing, and strategic communications skills.

• Demonstrated experience helping organizations develop compelling narratives and public-facing messaging.

• Experience in nonprofit communications, public affairs, journalism, civic engagement, advocacy communications, media relations, or related fields.

• Strong emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust across diverse stakeholders and communities.

• Proven ability to work independently, take initiative, manage multiple priorities, and drive projects forward with limited oversight.

• Experience conducting outreach and relationship-building with media, community leaders, public officials, or other external stakeholders.

• Excellent facilitation, coaching, and presentation skills.

• Strong organizational and project management abilities.

• Collaborative mindset and ability to work effectively within a small, mission-driven team.

Preferred

• Experience working with nonprofit organizations or mission-driven initiatives.

• Familiarity with local or regional media ecosystems.

• Experience engaging with public officials, government staff, or civic institutions.

• Experience working in politically diverse communities, rural communities, or conservative-leaning regions.

• Familiarity with communications and relevant content tools such as Muck Rack, Canva, Meta Business Suite, or similar platforms.

Travel Requirements

Spurts of concentrated travel to pilot communities and partner sites across participating states.

Consulting Fee & Term

$9,580 per month for a full-time consulting engagement.

This position is currently funded through January 2027, with the possibility of extension contingent upon additional funding.

This is an independent contractor position. The consultant will be responsible for managing their own taxes, insurance, and benefits.

Issue One serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Charitable Independence Initiative, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Application Process

To apply, please submit the following materials to christopher.merriman@charitableindependence.org:

• Resume

• One writing sample, earned media example, or communications product that demonstrates your storytelling and strategic communications abilities

• A brief response (maximum 300 words) to the following prompt:

Describe a story, narrative, or communications effort you helped shape that changed how an audience understood an issue, organization, or community. What made it effective?

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.