Summer Associate - Communications
Acumen Fund is a global non-profit venture fund. We invest patient capital to social entrepreneurs building transformative businesses that serve the poor. The companies we invest in focus on delivering affordable, critical goods and services - like health, water, housing and energy - through innovative, market-oriented approaches in South Asia and Africa. For more information, please visit www.acumenfund.org
Position Description
This is a critical moment for Acumen Fund and for the idea of Patient Capital. The Communications Associate will work on communications and community engagement to help us advance our mission of changing the way the world tackles poverty. The Associate will also work with the Communications team to share stories, insights and opportunities for engagement with a variety of audiences, including our Partner community, students, the business community and our growing online networks. Specific responsibilities include at least some of the following:
- Research, write, edit and collaborate on key communications documents including posts to the Acumen Fund blog, updates to Acumen Fund's website, regular messages to partners, and content for quarterly newsletters;
- Support the expansion of Acumen Fund's online presence by marketing our website, blog and sister site (NextBillion.net), as well as managing new interactive opportunities for our online community (i.e., on Facebook, LinkedIn and our community site);
- Analyze and report on data regarding the success of various outreach initiatives both online and offline;
- Work with our external PR resource to strengthen internal messaging and branding, and to respond to inbound press requests and initiate outbound communications such as press releases and investment announcements;
- Coordinate communications plans and processes with our global offices (India, Pakistan and East Africa);
- Support team goals through participation in various internal and external meetings, processes and discussions.
Supervisor
Yasmina Zaidman, Director of Communications
Yasmina Zaidman launched and managed Acumen Fund's Water Portfolio through December 2006, when she became Director of Communications. Prior to joining Acumen Fund, Yasmina worked in the arena of international environmental protection and social entrepreneurship for seven years. She led the Environmental Innovations Initiative at Ashoka, where, as Acting Director, she headed an effort to capture and disseminate the best practices of leading environmental innovators throughout the developing world. Yasmina received a BA from Vassar College and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, with a certificate in Public Management.
Desired Qualifications and Experience
- Candidate for MBA or similar graduate-level degree
- Passion for international development, either through academic study or field experience
- Interest and experience in both private for-profit and not-for-profit arena
- Skilled writer, with experience writing for publications and/or websites or blogs
- Knowledge of marketing, communications and web publishing tools is a plus
- Strong entrepreneurial and/or intrapreneurial spirit with dedication to turning an idea into a high-quality finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation
- Very strong organizational skills and the ability to work and deliver projects and achieve targets independently, proactively and under pressure
- Excellent communication skills
- Commitment to accuracy, attention to detail and follow-through
- Strong interpersonal skills: courtesy, tact, patience and strong team orientation; assertive team player with a sense of humor
- Commitment to, and enthusiasm for, the organization's mission and business model, and respect for our core values: generosity, accountability, humility, audacity, listening, leadership and respect
- Dedication to working within the non-profit sector; strong willingness to affect change with an understanding of challenges often encountered
Compensation
$600/week. (Students: Find out if you are eligible for a supplemental grant from your school's internship fund.)
Location
76 Ninth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10011
To Apply
Deadline to apply is February 3, 2009.
E-mail a cover letter and a resume to the supervisor named in this listing c/o The MBA-Nonprofit Connection at summer2010@mnconnection.org. Please send the cover letter and resume as separate attachments, labeled as follows: AF- Communications-[your last name]-Cover.doc and AF- Communications-[your last name]-Resume.doc. In your cover letter, highlight aspects of your experience that are relevant for this job, including volunteer service, and explain why you are interested in working with this organization. (For advice on preparing applications for nonprofit jobs, see "Advice for Job Seekers" at www.mnconnection.org.) The MNC will forward your application to the employer as soon as it is received.
If your school is not a member of MNC, please send a cover letter and resume to Nadege Joseph, Administration Manager, at summerintern2010@acumenfund.org. Please include the job title "Summer Associate -Communications" in the subject line.
