Communications And Press Relations Consultant

ABOUT BLMGNF
#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black
Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization, whose mission is to eradicate
white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the
state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination
and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.
We are expansive. We are a collective of liberators who believe in an inclusive and spacious movement.
We also believe that in order to win and bring as many people with us along the way, we must move
beyond a narrow nationalism that maintains prevalence in Black communities. We must ensure that the
movement we are building continuously brings all of us to the front.
We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records,
women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum. Our network centers those who have been
marginalized within Black liberation movements.

We are working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise. We affirm
our humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression. The
call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) is seeking proposals from qualified
communications and public relations consultants or firms to provide communications and PR support to the
organization and its Board of Directors via branding, communications, digital messaging, media relations,
and strategy services.

The ideal consultant or firm will have experience working with global movements and/or campaigns,
grassroots organizations, not-for-profit organizations, social justice organizations, and a significant track
record of placing and generating positive media and press coverage. Ideal candidates/firms will also be
interested in and motivated to enter into a long-term relationship supporting the success, vision and work of
BLMGNF.

SCOPE OF WORK A: COMMUNICATIONS & PR
The scope of work for this initial engagement includes:
● Proactively managing media relations and pitches to a wide range of cross-platform outlets (blogs,
podcasts, social media, radio, and television/traditional media outlets)
● Proactively identifying high-value PR opportunities and pitches (i.e. op-ed placement, podcast and
television appearances, quotes in stories relevant to BLMGNF)
● Leading interview facilitation/prep for BLMGNF Board, leadership, and partners
● Crafting PR materials (press releases, media advisories, speeches, talking points)
● Providing strategic communications and PR counsel to the BLMGNF Board and leadership, with
general availability for ongoing ad hoc or project-specific advisory and/or execution (up to five [5]
hours/week)

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
Press Management/Public Relations
● Acting as primary press/public relations coordinator for BLMGNF: identifying potential crises,
devising contingency plans, managing press inquiries, and drafting/distributing press-related
communications materials (press releases, talking points, media kits, blogs, social posts)
● Holding, nurturing, and developing valuable and net-new relationships with reporters and media
outlets (including arts and cultural channels/figures) that can drive positive coverage
● Engaging intentionally and thoughtfully with diverse media, ensuring earned and organic coverage
and representation align with BLMGNF values
● Coordinating press conferences, interviews, and media events/requests for BLMGNF’s Board and
leadership, as well as BLMGNF coalition members/partners, as needed
● Updating/maintaining media lists and identifying speaking opportunities for BLMGNF
● Monitoring mainstream news and social media coverage (keywords, sentiments and trends)
● Providing both tactical and strategic PR advisory on BLMGNF campaigns and initiatives
Strategic Communications
● Supporting the Board of Directors in researching and developing proactive, strategic, issue-specific
messaging (content and scenario plans) that effectively captures the vision and voice of BLMGNF
● Working closely with the BLMGNF Board of Directors to craft digital programs and strategies that
can achieve organizational objectives, while remaining nimble and ready to pivot in the face of
circumstantial and/or technological disruption
● Creating political communications materials, including but not limited to: message frames, policy
briefs, press releases, and talking points that ensure BLMGNF’s messages are communicated
cohesively and consistently, and that earned media reflects BLMGNF’s values
● Developing actionable memos, news stories, op-eds, reports, white papers, and other fit-for-purpose
deliverables to support BLMGNF in achieving its short and long-term goals                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ● Rapidly soliciting and integrating input from key stakeholders on time-sensitive communications and
PR materials, as well as other relevant BLMGNF collateral
NOTE: Candidates/firms that meet all priority qualifications are invited to jointly bid on Scope of Work A
(communications and PR responsibilities) as well as Scope of Work B (social media management
responsibilities, which are described below).

SCOPE OF WORK B: SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT
The scope of work for this initial engagement includes:
● Leading day-to-day operations of BLMGNF’s social channels (i.e. Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X)
while working across the organization to provide ongoing, up-to-date coaching and support to
Board members, consultants, and staff on strategic prioritization and usage of social media
● Collaborating with BLMGNF Board to develop, improve, and iterate on intermediate and long-term
plans for optimizing social media to achieve north star goals
● Synthesizing best practices and inputs from BLMGNF’s Board and coalitional partners to ensure that
BLMGNF’s social media presence accurately reflects the movement and organization’s activities,
goals, values and views
● Developing and implement platform-by-platform social media strategies (i.e. breakdowns of
audiences, specific asks and content types, and crisis communications/scenario plans)
● Routinizing analysis/management of all social media processes, systems, and tools
● Coordinating with BLMGNF’s Board of Directors and communications/PR team on reporting
infrastructure and agreed-upon success metrics for social media campaigns and programs

QUESTIONS/PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
Please provide answers to all of the questions below as part of your submission.
Section I: Your Company
● Describe your specialties, either as a consultant or a firm.
● Provide the names and contact information of three (3) clients/previous organizational spokespeople
we can reach out to for references.
● How is your team structured? Who would we work with on a day-to-day basis?
● Describe your/your firm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Please also provide specific
examples that support this commitment.
● Describe your/your firm’s efforts to support the freedom and advancement of Black people, and to
uplift all BIPOC communities.
○ If possible, please provide specific examples of these efforts; for example, have you worked
with other progressive advocacy and movement-building organizations previously?

Section II: Your Experience

● Provide an overview of relevant communications/PR experience and media relationships
● Provide three (3) examples of prior experience and/or successful earned media placements that
reflect how you/your firm can strengthen BLMGNF’s digital presence, reputation, and
communications/PR strategy
● Provide links to three (3) relevant writing samples (i.e. arts/culture, politics/policy) and/or relevant
recent story placements
● Describe your/your firm’s familiarity/fluency with PR tools and analytics platforms (e.g. Meltwater,
Cision, Google Analytics, Sprout Social)
● Describe your/your firm’s philosophy around and current implementation, if any, of emerging
platforms and technologies (e.g. AI, AR/VR)
If submitting a proposal for Scopes A and B:
● Provide three (3) examples of successful campaigns that reflect how you/your firm can strengthen
BLMGNF’s social content, presence, reputation, and strategy
● Describe how you/your firm optimize(s) social media to achieve strategic goals
● Describe how you/your firm use analytics to inform and strengthen outcomes

Section III: Your Approach
● Outline your process for onboarding new clients. Be sure to include a description/overview of, at
minimum, the following:
○ your approach to needs assessments and success metric identification,
○ your timeline for introduction of strategic recommendations (i.e. 30-60-90),
○ softwares and processes you use, and
○ your full suite of services.

Section IV: Your Pricing
Please provide your rates and/or budget to fulfill the scope of work outlined. A successful engagement
could result in expansion of initial scope (proposed success metrics are welcome, and will be agreed upon
between selected candidate / firm and representatives of BLMGNF).

DECISION TIMELINE

Proposals are being reviewed on a rolling basis and are due by 11:59 PM PST Sunday, January 19, 2025.
This will be an ongoing engagement beginning ASAP. Contracts will be reassessed after a 90-day
probationary period.

Please direct all proposals to [email protected]. Our team will evaluate submissions and set
up initial interviews with leading candidates within 1-2 weeks of receipt.

BLMGNF’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
BLMGNF prohibits discrimination in contracting, employment, promotion, compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment on the basis of gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, age,
national origin, color, creed or sexual orientation, marital or parental status, veteran’s status or any other
basis prohibited by applicable law. BLMGNF is an equal opportunity contracting entity and will comply
with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in contracting. Our equal opportunity policy covers all
programs, services, policies and procedures of BLMGNF, including opportunity for contracting and
treatment as an independent contractor as well as employees engaged by our organization.