Advancement Communications Lead

ADVANCEMENT COMMUNICATIONS LEAD

Summary

The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for an Advancement Communications Lead to provide proficient and dynamic communications as part of the Advancement department. Reporting to and collaborating closely with the Planning and Communications Manager of Advancement, you will develop communication material such as briefing documents and talking points, supporting the development of speeches, ghostwriting blogs, and other written materials. These will be on behalf of the Chief Advancement Officer, for internal and public consumption. As a key member of the Advancement team, you will be responsible for crafting and delivering strategic announcements and key updates across various media platforms. You will collaborate with multiple teams to ensure consistent and engaging messaging that aligns with the Foundation's annual plan and its overarching strategies. You will also actively support the Chief Advancement Officer and other senior leadership in developing and maintaining strong relationships with Board members.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct in-depth research on relevant topics and their associated dependencies to create executive-level communications.
• Develop weekly departmental communications/newsletters.
• Clearly articulate and present organizational strategies for understanding across a diversified team.
• Create compelling thought leadership pieces in various formats including personal narratives and organizational initiatives.
• Develop a strong understanding of various stakeholder audiences, analyze their priorities, and effectively tailor communications to share insights in a way that resonates with each group.
• Work closely with your manager to develop and maintain materials for the Wikimedia Endowment Board, including presentations, full board meeting materials, committee reports, and governance documents.
• Write, edit, and proofread content for multiple media platforms, including blog posts, newsletters, regulatory reports, and website updates.
• Coordinate and collaborate closely with Communications department colleagues on messaging, developing materials, and ensure consistency across channels.
• Champion, role model, and embed Wikimedia Foundation’s core values into your daily work.

Skills and experience:

• Extensive experience in communications, journalism, or public relations, or in related roles developing communications strategies for a broad and diverse audience.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize, adapt, and meet deadlines under pressure.

Qualities that are important to us: 

• Detail-oriented with a passion for writing, editing, and proofreading across various mediums.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for research and information-gathering.
• Skilled and creative writer who is excited about storytelling for a mission-driven organization.
• A collaborative communicator who enjoys co-creating and partnering on communications initiatives—big and small. 
• Strong ability to work across cross-functional teams, volunteer communities, and external partners to advocate for Wikimedia’s mission.
• Strong diplomatic and advisory skills to support the Chief Advancement Officer in crafting communications on a range of issues.
• Adaptable and detail-oriented, with the ability to create and manage multiple narratives and communications campaigns simultaneously. 
• Strong time management skills, consistency,  preparation, and strategic prioritization of tasks. 
• A proactive leader who embraces both autonomy and collaboration while balancing both proactive and reactive communication needs.

Additionally, we’d love it if you have:

• Experience working with senior leadership and boards is a plus.
• Experience working on philanthropy and impact narratives, effectively telling the story of mission-driven impact and funding.
• Experience in translating financial details into compelling narratives; a strong understanding of fundraising strategies and the ability to distill complex financial documents into clear talking points from them.
• Strong understanding of various media platforms (blogs, internal newsletters, organization websites) and best practices for effective communication.
• Experience with communication tools (Google Suite, Adobe Acrobat).
• Experience working in an international organization with a globally distributed workforce.

About the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive. 

The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based 40+ countries*. Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is US$107,349 to US$161,894 with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location. 

*Please note that we are currently able to hire in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uruguay.  Our non-US employees are hired through a local third party Employer of Record (EOR). 

We periodically review this list to streamline to ensure alignment with our hiring requirements. 

All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process.

If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected] or +1 (415) 839-6885.

More information

U.S. Benefits & Perks

Applicant Privacy Policy

Wikimedia Foundation

What does the Wikimedia Foundation do?

What makes Wikipedia different from social media platforms?

Our Projects

Our Tech Stack

News from across the Wikimedia movement

Wikimedia Blog

Wikimedia 2030