Job Description for an Editor at a Nonprofit

Editors may review written materials for grants and fundraising.

Nonprofit organizations frequently depend on written communications to generate awareness, raise funds, recruit volunteers and conduct public relations activities. Editors at nonprofits are responsible for making the presentation of these materials professional and error-free. As with any work with a nonprofit, editors may be asked to step outside their job descriptions and perform additional tasks beyond editing documents.

Basic Duties

Editing documents for grammar and other mechanics is one of a nonprofit organization editor's primary concerns, but because nonprofits rely intensively on volunteer labor, the editor may be required to perform extensive rewrites for clarity. This is particularly true when the materials are written by those who are not writers by profession. Nonprofits also frequently have a number of writers who volunteer for different projects, so the editor is responsible for maintaining a consistent writing style and tone of voice across materials from different writers.

Document Types

Editors at nonprofit organizations may edit newsletters, website content, grant applications, press releases, public service announcements, fliers and advertisements for events or volunteer recruitment. If the organization puts out a newsletter, the editor is often responsible for soliciting articles or stories for the newsletter and writing additional content for the newsletter that is not provided by others.

Additional Duties

Nonprofit organization editors may be asked to write materials as well as edit them for any of the document types. They may also be asked to research grants or advertising venues and help with publicity efforts by mailing out invitations or other materials. For organizations with websites, editors may be responsible for checking hyperlinks within the site and either fixing broken links or reporting them to a webmaster. Layout and photo editing for newsletters may also fall under the editor's duties.

Compensation

Due to financial restrictions on nonprofit organizations, volunteer labor is frequently used. Editors for nonprofits may work for free or for a small stipend, although larger nonprofit organizations with a high volume of written material may employ full- or part-time editors for the standard wages in their region.

Work Environment and Skills

Editors in the nonprofit sector may work in offices or from home, depending on the extent of the editing required and the organization's structure. Work hours may range from a few hours a month at the editor's discretion to a full-time position with tight deadlines. The work almost always requires computer skills, including detailed knowledge of the editing features in one or more word-processing programs. Design software, content management system and web programming skills may also be necessary.

References

• Idealist: Associate Editor Job Opening
• New York Times: A Nonprofit News Outlet Takes Shape in San Francisco

Resources

• Editor's Guild: Become an Editor