Job Description

General Summary:

The Salvation Army is the largest provider of social services and second largest provider of disaster relief in the United States. The Greater New York Division covers New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and the Lower Hudson Valley. Within Greater New York, The Salvation Army operates 38 community centers, dozens of soup kitchens, and food pantries, three homeless shelters, eight homes for developmentally disabled adults, and three drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, among numerous other programs catering to community needs, such as free daycare, after school programming, and seniors’ activities.

Join the team as our in-house Public Relations Manager, where you'll be generating compelling media stories highlighting the impact of The Salvation Army’s work across the Greater New York Division. You will be crafting impactful content, pitching to media outlets, meeting news crews on-site, and collaborating with our national PR team when necessary. Beyond traditional media, you will also support broadening public knowledge of The Salvation Army by coordinating with local elected officials for site visits and education on our work and ensuring staff and programmatic achievements are recognized appropriately in awards and listings.

Working in collaboration with the existing marketing team and reporting to the Director of Integrated Marketing, the Public Relations Manager will be joining a large team of fundraising and marketing professionals responsible for external relations across in the region.

The candidate must live in the greater New York City area and be able to commute into the Headquarters office in Manhattan. Frequent travel throughout the GNY Division is mandatory. Flexibility to attend events in the evenings is required.

Responsibilities

• Travel locally 2-3 days a week to various community centers within Greater New York to identify and develop media-worthy stories and support local staff in interviews.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with media contacts to facilitate effective pitching and coverage.
• Write engaging op-eds, press releases, blog posts, and other PR materials.
• Pitch compelling stories to local media outlets to enhance visibility and awareness of our mission.
• Effectively communicate with local staff and Officers to gather and execute on media opportunities.
• Develop briefing materials for Salvation Army officers and staff ahead of media interviews, ensuring they are well-prepared with key messaging, talking points, and guidance on handling sensitive or difficult questions professionally.
• Coordinate outreach and relationship-building efforts with elected officials, community leaders, and political candidates, including preparing briefing materials and logistics for meetings and visits.
• Research, write, and submit award applications and nominations highlighting the achievements of Salvation Army programs, staff, volunteers, and community impact initiatives.
• Work closely with the local marketing and fundraising teams to generate ideas and to amplify impact of stories through inclusion in digital marketing initiatives and donor outreach.
• Collaborate with our national in-house and contracted PR teams to support national media opportunities in New York and provide local assistance.
• Provide training for local staff, volunteers, leadership, and pastors in interview techniques, answering difficult questions, and how to effectively communicate the mission of The Salvation Army.
• Engage with influencers and their teams to appear at local service locations and bring attention to The Salvation Army.
• Work quickly to turn opportunities into executed stories, effectively coordinating all stakeholders and ensuring positive outcomes.
• Remain current on all trainings regarding working with children and other vulnerable populations, including learning and following reporting procedures.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in public relations, journalism, or related field, preferably with experience in nonprofit or community-based organizations.
• Proven track record of successful media pitching and securing coverage.
• Knowledge of Greater New York media landscape and existing media contacts required.
• Strong writing skills with the ability to create clear, persuasive content for various platforms.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with internal teams.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail oriented, able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, and driven to achieve success independently and as part of a team.
• Strong initiative to identify and complete tasks independently.
• Flexibility, with the understanding that we need to be creative on our approach to projects and occasionally support our colleagues on projects that benefit the team and our mission.
• Professional and positive manner.
• Ability to travel frequently within the region multiple times a week to different community centers, program sites, and for trainings, etc.
• Must have valid driver's license.