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RFP – Rapid Response Media Relations

  • Submission: Submit to jobs@BAJI.org and put “BAJI Earned Media Firm” in the subject line. Proposals accepted on a rolling basis until: October 5th, 2021

    Project Dates: Project Begins- October 11th, 2021 – Tentative end date – December 24, 2021

    BAJI Overview: The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) educates and engages African American and Black immigrant communities to organize and advocate for racial, social and economic justice. Local BAJI Organizing Committees in New York, Georgia, California and Florida with staff in Texas and Minnesota, build coalitions and initiate campaigns among communities to push for racial justice. At the local and regional level, BAJI provides training and technical assistance to partner organizations to develop leadership skills, works with faith communities to harness their prophetic voice, and initiates vibrant dialogues with African Americans and black immigrants to discover more about race, our diverse identities, racism, migration and globalization.

    Project Overview: BAJI seeks an experienced firm or vendor to provide a full suite of media relations support for the organization’s efforts to secure earned media coverage of our work at the intersection of racial justice and migrants rights. Your services will support positioning BAJI’s expert political analysis, research and data and compelling personal stories of Black migrants in popular news and media outlets. In response to the national conversation regarding Haitian migrants at the Southern Border and the fight for immigration reform on Capitol Hill, we are looking for a partner to provide strategic advice and counsel on campaigning and media-facing tactics, facilitating outreach to and interactions with the press, and ensuring BAJI’s brand and spokespeople are well represented in the media. 


    Scope of work:

    • Responsible for day-to-day support of our media relations work, including:
      • Drafting, editing, and distributing media content (press releases, statements, advisories, pitches, etc.);
      • Pitching BAJI’s work proactively and aggressively to media in concert with campaign goals, working to secure appropriate coverage among both national and local media and targeted outlets; with an emphasis on mainstream news, beltway, progressive and ethnic media.
      • Coordinating and responding to incoming media inquiries in collaboration with BAJI’s communications team.
      • Developing media lists and monitoring – tracking client news and sharing coverage with the client.
    • Providing strategic input on BAJI’s campaign planning to ensure we are producing media-worthy tactics, including:
      • Engaging with BAJI campaign leaders to advise on media plans;
      • Identifying media-worthy moments or opportunities around which BAJI could engage in a rapid-response way or though longer term campaigning;
    • Help BAJI develop deeper relationships with key reporters, particularly political reporters and TV bookers and producers. 
    • Help grow BAJI’s brand, through a diverse media footprint and with key audiences – political and cultural elites. 
    • Producing supporting content for media relations work including talking points, messaging, and research as needed, including preparing BAJI spokespeople and members for interviews when necessary.
    • Demonstrating a commitment to equity in all work, working with BAJI’s team to ensure we are building equitable practices for our public relations operations and contributing to the organization’s broader equity work.
    • Supporting the BAJI Communications team with tracking metrics, cataloging and archiving media coverage, and regularly evaluating our success against organizational goals.
    • Participate with BAJI’s communications team through regular/weekly calls, emails, and as needed campaign strategy calls.


    Reports to:     Executive Director. The consultant/firm will also work closely with BAJI’s staff, including the Communications Director, as well as with BAJI’s campaign partners. 


    Criteria for selection:     All applicants will be judged on the basis of criteria including:

    • Previous experience in securing impactful media coverage for advocacy, political, or non-profit organizations
    • Established media contacts within the national and local media spaces BAJI typically engages and/or should be engaging, across all platforms
    • Demonstrated experience working with high-profile spokespeople/C-level staff to build the profile/brand of organizational values and leaders
    • Sophisticated progressive political analysis, with comfort across a range of issues & constituencies 
    • A strong equity lens, commitment to undoing systemic oppression in society and within workplaces, and skill in navigating complex dynamics around identity 
    • Demonstrated experience working with value-driven organizations of similar national scale, complexity, public brand, and risk profile
    • Track record of exercising the highest level of confidentiality and judgment in high-risk political and/or organizational environments 
    • Accountable, timely, and pays excellent attention to detail
    • Comes with a credible theory of how you’d work with BAJI to achieve excellent earned media coverage

    Proposal submissions:  To be considered for this role, please submit a resume and a proposal which includes the following information below. Please make sure to include the following information:

    • Background: Name, title and contact information.
    • Experience: Tell us about your firm/company’s relevant experience. If possible, please also tell us about who we’d be working with and their experience as applicable. 
    • Approach: In two pages or less, briefly explain your strategic approach to this work.
    • Equity: Please explain whether and how your firm has advanced the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the firm, and state how that is reflected in the leadership , ownership, and work of the firm.  Please share how you will center equity in your work for this project. 

    Cost and availability: Please detail your proposed compensation and expenses, as well as hourly/deliverable metrics. Please note that BAJI will accept proposals up to $10,000/month for this work.

    Source: Where did you hear about this RFP? 

    References: Past clients that BAJI may reach out to as references, with contact info.


    Most-favorable terms: BAJI reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms that the vendor could propose. There will be no best-and-final-offer procedure. BAJI does reserve the right to contact a vendor for clarification of its proposal.

    The vendor should be prepared to accept this request for proposal for incorporation into a contract resulting from this request for proposal. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or the vendor’s entire proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to BAJI. 

    No obligation to contract: This request for proposal does not obligate BAJI to contract for services specified herein.

    Rejection of proposals: BAJI reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this request for proposal.

    Nondiscrimination: The vendor will adopt and disseminate a policy that the vendor, in employment, recruitment, selection, compensation, benefits, promotion, demotion, layoff, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, sex, national origin, ethnic identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, economic status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected basis.