Application Guide
How to Apply for Associate Manager, Development Writer
at Equality Now
🏢 About Equality Now
Equality Now is a pioneering international human rights organization founded in 1992 that focuses exclusively on protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls globally through legal advocacy and strategic campaigns. What makes this organization unique is its long-standing, evidence-based approach to systemic change across four core campaigns: Legal Equality, End Sexual Violence, End Harmful Practices, and End Sexual Exploitation. Someone might want to work here to contribute to tangible legal and policy reforms while being part of a respected, mission-driven team with a 30+ year track record.
About This Role
This Associate Manager, Development Writer role involves independently creating high-quality donor materials—such as program overviews, concept notes, LOIs, and impact updates—that translate Equality Now's complex legal advocacy and programmatic work into compelling narratives for diverse funders. The role is impactful because it directly secures resources for global campaigns that advance women's rights, requiring strategic framing of funding opportunities while maintaining programmatic integrity and alignment with human rights principles.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve drafting a concept note for a foundation interested in funding legal equality initiatives, collaborating remotely with program staff in different time zones to gather accurate details about advocacy efforts, and revising a donor brief to strategically frame a funding opportunity while ensuring alignment with human rights principles. You'd also spend time researching donor priorities and updating impact narratives based on recent campaign developments.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Equality Now Is Looking For
- Has 6+ years of specific development writing or grant writing experience for international NGOs, with a portfolio demonstrating donor-facing materials for advocacy or movement-building organizations
- Possesses exceptional writing skills with proven ability to translate complex legal or programmatic content (e.g., legal advocacy, movement-building initiatives) into clear, accessible narratives for both specialist and non-expert audiences
- Holds a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field like international relations, gender studies, human rights, journalism, or communications, or equivalent combination of education and hands-on experience
- Can develop and maintain deep knowledge of organizational strategy and global program areas to ensure accuracy and strategic alignment across all written products
📝 Tips for Applying to Equality Now
Tailor your writing samples to include at least one example of a donor brief, concept note, or LOI for an international human rights or gender equality program—preferably showing how you translated complex advocacy into compelling narratives
Explicitly quantify your 6+ years of experience in development writing, specifying the types of donors (e.g., foundations, governments) and funding amounts you've helped secure in previous roles
Research and reference Equality Now's four campaign areas (Legal Equality, End Sexual Violence, End Harmful Practices, End Sexual Exploitation) in your application to show immediate understanding of their work
Highlight any experience with legal advocacy or movement-building organizations, as this is specifically mentioned in the job description as desired context
If you have remote work experience, emphasize your ability to collaborate effectively in a distributed team, as this is a fully remote position based in the US
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Demonstrate your ability to translate complex legal advocacy into donor-ready narratives by briefly analyzing one of Equality Now's campaigns and suggesting how you'd frame it for a specific donor type", "Highlight your 6+ years of development writing experience with concrete examples of materials you've produced (e.g., 'wrote a concept note that secured $X from Y foundation for a gender justice program')", 'Explain how you maintain programmatic integrity and human rights principles while strategically aligning with funder interests—a key responsibility mentioned in the job description', "Express specific knowledge of Equality Now's history and campaign areas to show genuine alignment with their mission"]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Deep dive into Equality Now's four campaign areas on their website, noting recent victories, ongoing initiatives, and specific legal cases or policy changes they've influenced
- → Review their annual reports and donor acknowledgments to understand their current funding partners and priorities
- → Study their tone and messaging in public materials (e.g., website, social media, press releases) to grasp their narrative style and human rights framing
- → Research key issues in global women's rights that intersect with their work, such as recent legal developments on sexual violence or harmful practices in different regions
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting generic writing samples that don't demonstrate experience with donor-facing materials for international advocacy NGOs—this role requires specific development writing expertise
- Failing to show how you translate complex content into accessible narratives—the job description emphasizes this skill multiple times
- Not tailoring your application to Equality Now's specific mission and campaigns, which suggests lack of genuine interest or understanding of their work
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!