Request for Proposals
Deadline: until filled

Communications Consultant: Community overdose prevention/response knowledge products and communications plan development support and training

Community Action Initiative (CAI) wishes to engage a communications consultant to support the knowledge products and communications plans related to its Overdose Prevention and Education Network (OPEN) granting and capacity building project.

Background and Goals

The OPEN network, comprised of 16 community coalitions of community-based organizations and people who use drugs, have been awarded grants over the last four years by Community Action Initiative (CAI) to implement local overdose prevent and respond efforts. The coalitions are currently being supported to communicate their cumulative impact to a larger audience both within their own communities and provincially as part of a winding down of the OPEN granting program. This support includes the funding of knowledge products, training on social media and mainstream media, and the provision of knowledge exchange opportunities. In addition to CAI staff, the project’s Advisory Committee also provides support.

The goals of the support are to:

1. Enable each coalition to communicate the cumulative impact of its work over multiple years of funding
2. Improve the ability of each coalition to seek and secure additional funding for its overdose prevention and response work
3. Enable CAI to communicate the successes of the OPEN network and project as a whole. Due to an unforeseen staffing vacancy, CAI is in need of a consultant with communications expertise

Role and Responsibilities

• Working remotely with members of 16 community coalitions across BC
• Working closely with CAI OPEN Project Manager, OPEN Advisory Committee, and other CAI staff
• Assessing OPEN network’s communications needs
• Developing ad hoc communications trainings
• Co-facilitating drop-in support/training sessions for OPEN network – schedule TBD
• Being available to provide one-on-one support to coalition members as needed
• Co-designing, reviewing, and supporting both coalition and CAI knowledge products and related communications plans
• Directly supporting the production of knowledge products as needed
• Making linkages with communications resources
• Participating in OPEN virtual convergences in Feb and May 2021

Experience and Expertise

The consultant should have expertise in effective storytelling and messaging, engaging mainstream and digital media, advocacy strategies, and strategic communications, with familiarity with a wide range of knowledge products and their fit with different stakeholder groups. Experience or expertise with government relations and organizational sustainability are assets.
The consultant should have demonstrable work experience within the public health and social services sectors, especially involvement in projects with a health equity or social justice approach, or that focused on marginalized/targeted communities. The consultant should also have experience working with community-based service organizations and people with lived and living experience of substance use and/or mental illness.

Timeline and Hours of Commitment

The execution of this contract would be between Feb 1, 2021 and May 31, 2021. Exact dates are negotiable and flexible. Anticipated hours of commitment are:

• Working remotely with members of 16 community coalitions across BC
• Working closely with CAI OPEN Project Manager, OPEN Advisory Committee, and other CAI staff – 12hrs
• Assessing OPEN network’s communications needs
• Developing ad hoc communications trainings – 2hrs
• Co-facilitating drop-in support/training sessions for OPEN network – schedule TBD – 4hrs
• Being available to provide one-on-one support to coalition members as needed – 8hrs
• Co-designing, reviewing, and supporting both coalition and CAI knowledge products and related communications plans – 16hrs
• Directly supporting the production of knowledge products as needed – 3.5hrs
• Making linkages with communications resources
• Participating in OPEN virtual convergences in Feb and May 2021 – 4.5hrs

Anticipated Total Hours = 50

This contract pays a flat fee of $2500 exclusive of GST. Fee is payable at the convenience of the consultant upon receipt of invoice by CAI. Fee is paid through cheque.