Summer Fellow (Strategic/Earned Media Communications & Digital Communications)

Job Description

About Fenton: Building a Better World Through Communications

Are you passionate about using the power of communications to drive meaningful change? Fenton invites you to build your career with us as a Summer Fellow, contributing to projects that foster a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

Fenton is a fully integrated communications agency, boasting deep expertise in both earned and digital media. We partner with a diverse range of clients, including non-profit organizations, political advocacy groups, foundations, and social purpose companies. Our core mission is to help these clients achieve their vital objectives in areas such as human rights, social and economic justice, environmental protection, education, public health, and beyond.

Discover more about our impactful work at Fenton.com.

We are eager to hear from individuals with prior communications experience, whether gained through past internships or academic studies.

Summer Fellowship Opportunities:

We are offering two distinct fellowship positions for Summer 2026:

1. Strategic/Earned Media Communications Fellow
2. Digital Communications Fellow

Key Fellowship Details:

• Fellowship Dates: June 1, 2026 – August 28, 2026
• Application Deadline: March 13, 2026
• Compensation: $20/hr
• Hours: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Monday – Friday
• Location: Hybrid model, with primary hubs in New York (NY), Washington D.C. (DC), Los Angeles (LA), and San Francisco (SF).

Description of Duties (Specific to Each Fellowship):

1. Strategic/Earned Media Communications Fellow

As a Strategic/Earned Media Communications Fellow, you will play a crucial role in shaping public narratives and securing media visibility for our clients. Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Media Monitoring & Analysis: Monitoring news and social media, compiling concise summaries of coverage.
• Media Relations: Researching relevant journalists for targeted pitches, building comprehensive media lists, and pitching reporters, editors, producers, and bloggers across all levels.
• Research & Strategy: Conducting media and peer audits for client research and discovery processes. Performing in-depth research on issue areas, online communities, media markets, and new business prospects. Assisting with landscape and competitive analysis research projects, gathering insights to inform campaigns and communications strategies.
• Content Development: Helping create and edit a variety of communications collateral, including press releases, advisories, pitch memos, fact sheets, op-eds, and online content.
• Account Support: Assisting account staff with diverse media, administrative, and research activities.
• Communications Audits: Conducting thorough communications audits.
• Event Logistics: Organizing logistics for client meetings, conferences, and other events.
• Presentation & Design: Developing presentations and designing materials.
• Quality Assurance: Proofreading and copy editing documents to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Creative Input: Participating actively in creative brainstorm sessions.
• Cross-functional Support: Supporting digital campaigns, website projects, and social media management as needed.
• Capstone Project: Developing and sharing a capstone presentation based on an assigned client account work.

2. Digital Communications Fellow

The Digital Communications Fellow will contribute to impactful online campaigns, leveraging digital platforms to reach and engage target audiences for our progressive clients. Your duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Digital Campaign Support: Assisting account staff with various digital, administrative, and research activities. Supporting social media campaigns and community management.
• Content Creation: Writing and developing compelling copy for outreach/campaign emails, blogs, and other forms of digital content.
• Direct Communications: Deploying and sending direct communications via email sending and SMS platforms such as ActionNetwork and Mailchimp.
• Online Monitoring & Optimization: Searching and monitoring online spaces (including challenging corners of the internet) to help clients identify ways to optimize outreach or respond to opposition disinformation.
• Paid Media Support: Supporting the deployment of paid campaigns on a variety of platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google AdWords. Drafting ad copy and managing tracking documents for client review.
• Analytics & Reporting: Utilizing online metrics tools to report on statistics for websites, social media sites, email campaigns, and online advertising.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

• Eligibility: Eligible college students entering their junior or senior year, or recent college graduates.
• Core Competencies: Demonstrated strong writing and research skills.
• Passion & Drive: A genuine passion for communications – understanding “what gets clicks,” “why words matter,” and so much more.
• Adaptability: Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and effectively pivot from one to the next in a fast-paced environment.
• Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Social Awareness: A keen interest in social issues.
• Media Affinity: An affinity for both traditional and digital news media.
• Location Requirement: We operate a hybrid remote/in-office worksite model. All employees are required to live within a 35-mile radius of any one of our four strategic hubs (New York, D.C., LA, or SF). You will have the option to work remotely from your home and will travel to Company meetings/events as needed, or you can choose to work from any one of our shared workspaces.
• Work Authorization: Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Capstone Presentation:

Towards the completion of your fellowship, with dedicated guidance and mentorship from your Fellow advisor, you will develop a 5–10-minute capstone presentation. This presentation will be shared with Fenton staff, outlining your role on a client project from which you learned significantly and wish to share. It will include conveying the strategies, tools, and tactics used to approach the project, as well as the results you were able to achieve and key lessons learned.

Fenton’s Commitment to Justice and Equity:

Fenton is proudly an anti-racist and intersectional organization that prioritizes the needs of those who have been historically marginalized or oppressed. We view our work of creating positive social change as an act of repairing the harm done to individuals and communities disenfranchised across racial, gender, sexual orientation and preference, religious, and other marginalized backgrounds. We are deeply committed to work rooted in justice and equity and continuously strive to learn how to do this work better.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to the affirmative hiring of people of color, members of the LGBTQI+ community, people with disabilities, and women. We believe that our firm’s continued success is driven by hiring and retaining high-caliber staff from all backgrounds, experiences, identities, and orientations. We are dedicated to representing the diverse community reflected in our client work and are committed to supporting our staff in growing their careers.