Community Engagement Specialist- Freelance, Remote

About the Client

Our client is a full-service marketing and advertising agency that partners with well-known national food and retail brands to design and execute local marketing programs. They specialize in helping franchise locations build strong ties within their communities through targeted, relationship-driven outreach. With a reputation for combining creative strategy with hands‑on execution, they help their brand partners turn local visibility into lasting community loyalty.

Why does this role exist?

This role exists to help local food franchise locations grow their presence and reputation within their communities through authentic, relationship-based outreach — not paid advertising. Franchise locations often rely on grassroots partnerships with schools, sports teams, and local organizations to drive awareness, foot traffic, and goodwill, but these relationships require consistent, organized, hands‑on effort to build and maintain. We're hiring a Community Engagement Specialist to own this outreach end‑to‑end: identifying and pitching fundraising partnerships, organizing community events, and turning one‑time connections into recurring, mutually beneficial partnerships.

The Impact you’ll make

Partnership Development

• Build and maintain relationships with local schools, PTAs, sports teams, and community organizations
• Identify and pitch fundraising opportunities to local businesses and organizations
• Collaborate with store managers to ensure events are properly scheduled and resourced

Outreach Prospecting

• Reach out to potential partners via direct messages on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
• Make outbound calls to schools and businesses to introduce partnership opportunities
• Send professional, well‑crafted messages via email and social channels

Event Coordination

• Coordinate School Pizza Nights and other fundraising events
• Organize and market community events, including table tents, spirit nights, and donation requests

Tracking Reporting

• Track outreach efforts, partnership status, and event results in a simple CRM or spreadsheet
• Report weekly on outreach activity and partnership pipeline

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise Required

• Prior experience as a Community Engagement Specialist/Manager, or in a similar community outreach, local marketing, or partnership development role
• Demonstrated outreach experience — cold calling, prospecting, or direct pitching to businesses or organizations
• Comfortable and confident making outbound phone calls as a core part of the role
• Experience relevant to the food, restaurant, or local/franchise marketing space is strongly preferred (candidates with primarily beauty or clothing brand engagement backgrounds will not be considered — the outreach approach does not translate)
• Strong organizational skills with experience tracking multiple ongoing relationships or projects simultaneously

Your superpowers are...

• Technical Skills
• Confident, professional phone communication
• Strong written communication across email and social DMs
• CRM or spreadsheet tracking and pipeline management
• Basic event coordination and logistics planning
• Comfortable using social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) for business outreach
• Soft Skills
• Self-starter who thrives working independently
• Naturally personable and relationship-driven
• Highly organized and detail‑oriented
• Resilient and persistent — comfortable with outreach that doesn't always get a "yes"
• Genuine enthusiasm for community involvement and local business

WFH Set-Up

• Computer with at least 8GB RAM, an Intel i5 core processor/AMD Ryzen 5 Processor and up.
• Internet speed of at least 40MBPS
• Headset with an extended mic that has noise cancellation and a webcam
• Back‑up computer and internet connection
• Quiet, dedicated workspace at home

You should apply if...

• You love the idea of being the face of a brand in your community — someone who genuinely enjoys picking up the phone, striking up a conversation with a school principal or local business owner, and turning that first conversation into a lasting partnership.
• You're the type of person who keeps every commitment on a list and never lets a follow-up slip through the cracks.
• Rejection doesn't slow you down — you see every "no" as one step closer to the next "yes."
• You want ownership over your own pipeline and the independence to manage your schedule and outreach strategy, while still being a collaborative team player who checks in and reports on progress.

What to expect... Work Setup

• Remote position
• Must have a reliable internet connection and a quiet workspace
• Required to provide own computer with Intel Core i5 or something similar or higher operating system

Working Hours

• 40 hours per week

Compensation

• $7 per hour
• No benefits package included