Story Editor

Story editors are responsible for working one-on-one with contributors to help them craft their narratives of post-traumatic growth and prepare them for publication on Better Because Collective’s website. This includes ensuring the stories align with our mission and vision, and are appropriate in structure, tone, language, and length.

Time Commitment

This role has an estimated time commitment of 2-4 hours per week. We also ask you to consider a one- to two-year commitment to volunteering with Better Because Collective to ensure consistency and continuity of our efforts, and to limit the disruption that high turnover can cause.

Communications

As a small team of dedicated volunteers working remotely around the world, we rely on a variety of online tools to communicate with each other. This includes Slack for discussions, Zoom for meetings, Trello for project management, Google Drive for sharing documents, and a shared mailbox for organization-related emails.

Your responsibilities

  • Narrative Development: Help evaluate, develop, refine the story for publication, including improve structure, content and flow of personal narratives
  • Copy Editing: Ensure that the story is consistent and factually accurate, to include copy editing as needed
  • Conflict Resolution: Offer solutions for creative differences and manage revisions in a way that preserves the contributor’s unique voice 
  • Timely Communication: Stay in open and ongoing communication with both contributors and the Better Because Collective team via remote communication platforms
  • Adherence to Process: Follow established organizational procedures and protocols for each story/contributor using remote project management tools

Your qualifications

  • Excellent command of the English language and familiarity with writing conventions
  • Strong developmental story editing skills, including refining and improving structure, content, and flow of personal narratives
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for collaborative work
  • Ability to approach the editing process in a trauma-informed manner, meaning you bring a good understanding of post-traumatic growth and the sensitivities of writing stories about traumatic life events
  • Excellent organizational and time-management skills to meet deadlines
  • Prior experience working with a remote team using Slack, Zoom, Trello, and Google Drive
  • Bonus: Strong passion for the mission and values of Better Because Collective

What's in it for you

  • Grow your professional skill set, expand your portfolio, and enhance your resume to include a recommendation from the Executive Director
  • Join a dedicated team of passionate volunteers who share the same commitment to helping others while producing high-quality work
  • Support the publication of inspirational personal narratives about growth from trauma to help others find comfort and healing