LION is hiring an INSS Event Coordinator

Status: Independent contractor, approx. 15 hours per week

Reports to: Marketing Manager

Location: Remote within USA, strong preference for St. Louis metro area

Compensation: Flat rate $6,000 (billable 50% upon contract signing, 50% upon successful completion of all deliverables), plus up to $1,000 travel reimbursement

Timeframe: May 19 through September 12, 2025; LION’s office is closed for the week of July 4 and the contractor would not be expected to work during that time

Project Summary

Are you a tech-savvy logistics wizard? Do you delight in ensuring that data is accurate and complete? Would it energize you to make sure that event registrants have all the information and accommodations they need? If so, you might be a great fit for this project! 

LION Publishers is looking for an independent contractor to support the smooth operations of our third Independent News Sustainability Summit (INSS). This year’s Summit will take place in St. Louis, MO, from September 3-5. The INSS Coordinator will be expected to dedicate an average of 15 hours per week to the responsibilities below:

Scope of Work

• Logistics Coordination (70%)
  • Registration
    • Track and update the refund request spreadsheet and help ensure all requested refunds are tracked in that document; coordinate with LION’s finance and operations manager and/or marketing manager to ensure refunds are processed
    • Answer common registration questions received at summit@lionpublishers.com
    • Ensure registration list and counts are continually updated and accurate, and proactively contact attendees to secure any missing registration information
    • Help ensure all sponsor contacts and guests are registered by the stated deadline and that sponsors haven’t exceeded their allotted ticket thresholds
  • Sessions logistics
    • Assist with coordinating and confirming room configurations for sessions, including providing a mockup of the rooms to send to speakers
    • In coordination with the event planner and/or associate director of coaching, assist with confirming room volunteers
    • In coordination with the event planner, help onboard and prepare room volunteers
  • Accommodations
    • Compile and track a list of requested attendee accommodations in consultation with the event planner and/or director of development
    • Coordinate communications about accommodations/special requests with attendees and event planner 
    • Follow up with folks who made accommodations/special requests and ask how the experience went for them (during and post-event)
      
• Marketing Support (20%)
  • Promotion
    • Assist with the implementation of marketing and communications plans, including updating content in the event app and conducting outreach to potential leads for fundraising, event promotion, and attendance, plus potential special projects, as assigned
  • Session summaries
    • Attend various Summit sessions and write three to five key takeaways from those sessions to be shared with the marketing team (for post-event articles)
      
• Data Management (10%)
  • Fundraising data
    • Run reports with up-to-date information in event software and Salesforce
    • Keep databases up to date with complete and accurate sponsorship pipeline data, creating new sponsor account and opportunity records as needed

Included in the 15 hrs/week scope of work, the contractor will attend initial training sessions, and have progress check-ins with the Marketing Manager via Zoom twice per week.

LION is an Equal Opportunity Employer

LION believes that a team with diversity of backgrounds and experiences will generate the most innovative ideas and ultimately do the best work in support of our mission. This is why we welcome contractors, vendors, staff, and board members who contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. We understand diversity as multi-dimensional and intersectional, encompassing aspects of our identities including race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, class, geography, lived experiences, and more. We welcome and encourage all qualified candidates to apply to opportunities at LION so that we build a team that reflects the diversity of independent news entrepreneurs we wish to serve.

We know there are great candidates who might not check all the boxes listed below or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. 

Skills and Qualifications for the Project

• Detail-oriented: Produces precise, complete, and accurate work with minimal errors
• Problem solving: Consistently gathers and applies relevant information to their work, providing solutions to individual problems
• Planning & prioritization: Independently manages workload, effectively prioritizes tasks based on importance and urgency, and develops work procedures that enhance efficiency and productivity
• Effective communication: Develops and delivers communications using various modes to address different audiences, with support and guidance
• Tech-proficient: Has a strong grasp of digital tools, including Zoom, Google Sheets/Excel, and Slack, and how to use them quickly and effectively. Experience with Whova, WordPress, or Salesforce is a plus

Skills and Expectations for Teamwork at LION

• Work in a way that upholds and reflects our organizational values: Being data-informed, equitable and inclusive, people-centered, systems thinkers, transparent, and iterative
• Use digital tools and platforms to stay organized, communicate transparently, and collaborate with team members remotely 
• Collaborate strategically with others, clearly defining processes for decision making
• Give and receive constructive feedback to help the team produce its best work
• Celebrate our wins and learning moments
• Take on an experimental mindset and demonstrate flexibility to iterate on our work, systems, and processes 
• Be willing and able to ask for help when needed, and demonstrate an ability to learn and grow in the role

Travel Requirements

• Available to be on-site for event support September 2-5, 2025

About LION

Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional journalism association for independent news publishers. While most of our 400+ members across the U.S. and Canada run local news businesses, we also have members who serve larger regions and specific identity-based communities across geographies. LION provides teaching, resources and community to independent news entrepreneurs as they build and develop sustainable businesses. One of our core values is being people-centered, and here are some ways we build that culture for our staff. 

Application Materials

Submit your qualifications using this form by 11 p.m. PT on March 31, 2025. 

• Your resume
• Any online links that show your work (a Twitter profile, a portfolio page, etc.)
• Answers to the following questions:
  • Tell us about a project you completed that required attention to detail. What challenges did you face? How did you ensure that your work was complete and accurate?
  • LION Publishers has a commitment to building a diverse community that is inclusive and welcoming of all members, particularly those who identify as coming from an underserved community, including publishers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color; LGBTQ+; or coming from a rural or low-income community. Briefly describe a time when you communicated a message to a person from a different background than yourself. What did you learn about tailoring your message to your audience?
  • We have a clearly stated policy that early bird event tickets are nonrefundable. A registrant sends you an email requesting a refund for their early bird ticket. Please write a brief email in reply (no more than 250 words). This is a writing sample to understand your voice, *do not use AI in crafting your response.*
  • Please share anything else you’d like us to know about your background, experience, or skills that speaks to your ability to perform this work.