Advocacy Communications & Foundation Coordinator

Is This Job for You? 🦷📣

Full-time | 8-Month Contract | Marietta, GA

The Georgia Dental Association is looking for someone who thrives at the intersection of policy and storytelling. This isn't a desk job where you wait for direction — it's a brand-new, hybrid role built for someone ready to make it their own from day one.

This job is for you if you...

✅ Get energized translating dry policy into talking points people actually care about

✅ Want real, tangible impact — like helping deliver a toothbrush to every 2nd grader in Georgia

✅ Love the chaos (and reward) of event coordination — GMOM happens twice a year, and it's a big deal

✅ Can hold two conversations at once — speaking "legislative" to government affairs and "creative" to marketing/PR

✅ Have 2-5 years in communications, advocacy, or public affairs and are ready to stop watching from the sidelines

✅ Want to help shape the future of dental workforce and insurance reform efforts in Georgia

✅ Have a high sense of urgency and thrive under deadline pressure — legislative sessions and event timelines don't wait, and neither do you

This role moves fast — and so should you. Between legislative deadlines, event planning windows, and campaign launches, you'll need to manage competing priorities without missing a beat.

This is a contract position to start — but if it's a great fit on both sides, we will explore transitioning this role to full-time. We're not just filling a seat for eight months; we're looking for someone who could grow into a lasting part of the GDA team.

Position Summary

The Advocacy Communications & Foundation Specialist is a new, hybrid role created to strengthen the connection between GDA's advocacy work and its public-facing messaging, while also supporting the GDA Foundation — including the flagship Georgia Mission of Mercy (GMOM) event twice a year and the launch of a new toothbrush program providing a toothbrush to every 2nd grader in Georgia. This person will serve as the bridge that ensures government affairs priorities — including workforce shortage initiatives and potential dental insurance reform — are translated into effective paid media and marketing efforts.

Key Responsibilities

GDA Foundation / GMOM Event Support (Twice Yearly)

• Assist the Foundation in organizing and planning the Georgia Mission of Mercy (GMOM) event, held twice per year.
• Support event logistics, volunteer coordination, sponsor/partner communications, and on-site materials as needed.
• Help ensure GMOM messaging is consistent with broader Foundation communications and, where relevant, ties back to workforce and access-to-care advocacy themes when appropriate.
• Help launch the Foundation's new toothbrush program, which provides a toothbrush to every 2nd grader in Georgia.
• Support program planning, school/district coordination, distribution logistics, and related communications and materials.
• Ensure program messaging aligns with broader Foundation and advocacy themes (e.g., access to care, workforce/oral health awareness).
• Identify and write grants for the toothbrush initiative Liaison Function (Government Affairs ↔ Marketing/PR)

Government Affairs & Advocacy Communications Support

• Serve as the primary point of connection between the government affairs team and the marketing/PR function, ensuring each is aware of the other's priorities, timelines, and messaging needs.
• Translate legislative and policy priorities into language and formats marketing/PR can use, and translate marketing/PR constraints and opportunities back to government affairs.
• Flag opportunities where an advocacy priority would benefit from paid PR support, and vice ver
• Help place policy briefs, talking points, press releases, and op-eds that translate legislative and regulatory issues into accessible, persuasive narratives for members, media, and policymakers.
• Support media relations tied to advocacy priorities: drafting materials, placing stories, monitoring coverage, and helping position GDA leadership as credible voices on dental policy issues.
• Assist in building toolkits and talking points that help members and volunteer advocates speak effectively on legislative issues.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience in communications, public affairs, advocacy, or a related field (nonprofit, association, healthcare, or government affairs experience preferred).
• Strong writing skills across formats: talking points, press materials, briefing documents.
• Comfortable working across two departments with different priorities, cadences, and vocabularies — this role requires diplomacy and organization, not just writing ability.
• Event planning or coordination experience a plus (GMOM support).
• Familiarity with paid media/PR campaign basics (working with agencies, understanding targeting and reporting) preferred but trainable.
• Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, political science, or related field, or equivalent experience.

Company Description The Georgia Dental Association (GDA) is the state’s largest dental association, representing more than 3,400 dentist members across Georgia. As the premier source of oral health information in the state, GDA promotes high standards of dentistry through education, advocacy, and professionalism. Founded in 1859, the organization has a long history of supporting oral health and the dental profession. GDA is a constituent of the American Dental Association and is headquartered in the Atlanta metro area, serving members and communities statewide.