Request for Proposals
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina (ACLU-SC) is seeking a freelance communications consultant with expertise in graphic design, video editing, and podcast production.
The purpose of our organization’s communication is to inspire action, to inform South Carolinians of their rights, to uplift the voices of people harmed by state actions, and to persuade the public to support the civil rights causes of our time. The consultant will be provided with a style guide for branding purposes (including guidance on fonts and hex / CMYK codes for the national ACLU branding color palette). Within that framework, creative, expressive, culturally relevant work is encouraged. We are looking for work that is accessible, compelling, rooted in a sense of place, and worthy of audiences’ attention amid the din of social media. Despite the serious nature of our work, there are still opportunities to express joy and even levity where appropriate.
Qualified applicants will have experience with programs and platforms such as Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Canva, Riverside.fm, and Audacity (or similar equivalent software). Work created with AI tools will not be accepted due to copyright and quality-control concerns. Work tasks will be assigned with multiple days’ lead time where possible, but some tasks in response to breaking news will be more urgent and require 24-hour turnaround or less. Our organization has some capacity for in-house design work and will take on tasks where a consultant is not able to complete the work within a deadline.
One key to working well with our organization will be clear communication and realistic setting of deadlines and expectations. We want to publish quality work at a sustainable pace, and we want you to create pieces you will be proud to add to your portfolio.
About the Organization
At the ACLU-SC, we envision a just South Carolina where “We the People” means all of us. To bring this vision to life, we advocate, litigate, educate, and mobilize to defend and advance the civil rights and civil liberties of all South Carolinians. The ACLU-SC is an affiliate of the ACLU, a federated organization. To learn more about the work of the ACLU-SC and the ACLU, please visit aclusc.org and aclu.org.
Scope of Work
The consultant is expected to provide the following services:
- Graphic design for online: Informational graphics for social media (Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, and Twitter), labeling and branding for pages on the ACLU-SC website
- Graphic design for printed materials: Original designs incorporating existing ACLU-SC logos and branding. We will work with a printer to produce giveaway items such as T-shirts, tote bags, pens, sunglasses, and clack fans. We also occasionally need design work for paper materials such as Know Your Rights cards, pamphlets, palm cards, posters, and short publications.
- Video editing: Short, captioned videos formatted for social media. Our team will handle recording of video footage and provide video files to the consultant, who will handle editing tasks.
- Audio production: We are looking to produce new episodes of our podcast, While I Breathe, on a more regular basis. Members of ACLU-SC staff will handle coordinating with interview subjects and recording via the Riverside.fm platform. After recording is complete, the consultant will handle audio editing, balancing of audio levels, and insertion of transition music. The consultant will also be responsible for checking the transcript for accuracy and formatting it for publication on our website.
Budget & Timeline
ACLU-SC will pay the selected consultant an agreed-upon hourly rate. Consultants should be prepared to provide monthly invoices noting hours worked and receive payment via ACH. The total budget for this partnership is $10,000 for services provided from May 2025 through March 2026, or until the budget is spent. This budget is a ceiling; consultants will only be paid for hours worked.
Proposals
Proposals should include the following materials:
- Resume
- Portfolio of relevant work
- Your hourly rate for the services listed in Scope of Work above
Proposals should be submitted to Paul Bowers at [email protected] by April 30, 2025. Include the phrase “Communications Consultant” in the subject line of your email.
Contact
Questions should be directed to:
Paul Bowers
Communications Director
[email protected]
