HR Business Partner – Editorial (Volunteer)

Remote

Volunteer

Human Resources

Mid Level

HR Business Partner – Editorial (Volunteer)

Support the heart of our newsroom by leading HR efforts that empower investigative journalists!

Who We Are:

Are you passionate about making a difference in the world through investigative journalism? At WhoWhatWhy, we’re looking for a dedicated HR Business Partner to help build and sustain a strong editorial team that produces fearless reporting. Join us in our mission to strengthen democracy through investigative journalism and innovative HR strategies.

WhoWhatWhy is a nonprofit organization that digs deep to uncover hidden truths and provides meaningful answers on the great issues of our time. We’re not funded by a zillionaire or driven by corporate interests—we’re powered by skilled volunteers and a small core team who believe in our mission and values. Here, you’ll find a vibrant community of students, retirees, and professionals from all walks of life, united in a shared purpose.

Join us, and help shape the future of investigative journalism!

About the Role:

As an HR Business Partner for Editorial, you will lead HR initiatives to support the newsroom. You will work closely with leadership, project managers, and administrative staff to recruit, onboard, and retain top volunteer talent while ensuring HR policies align with the department’s journalistic integrity and production workflow.

What You’ll Do:

Act as the primary HR representative for the Editorial team, ensuring HR strategies align with investigative journalism goals.
Lead recruitment efforts for volunteer roles in investigative reporting, editorial management, and multimedia journalism.
Develop and implement HR best practices to enhance volunteer retention and team engagement.
Oversee onboarding for new editorial volunteers, ensuring a smooth integration process.
Partner with department leadership to provide HR insights and recommendations for team development.
Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and journalistic excellence.
Ensure compliance with WhoWhatWhy’s HR policies and nonprofit best practices.
Support broader HR initiatives across the organization in partnership with HR leadership.

What We’re Looking For:

Experience in HR business partnering, recruitment, or HR strategy development.
Understanding of volunteer engagement, nonprofit HR best practices, or editorial team structures.
Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to align HR strategies with journalistic integrity, production timelines, and newsroom culture.
Comfort working in a volunteer-driven, mission-focused environment.
Passion for nonprofit work and investigative journalism.

Previous experience in a nonprofit, newsroom, or media organization is a plus!

Why Volunteer With Us?:

Make a Difference:
- Play a key role in building the team that drives our fundraising success.
Work with a Dedicated Team:
- Collaborate with passionate professionals in a dynamic, engaging environment.
Gain Hands-On Experience:
- Deepen your HR expertise in the nonprofit sector.
Flexible Schedule:
- Work remotely on your own time (except for bi-weekly and/or weekly department meetings).
Support Investigative Journalism:
- Help sustain reporting that challenges power and informs the public.

Expectations:

As a member of our team, you will work closely with leaders across various departments. We ask all team members to commit to a minimum of 10 hours per week and to maintain high responsiveness through Slack, email, and conference calls. Additionally, we request a commitment of at least 12 months to ensure continuity and meaningful contributions to our mission.

How to Apply:

If this sounds like a good fit, we’d love to hear from you! Apply by sending:

Your resume
A brief cover letter explaining what excites you about this specific role and how your past experiences prepare you for this position.

A cover letter is required for this application. Applications without a meaningful and customized cover letter will not be reviewed. To confirm that you have carefully read this job description, please include the phrase: 'Committed to the Mission' followed by the result of 12÷3, placed naturally within the body of your cover letter.

If there is no option to type or attach a cover letter, please send it to [email protected]. Be sure to check your spam folder for response emails. Thank you for considering joining our team!

At WhoWhatWhy, we value authenticity and genuine engagement in all applications. To ensure we’re selecting candidates who are truly aligned with our mission, we require applicants to submit original responses to all application questions and cover letters.

Applications that contain responses that appear AI-generated, generic, or copy-pasted will not be considered.

Join us in building a strong, engaged team to support impactful journalism!

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Do you confirm that all responses provided in this questionnaire will be based on your personal experience and critical thinking, without the use of AI-generated assistance, templates, or external writing tools? Responses that appear to be AI-generated or not rooted in personal experience may result in disqualification.*

This is an unpaid, volunteer position. Do you understand and accept this?*

WhoWhatWhy relies on dedicated volunteers to support our mission. We seek individuals who are committed to volunteering with us for at least 12 months. Can you confidently commit to being part of our volunteer team for at least one year?*

If you are unable to commit to at least 12 months, how long can you commit to the role? (In months)*

This role requires attendance at weekly department meetings on Mondays at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time. These meetings are held for one hour. Can you confidently commit to attending these meetings?*

State how many months the requested minimum commitment for this role is divided by three. Now, think of a personal milestone or defining moment in your life that is connected to that final number. Describe what happened and explain how that experience shaped the way you think, work, or approach challenges.*

WhoWhatWhy is like that one person in your life who always challenges you to think deeper and ask better questions—someone who won’t let you accept surface-level answers. Identify a specific person in your life who played that role for you. Who were they, and in what setting did they influence you? How did their approach to questioning and critical thinking shape the way you work, particularly in HR or team development?*

Describe a situation where you had to convince someone to accept a change they were resistant to. What was the setting—work, school, volunteer, or personal? What was the specific change, and how did you approach getting them on board? What was the outcome?*

In a work, volunteer, or personal setting, have you ever had to keep someone committed to a project or role they considered leaving? What was the situation, and how did you approach keeping them engaged? Be specific about what actions you took and whether they stayed or left.*

In your professional, academic, or volunteer experience, have you ever worked with someone who didn’t fully support the mission or goal of a team or organization? Identify a specific instance—where were you, what was the mission, and how did you realize there was misalignment? What specific actions did you take to address it, and what was the result?*

Tell me about a time when you were responsible for keeping people engaged in a long-term project or initiative. What was the project, and what role did you play? At what point did you notice engagement starting to drop? Be specific about what steps you took to address it and whether engagement improved.*

You are leading a volunteer recruitment drive for a critical project in your department (Marketing, Donor Development, or Editorial). Three days before launch, multiple key volunteers drop out, leaving you short-staffed and unable to fully execute the original plan.

You now face two difficult choices—each with significant drawbacks:

Option A:
Push forward with the project despite limited resources, knowing that execution will suffer, deadlines may be missed, and the final product may not meet expectations. There is a risk of stakeholder disappointment, reputational damage, and increased burnout among remaining volunteers.

Option B:
Scale back the project significantly to match available resources, which means cutting key deliverables, changing the scope, or eliminating certain elements. This could reduce the project’s intended impact, frustrate leadership and stakeholders, and cause confusion among those expecting the full execution.

1. What are your top priorities in the first 24 hours after learning about the volunteer dropouts?

2. How do you ensure the project still succeeds despite the loss of key people?

3. Which option do you choose, and why? How would you justify your decision to leadership and your team?

4. If you were responsible for volunteer retention, what long-term systems would you implement to minimize these last-minute dropouts?*

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