Background
Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is the world’s leading global coalition working to secure the land, forest, and resource rights and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples through bold, collective action that puts people at the center of development, conservation, and climate solutions. In 2025, RRI will celebrate its 20th anniversary. In anticipation of this, we are seeking an experienced writer, storyteller, and communicator who is deeply familiar with the Indigenous and community land rights landscape to write a report that highlights RRI’s most far-reaching contributions to our sector over the last two decades.
Project Description
We are looking for an expert writer and storyteller who can conduct a series of in-depth interviews with RRI’s co-founders, senior coalition members, and leadership team to identify some of our biggest achievements of the past two decades. These achievements will span our three focus regions (Asia, Africa, and Latin America) as well as key themes and programmatic tools (gender justice, private sector engagement, climate and conservation, and community livelihoods). The Consultant will then undertake a literature review of annual donor reports, blogs, and news articles from 2008–2024 to track the impacts of these achievements and record stories, quotes, and lessons learned from these achievements.
The final product will be a report of approximately 20 pages that summarizes and contextualizes the shortlisted projects and their impacts in national, regional, and global settings, drawing links to global sustainable development goals as appropriate. The report should apply a “big picture” lens to the stories, using them to reflect the collective fingerprint of the RRI coalition as a solidary movement. It must also establish a common theme and narrative of RRI’s impact on the international development ecosystem in moving the needle toward greater global awareness and recognition of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and community land rights, including of the women within these communities, as a necessary precursor to meeting global development, conservation, biodiversity, and climate goals.
Activities
Content gathering and stakeholder engagement:
- In collaboration with RRI’s Communication Team, draft list of 10 interview questions.
- Conduct a minimum of 8 in-depth interviews with RRI’s three co-founders, president, senior leadership, and selected senior coalition members.
- Based on conversations during the interview process and in collaboration with RRI’s Communications Team, shortlist up to 15 notable achievements across RRI’s three focus regions and define the report’s themes.
- Conduct a literature review of annual donor reports, blogs, and news articles from 2008–2024 to compile information and the status of shortlisted projects.
- Conduct interviews with up to 7 selected staff and coalition members who implemented the shortlisted projects to hear their stories and capture quotes and lessons learned for each project.
Writing and editing:
- Draft an outline of the report, including thematic organization and narrative arc, that celebrates RRI’s achievements but also looks forward to future challenges and opportunities.
- Based on the gathered materials, write a first draft of the report while ensuring that it is cohesive, compelling, and that it aligns with RRI’s strategic objectives.
- Based on feedback received from RRI’s Leadership and Communications Teams, engage in an iterative review process and incorporate feedback to refine the content of the report.
Deliverables
- A list of at least 10 interview questions and the final list of names, email addresses, phone number, and confirmation of date interviewed of at least 8 interviewees (RRI co-founders, president, senior leadership, and senior coalition members); consolidated notes; and Zoom video recordings of all interviews.
- A 2-page document briefly summarizing each shortlisted achievement’s date(s), location, and implementing organization, categorized by theme and programmatic focus, to be showcased in the report.
- A literature review of 12-15 pages that documents the stories associated with each of the 15 shortlisted achievements.
- A list of at least 10 interview questions and the final list of names, email addresses, phone number, and confirmation of date interviewed of at least 7 interviewees (coalition members/project implementors); consolidated notes; and Zoom video recordings of all interviews.
- A 2-page outline of the report, including thematic organization and narrative arc.
- A full first draft of the report, maximum 20 pages, or approximately 9,000 words.
- A final version of the report.
Timeline
The timeline for this project is October 15 to March 31, 2025.
- Interviews (part I): November 8, 2024
- 2-page summary: November 15, 2024
- Literature review: December 20, 2024
- Interviews (part II): January 24, 2025
- 2-page outline: January 31, 2025
- Draft report: February 21, 2025
- Final report: March 21, 2025
Budget
The anticipated budget for this project is between US$15,000 and US$22,000.
Desired Qualifications
- At least 15 years of professional experience in communications, journalism, or in a related capacity within the Indigenous, local community, and/or Afro-descendant rights and development sector. A background in journalism is preferred.
- Deep familiarity with RRI’s work and role as a global thought leader.
- Excellent writing and communications skills in English, with expertise in journalistic interviewing, storytelling, and synthesizing complex information into compelling written formats. Fluency in French, Spanish, or Bahasa Indonesia is preferred.
- A passion for stories and using them to promote deeper understanding of vulnerable communities and their issues.
- Comfort and experience working with diverse cultures, especially in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Submission Requirements
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Written proposal of no more than 5 pages explaining Offeror’s specific process for the completion of activities and deliverables listed in the Request for Proposals. If the Offeror plans on sub-contracting any portion of this work, please include sub-contractor information.
- Brief financial proposal detailing the Offeror’s total fixed price in U.S. dollars for all activities, as well as hourly rates and an estimated total number of hours, should RRI decide to award a contract on an hourly rate basis.
- At least two examples of prior similar work (for example, project reports, evidence of excellent writing and communication skills, etc. for which the Offeror has led the process).
The deadline for submission is 5:00pm ET on October 2, 2024.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be scored based on the following parameters:
- Proposed approach (35%)
- Understanding of the sector (20%)
- Consultant work history and experience in storytelling (20%)
- Costs (25%)
