Susan Munywoki

Seasoned Communications professional with 12+ years' worth of hands-on experience in delivering high-level communications (corporate, digital and project communication) for various organizations and a wide range of audiences. I am the Lead Consultant at Professional Writers Kenya, which has distinguished itself as a market leader in the region for providing writing, communications, and strategy solutions to a wide variety of clients who are located in Kenya and across the world, including UNICEF, the African Women's Development Fund, the Jassa Centre, SHAG Group of Companies (Somalia), and Benadir University (Somalia). A natural-born storyteller, I am proud to have helped to develop winning narratives and creative strategies for a diverse clientele for over a decade. I also serve as a Director at Kikwetu Foundation, a local NGO, where I am in charge of communications (internal and external) in addition to marketing and fundraising campaigns for our projects. Previously worked as a Project Manager at the Association of Professional Societies in East Africa (APSEA), an NGO where I was in charge of the project management and coordination of a USAID-funded advocacy project, the ‘National Advocacy Program for Governance Reforms’ project. I was responsible for: project communications (project reporting, proposal writing, writing press releases, speeches, policy papers, newsletters, blogs, and social media management); digital marketing; high-level networking and stakeholder engagement with government, civil society, and the media; lobbying and advocacy; community mobilization & outreach; strategic planning; fundraising; and donor relations & management among others. Currently seeking for a new and exciting professional challenge within the corporate world where I will be able to apply my years of experience in communications, strategy, policy development, and project management.

1. Lead Consultant- Professional Writers Kenya, April 2011- Present: 

• Consult for several organizations (communications, strategy and policy) in Kenya and internationally. Notable clients have included UNICEF, AWDF, Sabuli Conservancy, the Jassa Centre, SHAG Group of Companies (Somalia), and Benadir University (Somalia) among others.
• Responsible for driving business growth, attracting new clients, researching new market opportunities, making sales projections, and forecasting revenue.
• Build credibility, relationships, establish rapport, and maintain communication with clients and partners at multiple levels.
• Carry out public relations and media engagement for the company.
• Brand development, management and awareness.
• Help to train, mentor and manage a talented team of writers, and oversee the Quality Control department to ensure that we deliver top-notch content to our diverse clientele.
• Assist in overseeing the coordinated management of multiple projects directed toward strategic business (and other company) objectives.
• Regularly organize and conduct training seminars where I train professionals on a wide range of areas including report writing, grant writing, proposal writing, strategic planning, and policy development among others.
• Develop and implement marketing strategies for the firm, and oversee the company’s digital marketing efforts including social media marketing campaigns, influencer marketing, and advertising (Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok ads).
• Assist with social media management 

2. Director- Kikwetu Foundation, Sep 2015- present: 

• I act as the communication channel between board members.
• External communication, high-level networking, and reputation management, which involves writing press releases, newsletters, articles, blog posts, etc.
• Creating brand awareness and digital marketing/ social media marketing efforts.
• Fundraising, donor relations and partner engagement including grant/proposal writing.
• Stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
• Help to implement project activities such as Caravan of Love and the Tambua Program. 

3. Project Manager: The Association of Professional Societies in East Africa (APSEA), July 2009 - Dec 2012

• My duties revolved around the management and implementation of various projects and programs under the jurisdiction of APSEA, a non-profit based in Nairobi, key among them the USAID-funded ‘National Advocacy Program for Governance Reforms’ project.
• Was in charge of project communications and developed several project related documents amongst them Policy Briefs, Marketing Plans, Project Proposals, Quarterly, Monthly and Annual Reports, Financial Projections and Budgets, Work Plans, Advocacy Plans, Newsletters, Manuals, and Terms of References;
• Managed the flow of technical reports and compilation of the same in the project narratives for internal and donor reporting; 
• Involved in advocacy work and lobbying, particularly amongst professionals, civil society, and senior government officials. 
• High level networking, partnerships and stakeholder engagement. 
• Community mobilization, engagement and outreach
• Was in charge of donor relations, grants management and seeking project funds from potential donors through the development of effective fundraising/ grants proposals;
• Organized and oversaw numerous project events such as community workshops, awareness creation campaigns, breakfast meetings, etc.; 
• Represented APSEA in various project forums, events and meetings
• Serviced key organizational committees i.e. the Public Affairs Committee (PAC); the APSEA Think Tank on Devolution (ATTD); the Natural Resource Management committee (NRM); the Professional Business Development Committee (PBDC); and the APSEA Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (ACIOC). 

4. Staff Writer: Storymoja Publishers, Apr 2008 - Jun 2009

• General writing and editing duties including blogging, copywriting, and content development
• Digital marketing and advertising
• Social media management
• Events management and organization of the Storymoja Hay Festival of 2009.
• Assisted with fundraising efforts for the Storymoja Hay Festival of 2009 

• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & English (First Class Honours)- Kenyatta University, 2008
• Implementing Policy Change (IPC) Training- September 2011 (KCSSP, USAID)
• Finance and Grants Management Training- September 2011 (KCSSP, USAID)
• Data Quality Management Training (MERL Module 2)- May 2011 (KCSSP, USAID)
• MERL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning) Training- April 2011 (KCSSP, USAID)
• Finance and Grants Management Training- March, 2011 (KCSSP, USAID)
• Human Resources Management Training- November 2010 (KCSSP, USAID)