Join the Words Alive Team

Employment Opportunities - Detailed Description

POSITION:  Engagement Coordinator

COMPENSATION: $16-$18/hour

STATUS: Regular, Part-Time, Non-Exempt

HOURS:  20 hours/week; nights and weekends as needed. Must be available at least 4 days/week. Workdays/hours negotiable.

LOCATION: In-Office (San Diego, CA). Requires in-person work; eligible for some hybrid/remote work as determined in coordination with supervisor.

REPORTS TO:  Engagement Director

WHO WE ARE: Words Alive connects children, teens, and families to the power of reading.  We serve at-risk students of all ages and their families throughout San Diego County. During the 2020-2021 academic year, we served over 4,150 children, teens, and families facing extraordinary circumstances such as homelessness, poverty, foster care, abuse, juvenile justice system impact, and teen pregnancy.

WHO YOU ARE: Our ideal candidate:

  • Is excited about rolling-up their sleeves to work with volunteers, donors, and community members invested in helping Words Alive achieve our mission;

  • Is seeking a mission-driven workplace that values efficiency, impact, flexibility, and growth;

  • Has a nonprofit heart and a business mind;

  • Approaches their actions, words, and work with a keen focus on inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility;

  • Is deeply motivated by the power of reading!

POSITION OVERVIEW: Words Alive’s Engagement Coordinator is responsible for an array of responsibilities coordinating how individuals invest their time, talent, and treasure into Words Alive’s mission.  The Engagement Coordinator seamlessly manages highly organized processes; a network of exceptional volunteers; and the data critical to the success of the organization.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Coordinate Volunteers Organization-Wide (45%)

  • Coordinate online and in-person recruitment efforts for volunteers.

  • Facilitate orientations and onboarding for new volunteers, including eligibility and requirements tracking.  This may include handling privileged/confidential information included in background checks, TB test results, and COVID vaccination status.

  • Track service hours and maintain accurate volunteer records, with a keen eye on data integrity. 

  • Manage tools and resources that support volunteers.  This includes position descriptions, trainings, and a regularly updated handbook clearly articulating policies, procedures, and expectations.

  • Engage volunteers with regular communications, learning opportunities, and networking events.

  • Regularly collect feedback from volunteers to improve our volunteer experience.

Coordinate Appreciation & Stewardship (25%)

  • Manage reporting to donors and volunteers on the impact of their investments.  This includes managing a year-round calendar, tracking partner-specific deliverables and receipts, drafting content, and timely distribution of impact reports.

  • Coordinate donor and volunteer appreciation initiatives (e.g., regular phone calls, mailings, celebratory events, thank you notes, targeted donor messaging).

Manage a Cohort of Volunteers (15%)

  • Ongoing recruitment, training, and management of a large (50+), diverse group of volunteers who support this position.  This includes team management, communication, role descriptions, time tracking, professional development.

  • Mitigate issues and address concerns from or related to volunteers. 

Support Engagement Operations, Special Projects & Other Duties (15%)

  • Support events and campaigns such as: annual gala/fundraiser, peer-to-peer fundraising, volunteer appreciation, donor events.

  • Regularly update website with engagement information, resources, and content.

  • Design engagement marketing materials such as flyers, posters, emails, and other collateral.

  • Other duties as assigned

EXPECTATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

  • Experience (1+ year) of office-based experience.

  • Experience as a volunteer and/or donor with multiple nonprofit organizations.

  • Very organized and can manage many moving parts of processes, programs, and calendars successfully.

  • Self-starter who takes ownership of projects, with strong time management skills and ease in moving quickly through many priorities simultaneously.

  • Excellent writer and great verbal communicator.

  • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with a diverse variety of individuals.

  • Accountable, with a strong sense of responsibility.

  • Resourceful and can take initiative and gather information to work through a project independently.

  • Comfortable with numbers and data.

  • Ability to respect and uphold confidentiality.

  • Optimistic, positive, welcoming, thoughtful, gratitude-driven, and professional demeanor.

  • Unwavering commitment to the mission and population served.

Educational and Technical Expectations

  • Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience.

  • Confident computer skills.  Including the ability to use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), remote working platforms (e.g., Teams, Zoom), apps, and search engines.  

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience managing staff and/or volunteers

  • Prior experience volunteering with or working for a literacy, education, or nonprofit organization

  • Written or verbal language skills in language(s) in addition to English

  • Lived experiences aligned with the organization’s mission; participation in Words Alive programming.

This position requires:

  • Ability to work on a computer and phone for at least 70% of the day.

  • Role includes in-office work. The office is on the second floor of a building with no elevator.  Reasonable accommodations will be made.

  • Ability to drive to and from meetings, activities, and events occasionally throughout Words Alive’s service area. Overnight travel is a rare possibility.

  • All staff support in receiving and delivering program material to/from the office - the second floor of an older building without an elevator. Staff must be able to lift to 30 pounds regularly. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform essential functions.

WORDS ALIVE VALUES & CULTURE
At Words Alive, our programs and impact made in the community are driven by our core values, which represent the motivation, dedication, and focus of our Words Alive staff and volunteers. Our values include:

  • Commitment: by pledging to make reading matter for everyone

  • Equitability: by working to level the playing field

  • Empowerment: by investing in lifelong learners

  • Responsiveness: by listening to community needs and developing innovative solutions

  • Collaboration: by partnering with the community

  • Connectedness: by creating a familial environment that includes all Words Alive participants and support

TO APPLY: Carefully review this job posting, expectations, compensation, and criteria to ensure it is a good fit. Submit 1) a letter or introductory video sharing why you’d like to work with Words Alive, and 2) a resume or summary of experiences qualifying you for this position via email (only) to: [email protected]. 

Posting Date: October 4, 2021. Start Date: As soon as possible.