Communication and Community Liaison, Gearing Up

Posted by on April 21, 2014

Gearing Up – Position Description
Position title: Communication and Community Liaison
Reports directly to: Program Director & Executive Director
Service week (days/hours): 40 hours/week; longer hours and weekends as necessary

Position Objective:
Gearing Up (http://www.gearing-up.org) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide women in transition from drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, and/or homelessness with the skills, equipment and guidance needed to safely ride a bicycle for exercise, transportation and personal growth. Women enrolled in the Gearing Up program have histories of addiction, abuse, and/or incarceration. Riding a bicycle is used as a form of low-impact physical activity, a tool for emotional management and developing healthy social communities.

The Communication and Community Liaison will be primarily working in the three areas:

• Development and implementation of Shifting Gears, a program to connect Gearing Up graduates with resources and support the next phase of their transition and personal development. The Communications and Community Liaison will be responsible for developing and maintaining working partnerships with other social service providers and employment partners as well as building rapport and creating connections for program Graduates (approximately 50% of workload)
• External communications through social media, website and newsletter (approximately 30% of workload).
• Volunteer training and general community engagement (approximately 20% of workload).

Reporting to the Founding Director and Program Director and working collaboratively with the rest of Gearing Up’s staff, (s)he will work collaboratively with the team to develop and implement the Shifting Gears program as well as implement and continue to improve our communication strategy to promote the organization to the wider community while engaging volunteers and the community at-large. Essential skills required include exceptional interpersonal skills, comfort with public speaking, relationship building, as well as strong organizational and writing skills, attention to detail and a strong proficiency in Microsoft Office suite. The Communications and Community Liaison will help promote a culture of philanthropy, volunteerism, and community both internally and externally.

Shifting Gearings is a new approach intended to continue providing physical, emotional and social health through the power of the bicycle to earn-a-bike graduates who have demonstrated commitment to their sobriety, community, and the Gearing Up program. Graduates often stay in touch with staff by attending weekly rides and visiting the Gearing Up office due to the social connections and support received during programming hours. Through this process, staff members learn the ongoing needs of clients and are able to connect clients with trusted referrals that are available in the city. In 2014, 40 women will earn their own bicycles; many of these clients will have support and home plans after their residential/transitional phases. Gearing Up estimates that 14 of those 40 clients will need additional support with housing, career support, employment, education, continued care/treatment and financial management and aim to help clients through that process.

Key Responsibility Areas:
Establish communication and community engagement strategies through effective relationship building to develop and implement the Shifting Gears program to provide ongoing support to Graduates, engage volunteers & execute effective communication.

Develop and Implement Shifting Gears Program
(Shifting Gears is a new initiative to create connections between Gearing Up’s graduates and community partners.)

• Develop and maintain collaborative partnerships with community organization to aid clients in their search for continued treatment, employment, housing, education, career support and financial management.
• Participate in Gearing Up rides and Earn-a-Bike graduations to meet clients and assess next steps and needs of graduates.
• Manage 1-2 referrals for approximately 12-15 Gearing Up Graduates who agree to continue riding or volunteering with Gearing Up.

Implement and continue to improve communication strategies

• Produce and coordinate informational and promotional materials, as needed.
• Participate as representative of Gearing Up at public engagements and other opportunities that present themselves.
• Develop/manage community based events in collaboration with Development and Program committees (Bike and Bagel, special events, etc.) with an interest in strategically balancing available opportunities for individuals to engage with Gearing Up and to deepen relationships with engaged volunteers and community members, including donors.

Social Media Outreach

• Deliver clear, consistent messaging that conveys the organizational vision and mission, to increase public awareness of our services and organizational visibility.
• Work with Gearing Up staff to develop weekly social media messaging schedule and creation of our monthly e-newsletter via Constant Contact.
• Update and maintain Gearing Up’s website and manage/create content for our social media platforms: Facebook Twitter & Instagram in collaboration with the staff and consultants.
• Stay on top of trends in the digital communications and social media field and actively pursue new platforms that Gearing Up could use to effectively educate and promote our mission to the public.

Volunteer Engagement and Management

• Schedule and provide member/volunteer orientations (generally monthly)
• Manage web presence of member/volunteer program
• Develop/maintain marketing material (print and web-based) aimed at engaging prospective volunteers and encouraging them to become involved
• Respond appropriately and in a timely fashion to all volunteer inquiries and scheduling-related correspondence
• Coordinate volunteer photographer schedule for rides and special events.
• Serve as liaison between volunteers and Gearing Up; address and resolve volunteer-related issues as necessary.
• Monitor volunteer satisfaction through occasional evaluations/surveys – share feedback with staff and Board

Committees: Program Committee

Education, Experience, Knowledge & Skills:

Bachelor’s degree required.

• Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience in fund-development and communications in an academic environment or non-profit, community-based setting. Project management experience preferred.
• Exceptional writing and oral communication skills. High level of attention to detail. Strong computing skills, including complete command of MS Office Suite.
• Experience using the social media platforms mentioned above required, experience using Joomla, Constant Contact, Facebook, Instagram, and more as necessary.

Nondiscrimination Policy
Gearing Up does not discriminate in programs, services, staffing and/or volunteer areas on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, marital status, national origin, religion, or other protected status under applicable law.

To apply, contact kristin@gearing-up.org.