External Relations Manager, Year Up

Posted by Year Up on January 12, 2018

Reporting to the Director of Development, the External Relations Manager (Philadelphia, PA or Wilmington, DE) will play a critical role in the rapid growth of Year Up to serve more students. The External Relations Manager (Philadelphia, PA or Wilmington, DE) will support all development and external relations activities in standalone PTC sites; raise and steward annual fund and mid-level revenue portfolio; collect cash; coordinate volunteers and events, in support of the Year Up mission and ongoing operations and strategic initiatives.

As an ideal candidate, you will bring experience balancing multiple priorities, and will have demonstrated high initiative and the ability to work independently. In order to be successful in this role, you’ll have exceptional organizational and communication skills, and will be able to interact with staff and stakeholders at all levels, showing resourcefulness, flexibility and a high level of professionalism. The External Relations Manager (Philadelphia, PA or Wilmington, DE) will have the opportunity to develop experience in executive management, project management, external relations and organizational stewardship. Working with Site Operations, the External Relations Manager (Philadelphia, PA or Wilmington, DE) will prepare budget and update cash projections, progress to goals reports; supervise data management activities to ensure accurate information in Salesforce.

In keeping with Year Up’s values, the External Relations Manager (Philadelphia, PA or Wilmington, DE) will also have the opportunity to interact with students as a mentor, group facilitator, and advocate, participating in creating and sustaining a positive educational environment.

We understand that people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We encourage candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications below. If you believe you have the transferable skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this role, we encourage you to apply.

Key Responsibilities

Development

• Support the Executive Director and regional Senior Director of Philanthropy in identifying and cultivating new corporate sponsors and individual donors,
• Independently call and meet with prospects and existing annual fund and mid-level donors
• Coordinate both alumni giving and alumni participation in solicitation efforts
• Solicit and steward local institutional gifts with support from National Grant Writers
• Coordinate direct response (email, direct mail) programs and development-related marketing / collateral needs in collaboration with the National Annual Fund Manager
• Data management: Ensure data quality and recency in Salesforce; run reports

Organizational Strategy

• Clearly understand and articulate organizational goals to external stakeholders
• Identify new opportunities that support site goals and strategy
• Ensure projects run within budget and on-time; problem solving throughout the process, as needed
• Manage budgeted and unanticipated expenses
• Serve as proactively engaging manager with new ideas (e.g., process innovations, support tools), action plans, and project updates
• Set and reset priorities, and effectively set checkpoints and expectations among all stakeholders
• Other duties as assigned

Local Board Liaison

• Serve as point person for local advisory board Members, particularly regarding information for Board and Committee meetings
• Ensure quarterly advisory board meetings run efficiently and effectively
• Assist Executive Director with the formulation of meeting agendas
• Own all logistics, material compilation and dashboard production for advisory board meetings
• Collaborate with the Executive Director on the cultivation strategy to identify potential new advisory board members; oversee the onboarding of new members
• Collaborate on creating opportunities for meaningful engagement of current advisory board members

Events

• Manage logistics for all fundraising events, including small events, house-parties, and all fundraising visits to the site Represent site with local and national media opportunities
• Create annual calendar of events including, but not limited to: site open houses, leadership breakfasts, house parties, and employer volunteer days
• Define vision and goals for local events, overseeing execution and logistics

Volunteer Engagement

• Build and manage a volunteer engagement platform for mentors, corporate volunteer groups, guest speakers, and tutors; actively and consistently examine pool of volunteers, event attendees, and annual fund and mid-level for giving opportunities
• Maintain clear cycles of volunteer engagement with regards to communications and appreciations calendars
• Leverage meaningful volunteer opportunities to increase engagement with and support of the site
• Direct volunteer resources to appropriate teams

Site Team/Learning Community Member

• Serve as a coach/mentor for a small number of current students
• Join and sometimes facilitate weekly group sessions with students
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings

Qualifications

• 2-5 years’ work experience in a relationship management role with a track record of successful management of client relationships
• Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Project
• Excellent project management skills
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Exceptional relationship builder
• Strong execution and follow-up
• Superb organizational skills with strong attention to detail
• Highly self-motivated, accountable and able to make decisions independently
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment; ability to adapt accordingly to unanticipated changes
• Ability to independently plan, kick-off and monitor events and projects
• Strong public speaking and facilitation skills
• A passion for working with urban young adults and an unshakable belief in their potential, and a strong commitment to Year Up’s mission
• Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion; evidence of cultural sensitivity in past employment and life experiences

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
Salary: Competitive and commensurate with education and experience
Benefits: Competitive package including 100% healthcare coverage, dental, and 401(k) match
Vacation: Three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year
Professional development: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives

Organization Description
Year Up is an award-winning national 501(c)3 organization striving to close the Opportunity Divide by providing young adults ages 18-24 with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Through a one-year intensive program, Year Up utilizes a high support, high expectations model that combines hands-on technical and professional skills, educational stipends, college-level coursework, and corporate internships at more than 250 top companies.

Year Up currently serves young adults in Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay Area, South Florida, and Wilmington and will serve more than 3,000 students in 2017 nationwide.
Voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For in the country by The Non-Profit Times for six consecutive years, Year Up is a rewarding place to work. Our staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and full potential of our young people.

Year Up participates in E-Verify.

Please visit http://www.yearup.org/careers to learn more about working at Year Up, and to see a list of current opportunities.

Commitment To Diversity
Year Up actively engages individuals from all backgrounds. We are committed to embracing diversity within our organization because we firmly believe that diverse employee teams help us to achieve our best organizational outcomes and provide the most effective support to our young adults as we work to close the Opportunity Divide. We are deeply dedicated to creating and maintaining an inclusive and supportive work environment. Learn more about our commitment to diversity: http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/

As an equal opportunity employer, Year Up is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To Apply
Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume through our website.
Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered. We respectfully request no phone calls.

https://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/