Community Engagement Coordinator

In addition to directly supporting preschool children in the classroom, Jumpstart also engages a variety of community members as volunteers who contribute their time and talent to enhance Jumpstart’s service to our partner early childhood centers and the community at large.

ABOUT JUMPSTART

Jumpstart is a national early education organization working toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. We provide language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for preschool children from under-resourced communities and promote quality early learning for all children. Join us to work toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. Learn more at jstart.org.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The community engagement coordinator recruits, assists in training, and manages volunteers for various Jumpstart service projects that address specific program and community needs. The volunteers recruited, oriented, and trained by the community engagement coordinator consist of a combination of college students, local community service organizations, and others who can participate in a range of volunteer service projects. Volunteer service project categories include one-day, short-term, and long-term service projects.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Volunteer coordinators serve 200/300 hours, 8-12 hours per week in the following areas:

Essential Functions

Community Engagement Coordinators serve 300 hours, 8-12 hours per week in the following areas:

Essential Functions

Overall

• Able to verbally communicate with peers, Jumpstart staff, volunteers, families, alumni, and key partner groups, both in person and over virtual settings.
• Able to arrange their own transportation to community events in a timely and reliable fashion for any in person service activities.
• Able to use technology effectively to access systems and platforms for electronic documents, communications, trainings, and any delivery of virtual service activities.

Volunteer Recruitment and Training

• Recruit required number of volunteers to provide the required number of service events/hours needed (varies by site/program).
• Recruit volunteers for short-term and/or long-term service projects. This may include events such as Jumpstart’s annual Read for the Record, MLK Day Jr. Day of Service, and Jumpstart for a Day.
• Outreach to potential volunteers through in-person conversations, posting to social media, holding recruitment events, etc.
• Present Jumpstart’s mission and service opportunities to campus and local community organizations, student groups, faculty/staff, preschool partners, and families to recruit volunteers.
• Coordinate all volunteer required paperwork and criminal history checks for participation in a service event.
• Facilitate and support training of volunteers on topics such as reading to young children, assembling literacy materials, and filling out volunteer paperwork.

Event Planning and Implementation

• Assist site staff in identifying volunteer service projects through needs assessment and ongoing communication with Jumpstart Corps Members, preschool program partners, and other stakeholders in the community.
• Assist site staff in implementation of service projects and support volunteers for service projects held at preschool program partners, on-campus, in community locations/spaces, or through virtual methods.
• Collaborate on preparation of service project materials and coordinate logistics of delivery, set-up, and pack-up from event (start to finish).
• Coordinate with site staff and Jumpstart Corps Members to plan on-going and/or annual volunteer and preschool program partner appreciation events.
• Solicit in-kind donations to support service projects according to AmeriCorps guidelines (if applicable).

Volunteer Management and Tracking

• Establish and regularly update volunteer sign-ups, schedules, and list of events.
• Communicate and engage regularly with volunteers through check-in calls/meetings, e-mails, virtual meetings, and personal appreciation for their efforts.
• Support site staff in managing social media accounts for volunteer recruitment and celebration and for general community engagement purposes.
• Work with Jumpstart site staff to ensure volunteer criminal history check requirements are fulfilled and all required paperwork is collected, either in person or electronically, and is organized appropriately.
• Document and log volunteer data and hours in volunteer tracking tool and report data and hours to site staff and Jumpstart.

Evaluation of Volunteer Projects

• Collect, manage, and compile feedback from all parties involved in volunteer service projects, including volunteers, preschool program partners, and community members through electronic forms, written reports, testimonials, and verbal comments.
• Share feedback with site staff to acknowledge strengths, successes and to make improvements for future volunteer service projects and activities.

Family and Alumni Engagement

• Support site staff and Jumpstart Corps Members in orienting preschool program partners and families to Jumpstart.
• Assist site staff in identifying service projects to engage families in response to the needs identified in the program partner needs assessment.
• Collaborate with Jumpstart Corps Members to communicate program activities with families through newsletters and educational resource guides.
• Share information about future service opportunities with alumni for continued engagement and connection.

Marginal Functions

• Research relevant community organizations and service events to coordinate additional hours and team/community building opportunities for Jumpstart Corps Members.
• Research relevant campus partners or community organizations to coordinate additional leadership and/or professional development opportunities for Jumpstart Corps Members.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Dedication to volunteerism and coordinating volunteer projects
• Experience in a leadership role
• Experience recruiting, training, managing, and supporting groups of people to address community needs through service projects
• Ability to build relationships and work with volunteers, Jumpstart Corps Members, families, and community members
• Track record of planning and implementing volunteer events
• Experience with tracking and analyzing data
• Desire to learn about Jumpstart program, including early childhood education best practices

Communication

• Strong language and communication skills (written and oral)
• Ability to give presentations to large groups of potential volunteers
• Desire to share the Jumpstart mission with the community

Commitment to service

• Community service experience and/or a desire to serve in the community
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to fulfill a yearlong community service commitment
• Enthusiastic and positive attitude toward helping others

Professionalism

• Ability to work well independently and on a team
• Availability, dependability, and ability to simultaneously manage multiple priorities
• Willingness to be flexible in different contexts and able to handle unexpected changes, such as in training or during a service project
• Professionalism and good judgment in relating to Jumpstart peers, children, partners, and families
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems creatively and resourcefully
• Focus on achievement of goals and completion of projects in a timely manner
• Experience with Microsoft Office programs – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Social media experience

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Potential to earn a Federal Work-Study award or stipend during term of service • AmeriCorps members will be eligible to receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award in the amount of $1,374.60 upon completion of their 300 hour service term service term
• Extensive training in the field of early childhood education and family engagement framework
• Professional training and support to implement volunteer projects and events
• Unique opportunity to join a national network of individuals serving young children
• Invaluable opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young children

Jumpstart is an equal opportunity organization and encourages applications from all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, political affiliation, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local laws. Qualified individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Jumpstart will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals throughout the application process and during Jumpstart service. Accommodation requests should be directed to the Jumpstart office to which you are applying. Jumpstart is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. Please note that not all Jumpstart sites are directly supported by AmeriCorps.