POSITION SPECIFICATION. Executive Director Chicago

Transcription

1 POSITION SPECIFICATION Executive Director Chicago

2 POSITION SUMMARY Opportunity: Department: Title: FLSA Status: Reports to: Location: Full-time Position at Cradles to Crayons Administration Executive Director Exempt CEO/ Chicago Board Chair Chicago, IL ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS: Cradles to Crayons (C2C) was founded in 2002, with the mission of providing children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive - at home, at school and at play. C2C is at the cutting edge of volunteer management and has become the largest volunteer opportunity in the Boston area (where the organization is headquartered) providing unique, hands-on opportunities for people to help other people. How Our Model Works: Cradles to Crayons collects new and nearly new children's items through grassroots community drives and corporate donations. Donations are then processed and packaged by volunteers, and are distributed to disadvantaged children through a collaborative network of social service agencies and school partners. C2C supplies these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have with communities that need. Cradles to Crayons meets a critical need as many children 12 years old and younger live in poverty stricken situations. Their living conditions can have negative effects on their self-esteem as poverty can lead to behavioral, social and emotional problems; their education as half of these children start 1 st grade up to 2 years later than their peers; and their safety as they may live in more hazardous environments that can increase the risk of injury. While meeting the immediate needs of low-income children, Cradles to Crayons also sets a foundation for lasting change by providing meaningful, tangible volunteer opportunities to thousands of individuals and families and hundreds of corporations each year by organizing clothing collections, hosting a fundraiser, or working in The Giving Factory warehouse. Cradles to Crayons earned the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator for the sixth consecutive year. Only 4% of charities rated have received at least six consecutive 4-star evaluations, differentiating C2C from its peers and indicating that C2C outperforms most other charities in America. POSITION OVERVIEW: The Executive Director Chicago will be integral in developing and implementing engagement strategies with focus on: Corporate Engagement: By providing a meaningful and engaging volunteer opportunities to foster teambuilding, Cradles to Crayons mission and model strongly resonates with corporations. Cradles to Crayons Chicago will work to build holistic partnerships and draw upon resources from the corporate community including; volunteer hours, product support, financial support, and pro-bono support. Family Engagement: Cradles to Crayons provides tangible and meaningful opportunities for families who share a desire to embrace the value of service to help children and families in need. Anyone age 5 years and above can volunteer at the Giving Factory

3 warehouse and have a fulfilling service experience. Cradles to Crayons Chicago will work to build a base of family supporters to support its mission. The Giving Corps: The Giving Corps is an umbrella of volunteer leadership programs for teens, college students, and adults. It will enable C2C to increase its capacity and impact by serving as leaders trained to lead teams of volunteers in the Giving Factory and mobilize volunteers throughout Chicago. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer/Founder, the Executive Director Chicago is a newly created position and will help launch Cradles to Crayons Chicago. This role will serve as the primary leader and strategist, external champion, organization builder, and internal manager for C2C Chicago. The Executive Director will build an initial team of 5 employees who will work collaboratively to manage the day-to-day operations. As a strong leader, the Executive Director will ensure a strong culture inspiring and motivating staff to reach the highest standards of performance. S/he will lead the strategic growth and development of the organization as it seeks to establish itself within the Chicago community. As a strategic thought leader the Executive Director will capitalize on a strong growth trajectory and help shape how C2C reach and impacts the Chicago community. As an effective and inspirational spokesperson, the Executive Director will cultivate corporate, foundation, individual and family funding. S/he will steward relationships with the Board of Directors, partners and all community stakeholders, champion the C2C brand, and engage the community in new and exciting ways to increase donations in order to serve more kids. MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: Strategic Leadership Serve as the strategic thought leader of the Chicago site providing overall management of the organization including: operations, human resources, information technology, facilities management, purchasing, budgeting, and finance/accounting Collaborate with the CEO to develop and implement short and long-term strategic planning for the site, ensuring that budget, staff and organizational priorities are aligned with C2C s core mission and deliverables Manage budgeting, forecasting, expense management, and cash flow for a site budget of approximately $1 million Determine programmatic direction, carefully evaluate opportunities for new programs and ensure satisfaction with current programs, with particular focus on the Giving Corps Build and maintain relations with all key community stakeholders and supporters; leverage assets and build high impact partnerships; Instill and develop the organizational culture, one of the key components to C2C s success as an organization Develop a strong and transparent working relationship with the CEO, the Board and Board Committees, corporate supporters and donors

4 Fundraising and External Relations Raise and grow an approx. $1 million annual budget through a combination of individuals, corporations, family philanthropy, foundations, galas, and event sponsorships Continually identify and secure new funding opportunities to ensure adequate budget support and long-term sustainability for the site In collaboration with national leadership, enhance relationships with known supporters while actively seeking out new sources of revenue and new donors including foundations, corporate contacts, as well as, building a solid individual and family donor base Serve as the organization's main spokesperson in the community and provide strategic direction for special events and media efforts Establish and grow the Family Leadership Circle to 50 families by year-end 2018; Grow the C2C brand identity in the community by overseeing marketing and communications efforts Support the team in grant-writing efforts and schedules and encourage all team members to attend meetings with key donor contacts Operations & Program Management Provide inspirational leadership, management and development of staff across all functions including finance, operations, development, volunteers and community outreach; promote a culture of mutual accountability in delivering the C2C mission Build a strong leadership team capable of working seamlessly across operations, development, engagement and program; create a team environment that leverages individual strengths to meet organizational goals Conduct performance reviews and provide training and development for management team members and site staff, ensuring job satisfaction, career advancement and the development of a high performing workforce Secure operating and growth capital; set and meet annual and strategic budgets, goals and objectives Collaborate with the national program team to maintain and enhance the overall distribution strategy, by ensuring fidelity to the program model, achieving key metrics, and aligning with National standards Provide input in the selection and development of scalable systems to ensure operational efficiency and real-time information for effective decision-making; Ensure that accurate and consistent data collection and evaluation of program efforts is a priority throughout the organization; use metrics to make decisions around quality control, development of new programs, partnerships and initiatives that are tied to the strategic plan and ensure financial targets are met; Volunteer Management Oversee the strategic management and engagement of local volunteers in impactbased tasks related to the C2C mission;

5 Proactively develop the Giving Corps program as a key strategy and resource for growth REQUIRED EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES: Professional Experience A minimum of seven years of executive leadership and strategic planning experience in an entrepreneurial and mission-driven organization during a period of change and expansion; private sector executives must have demonstrated experience in a mission-driven setting, either on a board or in some other significant way. Demonstrated success in developing and implementing short and long-term strategic fundraising strategies, including corporate sponsorships, foundations, individual donors and government agencies. Ability to oversee a complex enterprise at a high level of responsibility. Experience working with and leveraging a strong, high profile and civic-minded Board. Experience building, managing and leading high performing teams; an inspiring team builder who engenders trust and builds group commitment to goals and objectives. Strong financial management skills; experience creating annual operating plans and budgets that support strategic objectives. Previous experience building, cultivating and managing relationships with the nonprofit community. Personal Characteristics Passionate about the Cradles to Crayons mission and driving social change. Creative thought leader and problem solver with a solid grasp of the bigger picture beyond the current state. Demonstrated strategic thinker with leadership skills that inspire and motivate both internal stakeholders (staff, board, network) and external stakeholders (volunteers, donors, sponsors, community, nonprofit partners); entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. Ability to relate the C2C business case to corporations in terms of employee engagement, community relations and recruitment and retention; can leverage assets and build high impact partnerships. Excellent people skills with strength at building relationships across the organization; actively seeks input from others creating an atmosphere where ideas and information are easily exchanged; uses relationship networks strategically to accomplish objectives. Flexible and able to multitask; can work within a highly adaptive model, while driving toward results; resourceful in setting priorities. True team player, coach and mentor; more focused on the success of others than her/himself. Focused on results and bottom-line oriented. Excellent computer and presentation skills; fluency in Microsoft Office applications required, familiarity with Salesforce a plus.

6 Education Exceptional communicator, listens, engages and influences. Resilient with a sense of humor. Bachelor s degree in related field, advanced degree preferred with 10 or more years of progressive work experience. WORKING CONDITIONS: Primarily in an office environment. Will be expected to travel as needed. Periodic weekend or evening work is expected. ACCOMMODATION: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made by Cradles to Crayons which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others, or which impose undue hardships on the organization. TO APPLY: Please send a cover letter and resume with relevant experience to jobs@cradlestocrayons.org.