Community Engagement Officer

Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Community Engagement Officer supports FORA’s outreach, volunteer recruitment, community relations, and tutor-donor stewardship. The role works closely with the Director of Outreach, the Outreach and Development teams, the Chief Administration Officer, the Managing Director, interns, tutors, families, prospective volunteers, donors, and community partners. The officer is expected to uphold FORA’s values and its anti-discrimination and pro-inclusion commitment, follow applicable civil rights and employment legislation, and maintain ethical, confidential, transparent, respectful, and fair community and partnership interactions. The position is based in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood and is 40 hours per week, with flexible scheduling according to recruitment opportunities. During the school year, the stated hours are 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; in summer, they are generally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Weekend work and additional hours outside normal working hours are expected as needed. The position is eligible for overtime pay.

Requirements

Outstanding oral and written presentation skills.
Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to persuade and motivate in order to build donor relationships.
Highly organized, with the ability to manage large systems with regular data turnover and promptly respond to a high volume of correspondence.
Excellent verbal communication skills, including initiating conversations, active listening, responding appropriately, and conveying respect through tone of voice.
Willingness to interact continually with people as a representative of FORA while maintaining professional communication standards.
Must endorse, embrace, and enact FORA’s vision, mission, and values.
Able to work 40 hours per week with flexible scheduling depending on recruitment opportunities.
Able to work additional hours outside normal working hours and weekends as needed.

Responsibilities

Support the Director of Outreach with volunteer recruitment in alignment with FORA’s values, inclusion commitments, and applicable civil rights and employment legislation.
Identify key districts for volunteer recruitment and develop canvassing plans with the Outreach team.
Conduct canvassing visits, track contacts and visits, follow up on leads, and collect data documenting results.
Leverage organizational partnerships for canvassing and manage external recruitment initiatives in local neighborhoods and suburbs to build lasting community relationships and volunteer capacity.
Work with the Chief Administration Officer and Director of Development to engage current and prospective community members and support community recruitment, fundraising events, and cultivation strategies.
Lead FORA interns in canvassing initiatives and support prospective volunteer interviews.
Disseminate recruitment materials in physical and digital formats, including flyers, pamphlets, and social media communications, with a focus on key locations and communities for tutor recruitment.
Cultivate digital relationships with non-local communities, such as through Facebook groups.
Maintain ethical standards and confidentiality in partnership and community interactions, representing FORA transparently and respectfully and avoiding conflicts of interest or exploitation of relationships.
Support the Director of Outreach in uploading and filing required volunteer onboarding documents.
Cultivate tutors and their families as potential donors and work with relevant teams and leadership to implement communication plans for potential and current donors.
Send tutor families and prospective supporters regular invitations to tours, meetings, presentations, and events.
Monitor key tutors, ensure they receive regular feedback, provide their families with regular updates, and support positive experiences with FORA.
Help retain long-standing tutors and interns in the key category.
Create and host opportunities for potential volunteers and donors to observe and learn about FORA’s impact.
Provide occasional assistance beyond primary responsibilities, including event support, shared administrative tasks, coverage during staff absences, and help with time-sensitive organizational needs as reasonably assigned.
Assist with donor relations and fundraising as needed, including attending donor functions that may occur outside normal working hours.
Assist the Chief Administration Officer and/or Director of Outreach with special projects and programming as needed.
Attend staff meetings, professional development meetings, and technical knowledge-based learning meetings.
Support other FORA departments as requested by staff supervisors to help ensure smooth operations of programming and special events.