Reading Partners Development Coordinator VISTA

Silicon Valley, CA

2021-2022

Reading Partners is a national literacy nonprofit that engages community volunteers and AmeriCorps service members to support elementary-aged students on their path toward reading proficiency. Our dedicated volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and life experiences and provide bi-weekly one-on-one tutoring to students, either in person or through our new online tutoring system. Our traditional, in-person program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals necessary to become confident learners across all subjects. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reading Partners urgently evolved program delivery to ensure students continue to receive the critical literacy tutoring in any learning environment. Our people are the heart and soul of our organization; we are all passionately engaged in a common mission to help all children become confident, lifelong learners. Reading Partners is also committed to building a culturally competent and representative team to advance social justice through our service in schools and communities. In joining Reading Partners, you'll be part of a stellar team leading the charge to pursue equity in education and expand a research-validated literacy program that works. Join Reading Partners and leave a legacy in schools and communities that will last long beyond an unforgettable and life-changing term of service. Learn more about us at readingpartners.org. 

AmeriCorps engages more than 80,000 Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country. Since the program’s founding in 1994, over 1 million AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1.4 billion hours in service across America while tackling pressing problems and mobilizing more than 2.3 million volunteers for the organizations they serve.

At Reading Partners we have the opportunity to mobilize 350 AmeriCorps/VISTA members to serve in various positions across the country.  This AmeriCorps service opportunity is supporting and implementing the Reading Partners mission while at the same time exemplifying the AmeriCorps motto of “getting things done.” Reading Partners strives to recruit AmeriCorps members dedicated to a year of service in the community. Read on for more details about our service opportunities!

The Role

The VISTA Development Coordinator is a key player in achieving Reading Partners’ development goals and building capacity for a network of development professionals  across the organization. This is an exciting opportunity to learn the ins and outs of nonprofit fund development by identifying and developing best fundraising practices, supporting donor cultivation and stewardship, and researching potential funding opportunities. Reading Partners VISTA offers an amazing chance to give back through capacity-building roles – as a VISTA, you’ll receive benefits, a great place to serve, and the opportunity to springboard a glowing and growing career. Our top VISTA Development Coordinators are ambassadors for service, demonstrate a passion for relationship and systems development, and strongly believe in our vision and values.    

What you’ll do & how you’ll do it:

Donor Cultivation & Relationship Management - Support the solicitation and stewardship of Reading Partners’ donors, based upon a continuously updated development calendar.

• The VISTA Development Coordinator hones in on identifying and fostering donor relationships. VISTA Development Coordinators partner with the region’s development staff to gather best practices on donor cultivation and stewardship activities locally, as well as other regions, and determine which will be used. This will include the creation of different templates and systems to identify key development dates, along with outlines for donor touch points (including event invitations, site visits, newsletters, social media, and campaigns). VISTA Development Coordinators will also execute VISTA donor cultivation and stewardship activities to meet or exceed performance objectives.

Systems and Resources Development - Improve systems for tracking donor information and usage of donor database; support creation and template development of local grants to increase sustainability.

• Streamlining and improving available systems is a huge responsibility for the VISTA Development Coordinator. By becoming familiar with the donor database and reporting options, the VISTA Development Coordinator will identify areas for improvement, implement best practices for usage of donor information, and document donor partnership records for future development activities. The VISTA Development Coordinator will also increase development capacity by gathering materials for reports and proposal templates; identifying potential funders and ask strategies for donor pipeline; and supporting the development team to customize and compose templates/reports.

Marketing and Public Relations- Adapt and maintain marketing and public relations materials for the regional development team at Reading Partners.

• The VISTA Development Coordinator will gather national collateral and templates for marketing and public relations usage, and determine the needs/target audience within a given donor portfolio. With the gathered collateral, the VISTA Development Coordinator will create systems to establish a strong presence on local social networking sites for the annual giving campaign.

About You!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Are dedicated to national and community service
• Root your service in our vision & values
• Can problem-solve through challenges and failures
• Are flexible given the ever-changing environment of serving in public schools, and are adaptable in both work style and work environment
• Understand this position is an AmeriCorps service commitment
• Are dedicated to successfully completing a full term of service.
• Demonstrate a passion for working with children
• Possess a natural ability to connect with people
• Are eager for a dynamic schedule
• Pay strong attention to detail and manage competing priorities effectively
• Boast a deep belief in and passionately promote our mission
• Demonstrate a love for relationship-building and public speaking
• Demonstrate an eagerness to train and manage volunteers
• Take initiative in meeting goals and seeking professional growth
• Can quickly learn new technology systems like Salesforce and have a high level of comfort with Google Apps and Zoom Conferencing 
• Possess a high school diploma or GED
• Hold US Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status
• Have not completed more than three (3) prior AmeriCorps or VISTA service terms

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alum/alumna
• Have experience volunteering with other community-based or education program

What we offer:

• VISTA members in this region earn a total living allowance of $24,912.16
• VISTA members are eligible for medical, dental, and vision coverage at no cost for our members; childcare assistance is available through AmeriCorps for those who qualify. 
• Eligible VISTA members can earn an education award of $6,345 after successfully completing their service term
• You may be eligible for student loan forbearance on federal student loans. 
• We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us. As such, we provide ongoing professional development opportunities such as quarterly AmeriCorps webinars, monthly trainings, and networking opportunities. 
• We offer scaffolded support to help navigate these and other service benefits

The Other Things You Need To Know:

• Service Term:  This VISTA member will serve full-time (approximately 40 hours/week) from August 2, 2021 through August 1, 2022 and must commit to a full year of service. 
• National Days of Service: VISTA members at Reading Partners join thousands of other members across the country to serve each year on 9/11, MLK Day, and during AmeriCorps Week. This is another opportunity to participate in the service movement across the country, and to directly support our communities in a variety of service projects.