01/25/2023
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) seeks a full-time Community Engagement Officer to advance the community foundation’s scholarship program, education-related and donor stewardship activities.
The Community Engagement Officer reports to the Program Director. This is an externally facing hybrid position with structured remote and in-office hours, and time spent conducting outreach activities.
Since 1987, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has strengthened our region through philanthropy and leadership. We channel generosity where it is needed, bringing together resources and passion to tackle pressing issues and create lasting change. BTCF initiatives help advance foundation priorities and build equity and inclusion in our communities. As a workplace, BTCF is in the midst of an in-depth internal capacity building process to embed equity and inclusion in our governance, strategy and operations.
BTCF serves over 60 communities across a four-county region encompassing Berkshire County, Mass., northwest Litchfield County, Conn., and Columbia County and northeast Dutchess county in New York. The foundation awards over $20 million dollars annually in grants and scholarships each year.
BTCF is a learning organization that embraces a culture of high performance, transparency, and flexibility. All staff participate in professional development activities on an ongoing basis and work cooperatively as a team, respectful of one another, the volunteer board that guides our work, and the nonprofits and donors who are our vital partners in improving lives around the region.
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About Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
Position Overview
The Community Engagement Officer is part of a collaborative team of program and philanthropic services staff. The role is externally focused on building productive working relationships with guidance counselors and other school personnel, nonprofits and donors. The Community Engagement Officer will build institutional knowledge of issues related to education and scholarships, the nonprofit sector, and the region; provide staff support to volunteer advisory committees; and serve as a foundation representative at community meetings and events. Approximately 75% of the officer’s time will be spent on program-related activities, 25% working with donors and advancement activities, as well as professional development and administrative matters. The position is part of a team of Community Engagement Officers that integrates programmatic and donor services responsibilities. The position reports to the Program Director and works closely with the Chief Philanthropy Officer.
Position Outcomes
The successful Community Engagement Officer will achieve the following outcomes over time in collaboration with staff, board, and volunteers:
- High quality grantmaking that reflects best practices in the field.
- Alignment and coordination created between and among education enrichment funds and respective area funds.
- Efficient processes in place for staff support of education enrichment funds.
- Knowledge and relationships built over time to become the “go-to” resource for donors on scholarships, arts and culture.
- Guide and contribute to the implementation of education initiatives.
- Strong relationships with donors through regular communication that results in personal visits, attendance at foundation-sponsored events, support of the foundation’s educational attainment priority, and new gifts and new funds.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee and continuously improve a portfolio of over 80 scholarship programs in collaboration with the Grants Associate, Program Coordinator, and other support as needed, which involves:
- collaborating with the Program Director to align the Foundation’s scholarship resources with its strategic grantmaking priorities.
- overseeing outreach to guidance counselors, community organizations and others.
- overseeing the committee review process, including:
- Demonstrating effective project management including delegation of tasks to the Program Coordinator and Grants Associate as needed.
- Onboarding new scholarship resources (website, school outreach).
- Keeping track of committee volunteers and supporting the addition of new members in alignment with the foundation’s DEI goals.
- Scheduling meetings or email reviews, releasing applications and collecting committee scores.
- Collaborate with committee chairs to facilitate advisory committee review and decision-making processes.
- Reporting committee allocations and facilitating payments to grantees.
- preparing donor stewardship reports.
- Manage the education enrichment fund portfolio, which consists of 33 funds supporting every public school district in the region served by the community foundation. Support fundraising activities of select education enrichment fund volunteer committees seeking to grow their funds through new gifts. Work with the Program Director to implement changes in procedures for the funds and develop deeper engagement with the committees.
- Build staff knowledge of education trends in the region and work closely with the Philanthropic Services team to guide donor engagement where there is an identified interest in education.
- Develop productive working relationships with a portfolio of donors with particular interest in education, arts and culture: proactively engage donors through in-person meetings, sharing information on grantmaking opportunities and community foundation leadership initiatives, and responding to fund-related questions. The officer will serve as the key contact and relationship manager for approximately 30 to 45 donors, primarily scholarship donors.
- Other related duties as assigned by the Program Director.
Qualifications
The successful candidate will possess and have demonstrated in previous roles the following attributes and skills:
- College degree required, along with 2-3 years of professional experience
- Experience in high school or postsecondary education or the strong desire to learn about issues related to education, including college financing
- Experience or demonstrated interest in the nonprofit sector
- Project management skills
- Critical analysis, oral, written communication skills
- Public speaking and group facilitation skills
- Ability to synthesize and organize information with an attention to detail
- Ability to travel to meetings around the foundation’s region and occasionally to conferences and other professional development opportunities
Compensation
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is an equal employment opportunity employer. We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Starting salary range begins at $60k with a max of $65k commensurate with significant industry or directly related experience.
We offer competitive benefits, including:
- 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution
- Generous paid vacation and sick time
- Health, dental, and life insurance
- Disability
- Hybrid work model
- Opportunities for professional development
How to Apply
Please submit resume and cover letter to hr@berkshiretaconic.org. No calls please.
Deadlines
Applications will be accepted until February 15, 2024.