Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America Assistant Director of Advancement Chicago, IL · Full time Company website

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A refugee empowerment center based in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, FORA provides over 50,000 hours each year of individually customized high dosage tutoring to refugee SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) children. Our vision is a world where refugees in need are welcomed and empowered, and our mission is to ensure that refugee families are provided access to an education sufficient to prepare them to become economically self-sufficient and robustly engaged in American civic life.

Communications Responsibilities (30% of Time)

 The Assistant Director of Advancement writes, edits, designs, and distributes high-quality print and electronic collateral, including brochures, flyers, billboards, banners, publications, press releases, annual reports, speeches, and other marketing materials communicating FORA’s activities, programs, and services.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement collaborates with the Chief Development Officer and/or Advancement Officer on giving campaigns, including but not limited to creation of content for the FORA website, direct donor communications, and articles regarding ongoing fundraising campaigns.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement manages FORA’s website and serves as the primary point of contact for all website-related tasks and inquiries. The employee ensures website information remains current and accurate.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement collaborates with the Chief Development Officer on FORA’s social media strategy, including but not limited to tailoring content by platform, adjusting posting schedules to increase engagement, and modifying frequency of outreach across platforms.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement develops newsletters and mailings to be distributed to current and past donors and tutors, key community relationship contacts, and for posting on social media platforms.

Recruitment and Onboarding Responsibilities (70% of Time)

Along with the Director of Outreach, the Assistant Director of Advancement will work on various aspects of recruitment and onboarding. In the coming months, a full schematic breakdown of responsibilities will be developed with the input of the hiree. Areas the team will address include, but are not limited to, the following:

Virtual Volunteer Recruitment

 The Assistant Director of Advancement recruits virtual volunteers (“tutors”) each seasonal session to ensure FORA students receive 1:1 tutoring and to support FORA’s goal of increasing the number of students served. Virtual volunteers are generally college age or above unless an exception is approved by the Chief Operating Officer.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement promptly and enthusiastically responds to all virtual tutoring-related inquiries regarding FORA and ensures that emails, phone calls, and other communications are addressed in a timely manner.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement assists in setting strategies for both long-term and short-term growth in virtual tutor recruitment and helps manage relationships that support that growth.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement tracks and evaluates the results of virtual recruitment and outreach efforts and provides regular progress reports to the Chief Operating Officer.

Volunteer Relations

 The Assistant Director of Advancement engages regularly with virtual tutors to solicit program feedback, build relationships, and inspire investment in FORA with the goal of improving tutor retention.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement works with the HIT Department to support tutors in acclimating to FORA and to implement systems increasing tutor retention and longevity.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement follows up with tutors who are repeatedly absent.

Partnerships

 The Assistant Director of Advancement creates, maintains, and cultivates partnerships with corporations, civic organizations, colleges, faith communities, and other groups to recruit virtual volunteers.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement places special emphasis on increasing the number of tutors who are not currently high school or college students.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement leads and/or participates in agency information sessions, open houses, and orientation events both on-site and off-site.

Tutor Processing and Onboarding

 As requested by the Director of Outreach and/or the Chief Advancement Officer during seasonal tutor orientation periods, the Assistant Director of Advancement collaborates on volunteer processing and onboarding.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement assists volunteers with completing applications, interviews applicants, and helps determine whether volunteers are accepted into the FORA program.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement coordinates the background check process, including collecting key documents, recording details, verifying background checks, and ensuring all required forms are completed and documented appropriately in BetterImpact.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement assists with paperwork uploading, processing, and data management strategies to ensure all required information is collected before tutors begin service.

 This job description will be further fleshed out after post-hire decisions are made regarding the division of recruitment and onboarding responsibilities among team members.

Interns

 The Assistant Director of Advancement recruits and serves as the primary supervisor for Communications interns, including monitoring attendance, assigning tasks, coordinating with departments to fill organizational needs, and providing direct feedback on performance and work quality.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement documents Communications interns’ attendance, performance, and projects for reporting purposes and completes evaluations, paperwork, and funding requests for interns receiving course credit.

Other Job Duties

 The Assistant Director of Advancement assists in donor relations and fundraising activities as deemed necessary by the Managing Director or Chief Development Officer, including attendance at donor functions that may occur outside normal working hours.

 The Assistant Director of Advancement participates in staff meetings, professional development sessions, and technical or knowledge-based learning meetings.

The Assistant Director of Advancement must endorse, embrace, and enact FORA’s vision, mission, and values (as described at www.refugeefora.org). Employees are expected to support all other FORA departments as requested by staff supervisors in order to ensure the smooth operation of FORA programming and special events. This job is a non-exempt position, and any overtime hours will be paid when approved in writing in advance.