Community Engagement Coordinator

Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation are seeking a full-time AmeriCorps member to serve as a Community Engagement Coordinator.

This is an AmeriCorps position and as such, the member may not engage in prohibited activities as part of his/her/their service. The member will have an immediate supervisor at YWCA and a LISC point of contact throughout the term of service for coaching, mentoring, and training support in order to undertake activities to achieve a community goal.
The member is expected to undertake the following activities toward goal achievement:
Audience Community Engagement: Help the Marketing & Communications Team to build an interactive digital space for community members to engage with YWCA Kalamazoo educational content, connect with survivor services, and find community support. The AmeriCorps member will connect community to YWCA services and educational materials, to meet the needs of survivors and our community. This role is crucial to the service provision of YWCA Kalamazoo and is especially important as people look for a sense of community and local survivor support online in the wake of the spread of Omicron.

Tasks may include:

• Support and host online educational presentations and interactive trainings on for Domestic Violence Awareness, Sexual Assault Awareness, and Human Trafficking Awareness months.Promote and execute community awareness-raising plans, dedicated to ending racism, gender violence, and abuse
• Develop programming to educate the public about various services at YWCA Kalamazoo in collaboration with other departments. For example: In collaboration with our Human Trafficking Advocates, develop and host an education panel for medical providers on referring patients to YWCA Kalamazoo for housing, legal, or other services—most of our clients who are survivors of human trafficking come in through referrals. Expanding that community pipeline.
• Evaluating the needs of the community and responding authentically and proactively– connecting community to YWCA’s essential programs.
• Integrate local community partnerships into our digital and social media spaces. Collaborate on digital programming in those partnerships to serve Black, Indigenous, people of color in need of community support.
• Monitor social media trends and daily news to respond to national/local events and start conversations that encourage community members to engage with our content.
  Engage social media audience by interacting on posts and with followers.
• Leverage ads to promote content and increase audience reach.
• Work in collaboration with leadership and program staff to create or outsource marketing materials that reflect the YWCA’s mission and our role in the community.
• Brainstorming and implementing event plans and community engagement concepts.
• Bilingual Spanish/English skills are crucial to this role. In building our digital community we need to ensure our educational information and services are reaching Spanish speakers, immigrants, and seasonal migrant workers—who are disproportionately impacted by human trafficking, violence, and abuse.

In performing these activities, YWCA and LISC AmeriCorps anticipate that the person in this position will achieve the following goal(s):

• Significantly contribute to a community needs assessment or implement community solutions making the host organization more effective and or efficient in serving residents.

In order to meet the goal(s), the successful candidate will be provided with a work-plan at the onset of service and training needed to achieve the goal(s). Progress toward goal attainment will be measured monthly through an on-line system and training will be provided.

Other service requirements

Members are required to track time and submit on-line timesheets twice per month. They are also required to submit a monthly report through the same system (training will be provided). The person selected for this position will perform his/her/their day to day service at the partner site and serve on average 40 hours per week. Normal service hours will be listed as 8:30 – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday with 30 minutes for lunch. Occasional evening and weekend service will be noted. Members are eligible for all Federal Holidays off (except Dr. Martin King Jr. Day) and five (5) days off during the service term.
It is expected that the person will be flexible as oftentimes service requires some evenings and weekends.

Members are expected to attend and participate in all LISC AmeriCorps sponsored activities including but not limited to:

• Attending onboarding sessions coordinated by LISC;Attending a national leadership conference in the spring of 2022;
• Attending all locally sponsored monthly meetings;
• Participating in nationally sponsored webinars;
• Actively participating in at least two team coordinated service projects (one for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and one for National AmeriCorps Week); and,
• Engaging in any other LISC events as determined by the local LISC office.

• Desire and ability to work with a diverse group of people, particularly those living in low-income distressed neighborhoods.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Computer skills.
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Freelance or professional experience in marketing and content design.
• Intensive experience with social media and digital audience engagement.
• Must be goal oriented; have ability to effectively communicate, meet deadlines, independently work and be self-motivated.
• Ability to build trusting relationships within the agency and with community partners.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule (some night and weekends may be required).
• Advanced Spanish proficiency preferred.

Program Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to participate as a LISC AmeriCorps member the candidate: (1) must not have previously resigned from a LISC AmeriCorps position; (2) be able to earn at least 74% of the education award for this position; and (3) if having previously served, been exited with satisfactory service from a prior term.

The candidate will also need to meet all AmeriCorps eligibility requirements including but not limited to:

• Be at least 17 years of age (there is no upper age limit).
• Possess unexpired proof of status as a US citizen or possess unexpired permanent resident status and be able to provide documentation as determined by AmeriCorps during the pre-enrollment period.
• Meet the National Service Criminal History Check Requirement noted below.

National Service Criminal History Check Requirement

If a candidate has a criminal record, it does not necessarily make him/her/them ineligible for service. LISC does not disclose any results with the host site and will discuss any eligibility concerns that may arise directly with the candidate as per LISC’s policy.

Candidates being offered and accepting this AmeriCorps position must consent to a search of the National Sex Offender Public Website, State Level Criminal History Search, and an FBI search. LISC should receive the results from all checks at least one week prior to the first day of proposed service. The person must be cleared for service by LISC prior to the first day of service.

A candidate may not be considered eligible for service in instances where he/she/they: (1) are subject to registry on the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW); and/or (2) has been convicted of murder; and/or (3) has a non-resolved/non-adjudicated criminal offense.