To make our vision of ending educational inequity a reality, Teach for America must connect and engage our 3000 alumni. In order to maximize on the leadership of our full alumni base we must provide spaces and experience for our alumni to come together to feel connected, valued, and empowered. Our alumni are critical agents of change in the Chicago-Northwest Indiana region and we know their ability to stay in Chicago and continue to impact change is hinged on the extent to which they feel valued, connected, and tapped for their unique leadership potential.
The Manager, Alumni Network Strategy will play an integral role in ensuring that we are developing and executing on a strong vision and direction for network wide connectivity, culture, and engagement. The Manager, Alumni Network Strategy will be responsible for developing and managing an annual experiences calendar. This calendar will include network wide opportunities as well as sub-section engagements (ie. CPS staff, etc.). Additionally, they will partner with each member of the Alumni Leadership Team to ensure we have a connected and strategic year-long plan to value and honor the impact of our alumni network. Finally, this role will play a role in ensuring that we are cultivating stewards in our non-education based alumni by managing tools and opportunities for those alumni to get involved in volunteering, mentoring, etc.
The Manager, Alumni Network Strategy is a member of the Program Team and reports to the Senior Managing Director of Alumni Leadership.
Program/Project Management and Facilitation (45%)
- Under the guidance of the SMD, Alumni Leadership and D, Network Strategy create and execute on a vision for annual network wide events and programs including but not limited to Alumni Town Halls, spark and inspire events, Alumni Appreciation Week, Alumni Fall Kick-off events, and the Mid-Year Celebration.
- Serve as an initial alumni contact and conduct one-on-one conversations to strategically determine the appropriate program or Alumni Leadership Team member and connect them accordingly.
- Set vision for and manage our annual Alumni Impact Night which celebrates our 2nd year corps members transitioning into alumnihood
- Support the management and facilitation of alumni collective leadership network programming including the COLLECTIVE, our alumni of color board, PRISM, our LGBTW board, and Alumni Leadership council
- Partner with CM experience teams to co-vision, plan, and training alumni to offer and facilitate affinity groups spaces annually for our alumni
Community Building and Culture Activation (35%)
- Support the D, Alumni Network strategy with the visioning and implementation of strategy for online community building with our national online platform CONNECT and managing social media communities
- Coordinate events and collaborate with the Director, Communications to develop effective and inclusive marketing and communication initiatives which celebrate the work of our alumni team
- Manage the vision, annual marketing, planning, and selection of annual Alumni Awards
- Partner with the Director, Alumni Network Strategy to develop annual marketing materials to mail and distribute to our alumni base
- Under the guidance of the D, Alumni Network Strategy manage annual strategies and follow-up related to data collected in our annual alumni survey (focus groups, 1x1 survey follow-up meetings, etc.)
- Manage a system to support our non-education alumni to volunteer and connect with the organization and other members including networking, volunteering and mentoring
- Partner with our External Affairs team to develop a strategy to launch and implement our alumni giving campaign and provide cultivation of alumni for our auxiliary board
- Act as the lead contact and facilitator to national teams, partners, and alumni who are looking to connect and access our larger alumni base (admissions, recruitment, CLE, etc.)
Team Responsibilities (10%)
- Prepare for and lead check ins with your manager around progress toward your goals and your ongoing development
- Coordinate with members of the corps experience teams to ensure clarity of vision and alignment across corps members and alumni experience milestones and outcomes (arc of experience)
- Collaborate with members of the Program team to execute against collective team goals and support the administration of regional and national initiatives (alumni survey, etc.)
- Partner with the Coordinator, Alumni Leadership to ensure we access and engage with team level systems to track and maintain data in our TFACT database
- Partner with Teach For America’s national organization to leverage leadership development opportunities for alumni teachers facilitated by the national organization
Collective Responsibilities (10%)
- Fulfill foundational responsibilities that allow our region to do our work, make decisions, grow as professionals, and strengthen our team culture, including but not limited to attending regional meetings, operating with our Core Values and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness, completing our performance management cycle, and upholding our data management, office operations and fiscal responsibilities
- Make a direct impact on the organizational mission of enlisting, developing and mobilizing leaders to strengthen the movement for educational equity by participating in selection (6-10 days total plus preparation and close out time), matriculation (up to six windows across the year), regional recruitment activity, member facing events (including Leadership Summits and Summer Training), our alumni giving campaign, alumni survey, and at least one regional or national committee/working group, and other initiatives that impact our members and partners
- 3-5+ years of relevant work experience preferred
- Experience planning and executing small and large events and experience designing and executing strong, outcomes-based programming required
- Experience designing, implementing, and assessing large and small scale events. Experience convening and facilitating affinity-based spaces and programs preferred
- Experience convening and coordinating volunteer-led activities
- Complex project management experience preferred
Skills
- Building Relationships and Influencing Others
- Building Relationships & Networks: Ability to manage key relationships to set mutual goals and pilot and implement programming or our alumni
- Influencing Others to Achieve Outcomes: Ability to collaborate with and enlist colleagues in the delivery of excellent, effective programming aimed at advancing alumni culture and connectivity
- Communicating Effectively: Able to persuasively articulate objectives of alumni programming, verbally and in writing, using a variety of media, to drive attendance and participation of members.
- Communicating Effectively: Demonstrates a growing ability to engage with alumni, via phone, email, and in-person meetings, in order to assess current leadership opportunities and make strong referrals on behalf of members
- Operating and Managing
- Operating, Planning, & Executing: Ability to organize, plan, and execute high quality programming for alumni within stated program timelines and objectives. Able to maintain up-to-date program data and monitor progress toward collective deadlines
- Reasoning and Strategic Thinking
- Making Decisions & Demonstrating Judgement: Demonstrates an ability to utilize available data and context to channel and refer alumni to the appropriate program, person, organization, or resources.
- Conducting Analysis: Ability to gather and analyze data in order to monitor program outcomes and to inform or adjust strategy related to advancing regional strategic priorities
- Synthesizing, Integrating, & Developing Strategies: Ability to organize and develop resources, tools, and strategies connected to the engagement of our broader alumni community. Ability to design and implement events and activities that will foster a robust and inclusive member culture and network
Work Demands
- Will need to be available for work activities 1-2 evenings a week and 1-2 weekends per month
- Will need to travel independently throughout Chicago for meetings and events