The Community Engagement VISTA will support and increase the capacity of the United Way of the Piedmont (UWP) Engagement team to increase the number of community nonprofits implementing effective volunteer practices and increase the number of community volunteers successfully placed by UWP. The VISTA will develop volunteer opportunities to support UWP’s Financial Stability goals of increasing the number of financially self-sufficient individuals and families in the Spartanburg, Cherokee, & Union County communities.
Volunteer Engagement (90% of time)
The VISTA member will increase the number of community nonprofits implementing effective volunteer practices.
- Research volunteer management best practices
- Complete training on Get Connected volunteer matching portal
- Develop a series of learning opportunities for local nonprofits to share best practices, improve use of Get Connected, and promote collaborative problem-solving
- Work with Sr. Director of Engagement to implement volunteer management learning series
- Develop & deploy training assessments; analyze results and make future recommendations
- Develop a community volunteer engagement survey to gather baseline data about the use of volunteers within the nonprofit sector locally
- Distribute survey and analyze results, creating a summary presentation to share with UWP staff and board members and community members
Expand community involvement in Quarterly Projects and Days of Service.
- Evaluate past community involvement and identify areas for growth, particularly among underrepresented population groups
- Develop a targeted outreach & communication plan in collaboration with Corporate Engagement Associate, Director of Marketing, & Sr. Director of Engagement.
- Deploy outreach plan, collaborating with other UWP departments as appropriate
- Update Get Connected site and communicate with all community volunteers recruited through the site
- Facilitate logistics for community members and collect feedback, impact stories, and appropriate data for internal assessment
Integrate existing volunteer engagement data into StratusLive (Customer Relationship Management [CRM] software) so all internal stakeholders have a clear picture of current & historical engagement.
- Complete training in StratusLive (SL)
- Using 18-19 VISTA’s Strategic Implementation Plan, import and update volunteer engagement data
- Design and implement reporting processes to demonstrate impact and value of volunteerism
- Make recommendations for process improvements
- Work with StratusLive and UWP Data Manager to identify and implement workflows, import procedures, and a training guide to increase efficiency of processes
- Train UWP staff and volunteers on data-hygiene and strategic plan
Engage students at the nine local higher education institutions in the United Way of the Piedmont footprint to develop future advocates and donors.
- Identify existing collegiate service groups across the region
- Convene a meeting to discuss how UWP can support collegiate service and how service groups can collaborate
- Facilitate ongoing engagement in volunteer and advocacy opportunities
- Evaluate engagement strategies and effectiveness
- Develop a strategic engagement plan to involve college students in UWP’s work, specifically financial stability work
- In collaboration with the Sr. Director of Engagement, implement plan and assess results
Increase resources available to support volunteerism in the community.
- Research other United Ways to identify methods of generating revenue or sponsorship support for volunteerism
- Make recommendations to Sr. Director of Engagement for revenue-generating activities
- In collaboration with Grants Manager, identify potential engagement grant opportunities
- In collaboration with Corporate Engagement Associate and Resource Development team, identify potential engagement sponsorship opportunities (e.g., branded bags for Bags of Love)
- Write proposals, grants, and make pitches to corporate partners
- Develop and implement impact tracking tools to deliver results back to funding partners
Document departmental processes and procedures to ensure sustainability.
- Shadow all members of the Engagement team and key members of the Resource Development, Community Impact, and Administrative teams to learn how activities are interrelated and success is measured
- Document departmental procedures for key tasks to create an “Intern Handbook”
- Identify inconsistencies, omissions, or duplications of processes or procedures and create a plan to address; present findings to Sr. Director of Engagement
VISTA Community Projects (10% of time)
- Participate in a supplemental project with other VISTA members designed to foster collaboration and problem-solving for (a) community-wide issue(s).
- The VISTA team will gather one half-day each week to share different perspectives and experiences gained through their work on-site and work together on (a) project(s).
- Passion for United Way Mission & Values
- Relationship Oriented
- Collaboration
- Results-Oriented
- Brand Steward
- Initiative
- Responsibility
- Excellent Communication Skills
- Time/Project Management
- Technologically Proficient
Education and/or Experience
- At least one semester of experience as a volunteer, leader of volunteers, or within the nonprofit sector. Alternately, an Associate degree in a related field and one year of experience in volunteer programs and/or the nonprofit sector.
Required Skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint and Google versions of these applications
- Excellent customer service skills
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to function as a member of a team
- Dependable, thorough, and attentive to details
- Interacts and establishes rapport with diverse individuals and groups
- Prioritize, execute, and shift between multiple assignments and projects while meeting deadlines
- Demonstrates initiative and the ability to work independently
- Fluent in English language, both oral and written, including correct punctuation, spelling and grammatical usage
Preferred Skills
- Knowledge of the Spartanburg, Cherokee, and/or Union communities
- Familiarity with general office equipment
- Prior experience designing and implementing training programs
- Prior experience creating and implementing volunteer programs and training
- Experience with Get Connected digital volunteerism platform
- Proficient with Microsoft CRM or StratusLive
Other Minimum Requirements
- Valid driver’s license and access to transportation throughout the workday
- Ability to lift 25 pounds occasionally
- Ability to work early morning, evening, or weekend hours occasionally as needed and with notice
VISTA members receive a modest living stipend ($12,800/yr), professional development, and training. A childcare allowance, health benefit, and student loan forbearance.
All AmeriCorps VISTA members who successfully complete their year of service are eligible to receive either an Education Award or a cash award, non-competitive eligibility for government job openings, and access to an extensive member network.