Stand for Children Job Opportunity

Stand for Children – a bold independent voice for public education reform – seeks an exceptional, driven individual to build and lead the organizing program in its new state affiliate in Colorado.

The Organization

Stand for Children’s mission is to use the power of grassroots action to help all children get the excellent public education and strong support they need to thrive. Stand for Children is a dual-entity organization, which includes Stand for Children Leadership Center, a 501(c)3, our leadership development organization, and Stand for Children, a 501(c)4, our grassroots membership and lobby for children which is also permitted to endorse candidates. To date, Stand for Children’s five state affiliates (OR, MA, TN, WA, and CO) have won more than one hundred victories that have impacted the lives of more than two million children.

We organize parents, educators, and other concerned community members into a strong, sustained constituency that:

• Helps elect strong local school board members, state legislators, and statewide elected officials who champion public schools.*
• Advocates for education reforms at the state and local level, including reforms that increase teacher and principal effectiveness, support school autonomy with accountability, and expand instructional time, that improve student achievement and close the achievement gap.
• Lobbies the state legislature for strategic K-12 investments and then ensures local school districts spend those dollars wisely.
• Campaigns for referenda and needed school construction bonds and operating levies.

The Position

Stand for Children seeks an outstanding individual to build and manage the organizing program in our new state affiliate in Colorado.

Expected Outcomes

The Colorado Organizing Director is responsible for ensuring the Colorado affiliate reaches a minimum of eight staff organizers, 12 Chapters, 1600 dues-paying members, and 10,000 supporters by the end of 2011.

Responsibilities

• Hiring talented Organizers and managing Organizers to reach quarterly goals and continually improve their skills and leadership; develop Organizers into Supervisors and Area Directors;
• Developing a state growth strategy that locates Chapters and Organizers in order to maximize Stand for Children’s state and local impact on education issues;
• Designing and managing successful education reform lobbying and electoral campaigns at the local and state levels and maximizing Stand member mobilization for those campaigns;
• Ensuring organizers maximize membership revenue and, as much as possible, cultivate major individual donor gifts;
• Helping to facilitate the creation of state policy platforms.

Support

The Colorado Organizing Director of Stand for Children will be joining a national team of professionals committed to substantially improving educational outcomes in state affiliates across the country. Stand for Children’s national organization will provide strong administrative and program support to assist the Colorado Organizing Director in building a strong Colorado affiliate, including staff hiring and training support, best practices and tools for effective campaigns, and budgeting and financial support.

Qualifications and Qualities Required

• Passionate belief in Stand for Children’s mission to improve public schools;
• An entrepreneurial and systematic orientation combined with the tremendous drive, management ability, and learning orientation necessary to achieve outcomes;
• Minimum of 3 years of community organizing, political organizing, campaigning, lobbying, or relevant leadership experience, and willingness to spend the first 4-6 months in the position building a Stand for Children chapter in order to learn Stand for Children’s organizing approach;
• Applicable supervision experience;
• Strong interpersonal, communications, and team-building skills;
• Strong alignment with Stand for Children’s core values, which are: results for all children; bold independence; empowering, entrepreneurial leadership, being the change we seek, and direct and respectful communication;
• Fluency or proficiency in Spanish a strong plus.

To Apply

Stand for Children is an equal opportunity employer and candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply for the position, please send a resume and cover letter to employment@stand.org. Please specify interest in this position by inserting “Colorado Organizing Director” in your email subject field. No calls please.

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* These activities are only funded by and permissible under Stand for Children, the 501(c)4.