Month: September 2023

Engagement Director: Wissahickon Trails

The Engagement Director is charged with creating and supporting avenues for our organization to listen and respond to public input and for the public to learn about the environment and become increasingly engaged in efforts to protect and restore their local land and waterways. They will provide strategic oversight and management for our community outreach, volunteer, environmental education, community science, and nature programs, ensuring that these efforts are aligned and collectively provide sufficient opportunity for people to continue to deepen their engagement with our mission. The Engagement Director will lead and mentor a team of two full-time and two part-time staff.

The Engagement Director is a member of the organizational leadership team and is expected to be a role model for staff of the integrity, innovation, and joy we can bring to our everyday work. We are seeking someone who is eager to contribute to a culture that values relationships, and whose leadership style prioritizes listening to others and serving the best interests and needs of our internal and external communities. This is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the Executive Director. Some work on weekends and evenings is required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

    • Provide strategic oversight and management of engagement programs (programs include, but are not limited to volunteer, community outreach, community science, environmental education, and nature programs) ensuring all programs are aligned with our strategic plan, that they are equitable and inclusive, and that they are in compliance with internal policies and state, local, and federal laws
    • Build relationships with community leaders and organizations. Identify and pursue mutually beneficial program partnerships
    • Plan and implement an iterative program improvement process; this will include program evaluations and a process for measuring key outcomes for each of our programs. Report on program outcomes on a regular basis
    • Work with the administrative team to set the annual budget for the department based on a clear and comprehensive understanding of organizational priorities. Oversee the financial activities of the department in collaboration with the Finance Director
    • Manage and support the Engagement team, ensuring that the team has the resources and skills needed to meet department objectives and key results and all other aspects of their work. Provide regular feedback on staff performance and provide support and opportunities for growth
    • Secure funding for engagement programs through full-cycle grant management and by collaborating with the Development team on major donor relationships and helping to identify new donor prospects from among our volunteers and program participants
    • Collaborate with the Conservation team on strategic opportunities to engage people in our conservation work and on public programs and educational opportunities
    • Collaborate with the Communications Specialist on program-related communications
    • Provide support and information to the Board as required. Serve as liaison to appropriate Board committees as requested by the Executive Director
    • Special projects as assigned

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Associate Director, Annual Giving: University of Pennsylvania

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Job Description Summary

Home to over a million extraordinary artifacts and archaeological finds, the Penn Museum has been uncovering our shared humanity across continents and millennia since 1887. In bridging archaeology, the study of objects made by humans, with anthropology, the science of humanity, we chart a course for finding one’s own place in the arc of human history. Our mission is to be a center for inquiry and the ongoing exploration of humanity for our University of Pennsylvania community, and regional, national, and global stakeholders, and our vision is to transform understanding of our common human experience.

The Associate Director, Annual Giving, will be part of a team of five frontline fundraisers working to advance the mission and the Museum Director’s Vision. The Associate Director will manage and grow the Museum’s leadership annual giving program—the Penn Museum Visionaries—serving, with the Assistant Director, Individual Gifts, as lead contact for this group. The Associate Director will manage the renewals program and set strategic direction for upgrades and acquisition, manage budgets, monitor and share with the Major Gifts team progress against goals through monthly reporting, and support Major Gifts officers in renewal efforts with their prospects.

The Associate Director will also oversee the Museum’s membership program and annual fund programs, supervising the Membership & Gifts Coordinator and project managing all large-scale appeals and engagement communications with a particular view to upgrades. Growing unrestricted gift revenue is a key priority for the Penn Museum Development program; of paramount importance is ensuring that the membership program is welcoming and accessible to underrepresented communities.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Advancement, the Associate Director will work closely with the Major Gifts team on Visionaries upgrades, acquisition, and renewals, and with the Marketing and Communications in ensuring that give/join messaging is integrated into all patron communications. The Associate Director will also jointly supervise, with the Director of Major Gifts, the Special Events & Meetings Coordinator in creating a fiscal year engagement calendar for Visionaries and members.

An immediate priority will be the oversight of migration of membership program data from the Museum’s Altru (Blackbaud) database to a Salesforce system managed by Penn’s Development and Alumni Relations department.

The Associate Director will be a confident in personally soliciting lead unrestricted gifts; a creative and enthusiastic team player; and a strategic thinker with a keen eye for detail.
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Executive Director: Parent Infant Center

A child’s earliest experiences are fundamentally influential. Quality early childhood education (ECE) is an effective two-generational approach that assists children in achieving school readiness and also helps families succeed. Situated near the University of Pennsylvania campus in an urban oasis, the Parent Infant Center (PIC) is a non-profit, NAEYC accredited, ECE and school-age program rooted in the Reggio Emilia philosophy and inspiration, play-based and project-based learning, and connecting children to nature.

PIC serves a diverse population of approximately 350 children ranging from 6 weeks to school age. Founded in 1978, PIC is an anchor organization in the West Philadelphia community, collaborating with the University and the local Penn Alexander elementary school. The Family Participation Program ensures that families are another strong source of collaboration and partnership for the Center; parents of children enrolled at PIC are active and engaged in classroom, Center, and community activities.

After more than a decade of leadership, the current Executive Director is retiring and the Board now seeks a full-time Executive Director. The Executive Director is the central driver of PIC’s mission. The Executive Director leads the administrative and teaching staff, represents PIC to our internal and external communities, guides the Board of Directors, and acts as steward of the Center’s vision.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced ECE professional with a passion for making a difference and experience working collaboratively with diverse audiences. The ideal candidate will demonstrate exceptional team management and leadership skills; honesty and integrity; strong interpersonal skills; ease and aptitude for interacting with PIC’s diverse community; commitment to creating a welcoming, positive environment; depth of knowledge of early childhood education; clear, professional communication; and tremendous accountability, flexibility, and adaptability.

The Position

The PIC Executive Director will work with PIC staff and Board to achieve the organizational mission to provide and increase access to high-quality ECE and school-age programs that: give children opportunities to learn through play; are led by valued, professional educators; and actively engage and support parents and families.

The major focus areas of this position will include:

1. Managing and leading internal teams to ensure PIC’s financial sustainability and growth, continuous quality improvement, and regulatory and accreditation compliance.
2. Engaging external stakeholders through clear and timely communication designed to foster positive purposeful relationships with partners, funders, and vendors.
3. Implementing the Strategic Plan, articulating the organizational vision, and consistently upholding PIC’s values.

The Executive Director serves as the fiscal, human resources, and facilities director for the Center. This includes responsibility for: the development and monitoring of the budget; recruitment and supervision of the management team; HR manual updates and consistent implementation of all HR policies and procedures; and, facilities cleanliness and maintenance. Building on a strong history of public funding, foundation grants, and individual donations, the Executive Director is the key driver of fundraising. The Executive Director provides leadership to staff in program planning and implementation, within guidelines of the Center’s philosophy, developmentally appropriate practices, accreditation standards, and licensing regulations. The Executive Director attends all Board meetings, staffs Board committees, supports the Board in fulfilling its roles and responsibilities, and serves as the liaison between Board and staff. Finally, the Executive Director is responsible for leading communication efforts to staff, families, and the PIC community, including keeping staff and parents informed of advocacy initiatives on behalf of children and families, especially those relating to early learning and school age care.
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