job: director, Boston

[colist at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

 From:    kwhalen63 at comcast.net

Boston Parent Organizing Network
     September 22, 2003


Dear community organization,

As members of the Steering Committee of the Boston Parent 
Organizing Network (BPON), we are writing to alert you to a critical 
position in the field of parent organizing now open in Boston - Director 
of the Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON). The BPON Director 
will help lead a network of 36 community and school-based 
organizations to organize parents, students, families, and other 
community members to improve the Boston Public Schools.  The 
position of BPON Director is an exciting opportunity for someone who 
has had experience in organizing for social change, and in managing 
staff and administering programs.  

The parent organizers and activists of BPON’s 36 member 
organizations help parents become more involved and assume a major 
role in decisions affecting their children's education.  BPON provides a 
central connection for these efforts and offers resources, training, and 
funding for organizing projects. BPON provides six major organizing 
grants to community groups to employ full-time parent organizers in 
their neighborhoods and/or constituencies. Currently, BPON supports 
full-time organizing staff in the Black Ministerial Alliance, Dudley Street 
Neighborhood Initiative, Jamaica Plain Organizing Project (a 
collaboration between Hyde Square Task Force and City Life/Vida 
Urbana) ACORN, La Sociedad Latina and East Boston Ecumenical 
Community Council. BPON also provides smaller grants that support 
school-based agendas for change, and that target geographic areas 
and/or groups that are not addressed by the major BPON-funded 
projects.  

The BPON Director provides critical campaign, organizing and training 
support for BPON parent organizing groups, as well as overall 
facilitation and management of the network. Please post and look at the 
job description pasted below and attached in both Microsoft Word and 
Acrobat format. Help us by sharing it with potential candidates whom 
you may have in mind.  The job description can also be downloaded 
from http://www.bpon.org.   

General inquiries regarding the position should go to Brendan 
McCaffery, BPON Communications Coordinator, at 617-373-4350.  

Thank you ahead of time for your consideration and help!  

In solidarity,  


For the Transition Team of the BPON Steering Committee:  

Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, Sociedad Latina, Owen Toney, ACORN, 
Claudio Martínez, Hyde Square Task Force, Lucia Santana, City 
Life/Vida Urbana, Klare Shaw, Barr Foundation, Henry Allen, Hyams 
Foundation, Brendan McCaffery and Linda Peterson, Institute for 
Responsive Education  



Employment Opportunity Director, Boston Parent Organizing Network  

The mission of the Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON) is to 
organize a diverse constituency of parents, students, family and other 
community members to support and advocate for improvement of the 
Boston Public Schools (BPS).  This approach is based on the belief that 
a strong and informed parent and community constituency organizing 
and mobilizing for school change is critical to academic and social 
success of children. BPON is a network of community- and school- 
based organizations organizing for change in the BPS.  BPON awards 
grants to core groups to support their local organizing efforts and acts 
as a vehicle for collective actions and campaigns.  With BPON staff 
members, the Director will assist grantees in setting goals and will 
provide support for local organizing, coordinate and facilitate collective 
actions, and involve and integrate non-funded members in those 
activities. BPON also acts as a central connection for members through 
information sharing, peer support, networking, training, and strategy 
development.  BPON functions in a democratic culture of partnership 
reflected in its structure of governing bodies and subcommittees drawn 
from its membership that guide the direction of the network.  It is the 
responsibility of the BPON Director to facilitate the activities and 
decision-making of these bodies and help provide a vision for the 
network.  The Institute for Responsive Education, an organization with 
thirty years of experience researching and advocating for school, 
family, community partnerships to raise student outcomes, is the fiscal 
and coordinating agent for BPON.  

Primary Responsibilities: Organizing and Campaign Support ·	
Facilitate the support of local organizing for funded and non-funded 
members; ·	Work with committees and member organizations to 
plan and coordinate network campaigns and collaborations. 
Management and Supervision ·	Facilitate governance of the network 
through Steering Committee and subcommittee work groups; ·	Design 
and execute short term and long term plans for BPON activities with 
Steering Committee; ·	Oversee the coordination and planning of 
meetings, conferences, training programs and other events; ·	
Supervise, inspire, and empower BPON staff of (currently full time 
Administrative Coordinator and half time Training Coordinator, 
Communications Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant). ·	
Oversee grantee assessment and re-grant funds to approved 
organizations with the Review Committee.  Capacity Building ·	
Strengthen the membership program by expanding the membership 
base, conducting outreach, and maintaining a dynamic and supportive 
relationship among BPON funded and non-funded members; ·	
Oversee and coordinate data gathering, policy analysis, peer learning, 
information sharing, networking activities, and training; Fundraising and 
Finance ·	Manage the financial health of the Network; ·	
Spearhead fund-raising strategies in collaboration with the Steering 
Committee; ·	Write grants and reports in support of BPON; ·	Design 
and execute an annual budget with the Steering Committee; Promotion 
of the Network ·	Promote BPON with education groups and activists, 
community-based groups, academics, media, policy-makers, and other 
constituencies; ·	Develop an effective external communications/ 
marketing plan with the subcommittee work groups.  

Qualifications: ·	5+ years proven experience doing grassroots 
community organizing and working with coalitions ·	Strong 
organizational and management skills ·	Knowledge of urban education 
issues, with preference for experience with BPS ·	Strong 
fundraising skills including grant and report writing experience ·	Strong 
verbal and written communication skills ·	Ability to work in a 
collaborative setting and with diverse groups ·	Ability to work 
independently; a “self starter” ·	Bilingual skills in the language of a 
major BPS language group preferred ·	To reflect the BPS population, 
candidates of color are encouraged to apply.  

Salary Range: Competitive salary and benefits, depending upon 
experience Resume and cover letter due by October 7th, 2003.  Mail or 
fax to: HR Manager, BPON, Institute for Responsive Education, 21 
Lake Hall, Northeastern University, Boston, MA  02115, Fax: (617) 373-
8839 or email to: b.mccaffery at neu.edu.   BPON is an Equal 
Opportunity Employer.