job: director, Connecticut, with salary info

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

From: Gwendolyn Forrest <gmforrest at hotmail.com>


Dear Fellow Comm-Orgers,

This is an ideal position for an experienced organizer interested in 
taking on a new role and directing an organization that has a strong 
core of leaders and a solid vision.

Please feel free to contact me at gmforrest at hotmail.com to discuss the 
position further, and please pass this job posting along to others.

Thank you,

Gwendolyn Forrest
Teach Our Children
New Haven, CT

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Organizational Description:
Under the fiscal sponsorship of Third Sector New England (TSNE), Teach 
Our Children was founded in January 2006 by three New Haven natives - 
two parents and a community organizer. TOC is a parent-led community 
organization whose mission is to ensure that we as parents are truly 
involved with education policy and decision-making and rightfully 
acknowledged as critical participants in the success of our school 
system. TOC’s goal is effective education organizing: building parent 
leadership to ensure the active participation of parents in the process 
of school improvement with a focus on concrete results. We develop our 
agenda through a democratic decision-making process in which parents 
collectively identify specific, widely felt issues, conduct research, 
strategize, and engage decision-makers.

Responsibilities of Organizing Director:
The role of the Organizing Director is to create the arena for effective 
education organizing by developing and supervising organizing staff who 
identify, train, support and challenge leaders as they build the power 
of the organization and its members.

The Organizing Director is responsible for overseeing and developing 
TOC’s three main areas of activity:
• Membership Development includes parent leaders and staff conducting 
school dismissal outreach at elementary and middle schools, conducting 
door-to-door outreach to low-income parents, and meeting with local 
organizations.
• Leadership Development includes parent leaders facilitating meetings 
with members and with funders, acquiring organizing skills through 
training, and serving on the Leadership Team (Board of Directors).
• Issue Campaign Development includes parent leaders and staff 
conducting issue-specific research and communicating with allies, and 
parent leaders meeting with school officials and garnering press coverage.

In addition, the Organizing Director is responsible for facilitating all 
areas of Organizational Development, including supervising staff, 
grantwriting and fundraising, and long-term planning.

Salary & Benefits:
Salary commensurate with experience (or $40,000) including paid vacation 
and holidays; Full health coverage including sick days; Paid mileage for 
work-related travel; Salary increases to be determined and negotiated 
with Board of Directors.

Prerequisite Experience:
• At least five years of community organizing experience
• Significant skills in and commitment to leadership development
• Dedication to integrity and accountability
• Experience with membership development, issue campaign development, 
leadership development and organizational development
• Excellent written communication
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to set and achieve 
multiple goals
• Experience writing grants, fundraising, and managing a budget
• Experience and demonstrated quality in supervising staff
• Experience developing and using evaluation tools
• Bilingual abilities (Spanish and English)

Organization History:
Since it’s founding in January 2006, TOC has accomplished the following:

Leadership Development and Issue Campaign Development
• Successfully amended Board of Education policy changes that threatened 
to limit parents’ and the public’s access to schools and ability to 
participate in school board meetings
• Secured the enforcement of a policy allowing students to take home 
textbooks
• Initiated campaigns developed by parent leaders to reinstate recess at 
elementary schools and held press conference highlighting poor 
leadership at one school, garnering press and administrative response
• Trained parent leaders in basics of organizing and to plan and 
facilitate meetings, information sessions, outreach, and lead all 
organizational development

Membership Development
• Built membership of over 250 parents through neighborhood and school 
outreach and one-on-one meetings
• Held numerous parent meetings, information sessions and prep meetings

Organizational Development
• Created 8 member Board of Directors made up entirely of parent leaders
• Raised $144,500 from local, regional and national foundations and 
individual donors and hired first full-time organizer in January 2007

To Apply
Applications by email strongly encouraged. Please send a resume, cover 
letter and list of three references to: toc at jobs.tsne.org. Applications 
will be reviewed beginning January 15, 2008. Hire date is flexible. 
Applications by mail or fax to TSNE, Nonprofit Center, 89 South Street, 
Boston, MA 02111 or fax: (617) 523-2070
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