JOB Description
Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) Program Co-Manager
Reports to: Senior Capacity Building Co-Director
Direct Reports: 6-9 Coaching Consultants
Works with: Capacity Building Department
Location: This is a full-time, telecommuting position.
FLSA/Classification: Exempt, Full-time, Regular
Union fication: Bargaining Unit position
Salary: $ 100,700
Overview of the Organization: For nearly 20 years, Groundswell Fund has put intersectional grassroots organizing led by women of color, including transgender and gender expansive people of color, at the center of our giving. We have provided an essential irrigation system for social justice movements – a channel into which individual donors and foundations can pour resources to reach vital work at the grassroots. In the process, we have modeled and manifested a remarkable kind of philanthropy.
With 800 individual donors and 40 national foundations giving into Groundswell; women of color and TGNC people of color who come out of grassroots organizing deciding where those resources go; and over 200 grantees led mostly by WOC and TGNC people of color receiving our support; Groundswell is proof that solidarity and beloved community across lines of race, class and gender is indeed possible.
Building on our 17-year track-record of success ($100M in grants and capacity-building moved to the field thus far), in December 2020, Groundswell launched our new 2020-2025 Blueprint to move $100M to the field (through our c3 and c4 entities) by 2025. The Blueprint offers a pathway for Groundswell to stay the course in our existing successful strategic direction and to innovate in response to new learnings and the unique needs of this historic moment.
Impact: Since 2003, Groundswell has moved more than $100 million to the field in grants and capacity building support; increased the giving of dozens of national and local foundations; and helped bring thousands of new individual donors into the RJ movement. Our grantees have been instrumental in 538 policy victories at the state and local level to either pass pro-RJ policies or block regressive ones, and they have built a growing grassroots base of support for RJ across the U.S. Groundswell is proof that solidarity and beloved community across lines of race, class and gender is indeed possible. In December 2020, Groundswell launched our new 2020-2025 Blueprint to move an additional $100M to the field (through our c3 and c4 entities) by 2025. The Blueprint offers a pathway for Groundswell to stay the course in our existing successful strategic direction and to innovate in response to new learnings and the unique needs of this historic moment.
Integrated Voter Engagement Program: Groundswell’s Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) Program supports organizations with a deep investment of resources to engage under-represented constituencies in grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, systems change, and the democratic process in an ongoing, non-partisan way; within and beyond election cycles. Currently, the IVE program supports 20 organizations to integrate a year-round voter engagement strategy to increase voter participation among underrepresented constituencies, while helping organizations scale up the core power-building components of their work. Grantee partners in the IVE Program expand their grassroots base of leaders and volunteers, forge and deepen organizational alliances that increase their reach and influence and strengthen relationships with public officials. This model integrates a year-round organizing and voter engagement approach to achieve policy wins and systems change.
Position Summary: The IVE Program Co-Manager (IVE Co-PM) is responsible for co-leading the oversight and implementation of Groundswell’s Integrated Voter Engagement program alongside its counterpart, another IVE PM. The PMs will develop and manage strategic annual work plans and budgets and making grant recommendations. IVE PMs will manage the relationship with IVE grantee partners, being the primary liaison between Groundswell and grantee partners, and in collaboration with their respective coach. The PMs will manage the respective team of coaching consultants to ensure successful implementation of the program. The PMs will collaborate with the CB trainer and Data Manager to produce reports and data analysis for program effectiveness. The IVE Program Manager will work with the Senior Capacity Building Co-Director to ensure that goals, plans, and programs are building grantee partners’ capacity to meet the five-year organizational goals for the IVE program as laid out in Groundswell’s Blueprint. Each new IVE Program Manager will support 10 IVE grantee partners.
Responsibilities:
Program Management
· Set the direction, development, implementation, and evaluation of the IVE program, in alignment with Groundswell’s Blueprint goals, in coordination with other IVE PM, and in consultation with the Co-Director.
· Develop and manage the annual IVE cohort learning objectives, process, and activities calendar.
· Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with program participants and other key stakeholders within their organizations.
· Track participants’ integrated voter engagement goals and outcomes.
· Recruit and collaborate with coach consultants to ensure participants receive tailored technical assistance and other support in alignment with learning goals and in compliance with 501(c)(3) requirements.
· Coordinate with CB team and consultants (as needed) to plan learning activities, including convenings and webinars.
· Conduct grantee site visits.
· Collaborate with the Grassroots Organizing Institute’s Program Manager to ensure alignment of programs offerings, trainings, and processes, specifically related to grassroots organizing and when appropriate.
Grantmaking
· Assess proposals and support gathering of necessary grantee documents and information.
· Identify prospective grantees and grant funding in alignment with Groundswell’s mission and Blueprint strategy.
· Manage program onboarding and off-boarding for grantees to successfully mature out of the IVE program according to Groundswell’s 5-year Blueprint goals.
· Review grant proposals and budgets to determine lobbying levels and to ensure advocacy remains within allowable 501(c)(3) lobbying limits.
Funder Organizing
· Serve as Groundswell Fund’s IVE program spokesperson for events with funder, donors, and philanthropic affinity groups.
· Represent Groundswell Fund at external-facing philanthropic and movement-level meetings and conferences.
· Produce comprehensive reports on IVE program impact, including rigorous data tracking and analysis.
Administration
· Review and approve IVE coach consultant invoices monthly, in coordination with CB Operations Manager.
· Monitor program budget for expenditures and communicate needed adjustments throughout the year.
· Archive detailed and organized notes from calls, meetings and convenings in SharePoint.
Qualifications:
Essential:
· Aligned with the Mission and Vision of GSF
· Minimum of 7 years of experience with field organizing, base building, community-based organization with directly impacted folks running integrated voter engagement campaigns and strategies AND
· Minimum of 5 years of experience running local and/or state campaigns, as a campaign director or in a leadership role within a nonprofit.
· Experience with and knowledge of 501(c)(3) lobbying rules; understanding of (c)(3) and (c)(4) limits.
· Leads with a racial justice and intersectional analysis lens and experience working with women, LGBTQ, people of color-led organizations.
Strongly Preferred
· Experience with running capacity building programs in philanthropy or non-profits.
· Demonstrated track record of successfully managing multiple projects, planning backwards, managing upwards, anticipating obstacles, identifying and involving stakeholders appropriately, prioritizing and using resources wisely.
· Proficiency and knowledge in new and advanced digital strategies and tools to engage and organize voters.
Preferred
· Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) with ability to develop and deliver compelling presentations to diverse audiences.
· Proficient at facilitating meetings and trainings of large groups for cohesion, relationship-building and curriculum success.
· Experience managing staff and/or consultants.
· Bilingual, Spanish/English is a plus.
· Knowledgeable to proficient experience with Reproductive Justice.
· Knowledgeable to proficient experience with Gender Justice.
Virtual Organization: Groundswell is a completely virtual organization and has been for many years before the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to building a strong identity and thriving culture that is exemplary in the nonprofit world and in the greater landscape of fully remote organizations. To succeed as remote workers, applicants should have a dedicated workspace, a commitment to clear and frequent communication, and comfort utilizing technology to increase collaboration and connection. Those with previous remote work experience are preferred, but we also welcome those who are new to remote work and understand the requirements of working in a thriving virtual organizational culture. When travel is safe again, we will have the opportunity to travel and see each other in person for retreats, conferences, and events; but until then, all our work is virtual. Work Schedule: Groundswell is a completely virtual organization, allowing for flexibility in work schedules for our staff across differing U.S. time zones. While work can usually be completed during standard business hours of the applicant's time zone, there may be times where early morning, evening, and weekend work may be needed to ensure organization-wide collaboration, to staff or attend events, and/or to meet organization workload needs during busy times of the year. When travel is possible again, staff whose jobs require travel can expect longer hours, as travel may happen outside of business hours and on weekends.
Computer Skills: Experience with data and targeting tools such as the VAN, PDI and modeling. To perform this job successfully, an individual should have an openness to learning and working with technology, including Microsoft Office 365 and suite of programs, Gsuite, Slack, Asana, and Zoom.
Travel: When travel is safe again, must be available to travel up to 12 times/year for overnight events/meetings across the U.S. Travel needs will be evaluated and determined on an ongoing basis with an eye toward staff safety as we continue navigating COVID-19.
Compensation/Benefits: Annual salary is $100,700. Very generous benefits include fully paid for employee and family health, dental, vision, matching 401K plan, as well as additional employer-provided reimbursements for fertility expenses, transgender health care costs and midwifery/doula expenses that are not covered by insurance. Three weeks of vacation upon hire and a generous holiday schedule including a week during the summer and the last two weeks of December, as well as a flexible work schedule.
To Apply: Please email a resume, three professional references, and a cover letter that includes your salary expectations and describes why you feel you are a strong candidate for this position to hr@groundswellfund.org. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position has been filled. Due to the high volume of applications, only those selected for further discussion will be contacted. Please, no phone calls.
Equal Employment Opportunity: The Groundswell Fund is a 501(c)(3) public charity incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. We are committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and that enables each of us to realize our potential. Our work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of races, ethnicities, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, religions, faiths and ideologies, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and levels of physical ability.