SUMMARY OF POSITION OBJECTIVES:

The Community Results Coordinator will co-lead and support the Collective Impact (CI) initiative called Elevate. Elevate’s goal is to build a strong educational pipeline that recognizes and fosters the talents of all students from cradle through career.

The position requires high levels of interpersonal and influencing skills, proficient facilitation, and the capacity to work across policy, systems, service and community system change.

The Community Results Coordinator will be a passionate, innovative, and dynamic leader focused on results and responsible for growing the Collective Impact initiative alongside community leaders. The role is in service to the initiative, driving the internal and external functions, including communications and community engagement.

You will be a member of a collaborative team, embracing Collective Impact, adaptive leadership, asset-based community development, design for social innovation and Results Based Accountability™.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Community Results Coordinator will work as part of an interdisciplinary team, working collaboratively to grow the movement for social change using the Collective Impact framework. The main focus of this role will be performing the backbone function for Elevate encompassing three key components:

Backbone

• Manage, lead, and facilitate Elevate’s working groups.
• Identify, engage and maintain relationships across multiple stakeholder groups, including: parents, youth, community leaders, philanthropy, business, non-profits, faith-based, health, and education.
• Provide guidance strategic advice, knowledge, and facilitation to develop and implement the population accountability plan.
• Co-design, implement and assess appropriate and effective community engagement strategies that drive transformative change.
• Facilitate access to population level data to inform decision making and implement shared measurement at the performance level.
• Perform qualitative research, analyze data, and communicate findings to local leaders and stakeholders.
• Identify, access and secure funding and resource streams.
• Use Results-Based Accountability™ to plan, monitor and evaluate initiative activity and progress.

Strategic Learning & Movement Building

• Learn and implement Collective Impact, Results-Based Accountability™, Asset-Based Community Development, Design for Social Innovation, Systems Theory, Adaptive Leadership, Community Organizing and other community development/engagement frameworks across Elevate’s initiatives and partners.
• Contribute to the identification and development of opportunities to strengthen the Collective Impact movement.
• Build capacity across Elevate’s Collective Impact initiatives through facilitation, training,

coaching, and advising.

Organizational responsibilities:

• Provide reports for performance measures, progress, and grants.
• Represent Elevate across a range of forums.
• Other duties as directed by the Executive Director.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• This role partners with Elevate staff to establish, develop and maintain strategic relationships.
• Collaboration with leadership groups, working groups and key stakeholders.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as: community development, community engagement, nonprofit management, education or social sciences.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Experience working with the Collective Impact framework.
• Experience with the principles of: Asset-Based Community Development, Community Organizing, Design for Social Innovation, Adaptive Leadership.
• Knowledge of project management fundamentals and experience managing complex projects.
• Experience applying Results Based Accountability™.
• Working knowledge of the Collective Impact framework.
• Working knowledge of Results Based Accountability™.

Essential Skills and Qualities

• Proficient with Microsoft Office, Powerpoint, Outlook, Excel, Zoom
• Demonstrated ability to manage the scope, requirements, deliverables, timeline, and resource needs of complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate diverse groups of stakeholders to achieve a common outcome.
• Alignment with Elevate’s strategic intentions to build the Collective Impact movement in

Walla Walla and Columbia counties in WA and Milton Freewater in OR.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Must be an effective and open communicator with multiple audiences, including residents, community-based organizations, all levels of government, philanthropic foundations, researchers and educators, health professionals and service providers.
• Strategic thinker with proven analytical skills, such as an ability to draw insightful conclusions from large amounts of quantitative and qualitative data.
• Advanced problem-solving and conflict resolution skills to work through and resolve key challenges.
• Be self-motivated, able to take initiative and work independently.
• Results oriented, with demonstrated performance in delivering outcomes and keeping commitments.
• Team player and willing to step up, fail and learn from mistakes, and share the learning with other team members.
• A creative thinker who can see possibilities beyond barriers.

Position Open until filled.

Post-Secondary Access and Success Project Request for Proposal           

RFP Issue Date: May 15, 2023

Response Due Date: June 1 2023, by 5 PM

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Elevate is a community partnership of diverse, cross-sector stakeholders working collaboratively to increase educational attainment in the Walla Walla Valley/northern Blue Mountain region by strengthening the educational pipeline, from cradle through career.

Priorities of Elevate:

The Elevate Steering Committee convened the Postsecondary Access and Success Working Group to address issues of postsecondary access and completion. The Working Group is made up of stakeholders from philanthropy, Gear-Up, community colleges (Walla Walla Walla Community College and Blue Mountain Community College), parents, Communities in Schools of the Blue Mountain Region, and afterschool and summer programs for youth.  The Working Group is a partner and key stakeholder on this project.

• The Post-Secondary Access and Success Working Group has chosen the following as its goal:
• Increase postsecondary enrollment from 60% to 70% by 2027 in our region consisting of Walla Walla and Columbia Counties in Washington State and Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

Project Description

Fewer students transitioning from high school are choosing to pursue postsecondary education, even though there is a more concerted effort and resources allocated toward accessing postsecondary education. The decline in postsecondary enrollment (and success) is cause for concern nationally, and especially in rural communities, as high value certificate and degree attainment is widely accepted as a necessary ingredient to individual socioeconomic mobility, strong local communities, and national well-being.

As more resources are dedicated to prepare prospective postsecondary students and their families for higher education, why are individuals forgoing education?  It is widely assumed that finances are the greatest barrier preventing prospective and current students from accessing or completing their education. However, that claim is insufficient and does not fully explain current enrollment trends. There are more financial resources available to support students now than in recent decades, especially for community and technical college students in Washington State, so why are potential students selecting to opt out postsecondary education?  

Elevate is seeking proposals for the design and execution of a qualitative study that will explain why individuals are not pursuing postsecondary education. That study will provide the Postsecondary Access and Success Working Group with information to inform a strategic planning process that results in goals and objectives to increase postsecondary enrollment and success. 

Elevate is seeking an external consultant or consulting firm to conduct research that will inform strategic action among local partners and key stakeholders.  Through the Elevate partnership, the awarded entity will receive support and access to a representative population for the purpose of interviews, focus groups, etc. Exchange with the partnership as the research unfolds will contribute to building local knowledge capacity and increase our readiness to move from research to action.

This project is funded for one year by a grant from the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC). A final report and all agreed upon deliverables shall be received by Elevate on March 1, 2023.

Budget

$80,000

Scope of Work

Interested parties shall submit a scope of work that includes research design, including methodology, timeline.

The awardee will design, organize and administer the research, which will culminate in a comprehensive written report. The contractor will report to the Elevate WSAC Grant team and Post-Secondary Access and Success Working Group. Upon completion, a summary of work and key findings will be presented to the Steering Committee, WSAC Grant team, and Post-Secondary Access and Success Working Group. The contract recipient will have local logistical support and meet regularly with representatives from Elevate to discuss the work as it progresses.

Prior to project completion a draft report that communicates key findings and strategy recommendations will be presented to members of the WSAC Grant Team and the Postsecondary Access and Success Working Group.

How to Apply 

Please submit the following information to amanda@uwbluemt.org 

1. Cover letter
2. Resume(s)/Curriculum Vitae(s)
3. Scope of Work, which includes research design, timeline, anticipated travel dates (if applicable), and deliverables.

Priority Deadline for consideration: June 2, 2023.

If you have questions, contact Amanda Mount, Community Results Coordinator, United Way of the Blue Mountains – Elevate, amanda@uwbluemt.org. and/or Nick Velluzzi, Vice President of Enrollment Services and Institutional Effectiveness, nicholas.velluzzi@wwcc.edu