Community Engagement Coordinator

The Night Ministry; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Night Ministry is seeking a Strategic Partnerships advocate to build relationships with neighbors, congregations, community groups, and authorities across Chicago. You will educate stakeholders and expand collaborations for TNM programs and services.

You will work with Case Managers and leadership to develop partnerships, track referrals, and create opportunities for community involvement, including evenings and weekends as needed.

Qualifications

• Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrate awareness and competence in interacting with diverse populations including people experiencing homelessness and mental health conditions.
• Experience with service coordination and engagement with diverse community groups, including congregations and nonprofits.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain relationships with neighbors, community leaders and other nonprofits by listening, educating, and addressing questions.
• Develop service partnerships between TNM and other nonprofits to address program needs identified by staff.
• Create and renew partnership agreements and maintain a map of service partners for external use.
• Collaborate to track referrals and evaluate client satisfaction with partners.
• Engage communities in activities around neighborhoods served by TNM; work with staff on program support.
• Represent TNM at community events and meetings; in-person evenings/weekends required.
• Consult with staff to address feedback.
• Support development of new programming or collaborations as directed by leadership.
• Identify opportunities for clients to engage with the community.

Skills

Community engagement

Public speaking

Relationship building

Cultural competence

Travel readiness

Job description

Department: Strategic Partnerships Reports to: Dir, Strategic Partnerships

Position Summary:

Promote the mission of The Night Ministry by building relationships with and educating stakeholders in neighborhoods where TNM programs provide services.

General Purpose:

Build relationships with neighbors, congregations, community groups, municipal bodies (like schools and law enforcement) and other nonprofits to create a hospitable environment for and increase collaboration with The Night Ministry's programs and services.

Role Qualifications:

• Must be able to build and maintain strong collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Must demonstrate awareness of and competence in interacting with youth and adults from diverse cultural, ethnic, religious, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic backgrounds, including people experiencing homelessness, poverty, mental health conditions, and/or substance use disorder.
• Must demonstrate experience with service coordination and engagement with diverse community groups, including congregations, community groups, law enforcement, and nonprofit organizations.
• Must be able to work flexible hours, including frequent weekends.

Position Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain relationships with neighbors, community leaders, government officials, congregations, and other nonprofits aimed at building support for TNM programs and services by listening, educating, and responding to questions and concerns.
• Develop service partnerships between TNM and other nonprofits to address programmatic needs identified by program staff.
• Create and/or renew partnership agreements between TNM and our nonprofit partners. Maintain a current list of partnerships for external use and a map of all service partners for Case Managers.
• In collaboration with Case Management and Learning and Impact, develop a system to track programmatic referrals to partners and evaluate client satisfaction with partners.
• Work closely with the Director of Strategic Partnerships to conduct community engagement activities for the agency focused in and around neighborhoods where The Night Ministry provides services or from where The Night Ministry receives support.
• Represent TNM through networking, speaking engagements, community events (like meetings with neighborhood groups, Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS), Chambers of Commerce, and community partners), and congregational events (including weekend services). In person attendance during evenings or on weekends will be required for many of these events.
• Consult with TNM staff to address feedback, as appropriate.
• Support the development of new programming or collaborations at TNM as directed by the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Vice President of Programs and Services. This could include conducting community needs assessments to identify neighborhoods/sites that may benefit from TNM services or to better inform TNM services or building community support for zoning efforts.
• Identify opportunities for clients to engage with the community for community service opportunities or in advisory or community groups.

General Responsibilities

• Attend all relevant departmental and organizational meetings and trainings. Update relevant databases such as NXT.
• Other duties as assigned by the Director of Strategic Partnerships.
• According to TNM policies, this position is expected to carry a cell phone and is eligible for partial reimbursement of monthly cell phone bills.

Essential skills and experience:

• Minimum 1-2 years of experience with community engagement, community organizing, advocacy, project development, or a related position at another nonprofit organization.
• Flexibility to attend meetings that may be held during the evening or on a weekend. Meetings are often held in-person.
• Effective communication skills and comfort with public speaking.
• Ability to travel throughout the Chicagoland area.

Desired skills and experience:

• Strong connection to community stakeholders in neighborhoods where The Night Ministry provides services and a strong understanding of homeless services in Chicago.
• Comfort working with diverse constituencies and populations (including, but not limited to, government agencies, elected officials and their staff, law enforcement - including Chicago Police Department [TP2] personnel, other nonprofit organizations, congregations, neighborhood groups, and TNM staff/clients).

Reporting to this position:

No direct reports.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; climb stairs; crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but may vary at the different locations required in this job