Community Outreach Manager, Sponsorship Initiatives

WELCOME.US

Welcome.US is a national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans and American institutions from all corners of the country to welcome and support those seeking refuge here. We unleash the power and potential of America’s greatest strengths—its institutions of civil society, the innovations of its private sector, and the compassion and ingenuity of the American people—to build our national capacity and strengthen our national commitment to welcoming newcomers. Over the last three years, in partnership with over 400 private and civic sector partners and Americans all over the country, we have deployed policy, program, and technology innovations that mobilized over 2 million Americans to welcome nearly 800,000 newcomers in 17,000 zip codes across all 50 states, four times more than the U.S. government admitted through its publicly-funded, traditional refugee resettlement program over the same period of time.

This innovative approach is transforming our national resettlement system for newcomers in need of safety, welcoming refugee newcomers in ways that are safe, legal, orderly, and at scale; provide the support newcomers and communities need to thrive together; reduce political friction and strengthen cross-divide bonds in our communities; preserve human dignity and enable human potential; and provide the talent our communities and economy need to thrive. It’s a powerful testament to the shared humanity that transcends borders, cultures, and differences, and a powerful testament to what happens when the private and civic sector and our communities are unleashed to address even the toughest global challenges. Welcome.US is currently a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Community Outreach Manager, Sponsorship Initiatives

Welcome.US is seeking an experienced and dynamic Community Outreach Manager to serve on the Sponsorship Initiatives team. This is a brand new role to the organization, and we’re excited to onboard a self-starter who is equally administratively organized and highly relational. The right candidate has community organizing experience, employs a diplomatic and pragmatic approach to navigating divisive conversations, and is enthusiastic about uniting communities with different political views around the work of welcoming newcomers in a non-partisan way.

Under the guidance of the Senior Director, Sponsorship Initiatives and in close collaboration with other members of the sponsorship initiatives team and counterparts on the policy, storytelling, and marketing teams, the Community Outreach Manager will launch and manage Welcome.US’ brand new regional and state-based sponsorship networks. Through these networks, Welcome.US will provide the connections, resources, and support that Welcomers need to do what they do best: lead the movement of welcome.

This is a remote position, with some in-person events dependent on location. Eligible candidates in the following locations are encouraged to apply: Washington, DC metro area; Iowa; North Carolina; South Carolina; North Dakota; South Dakota; and Ohio. Eligible candidates in other locations within the US are also welcome to apply. Up to four domestic trips per year may be required.

Responsibilities will include:

Thought leadership

• Drawing from the research and practices of human centered design, principle based management, and grassroots organizing, lead the development, care, and management of Welcome.US’ flagship sponsorship networks (further detail below).
• Routinely capture and share lessons learned across sponsorship networks and with Welcome.US staff and partners.
• Develop, deploy, and analyze annual sponsorship network surveys, share results with Welcome.US staff and partners, and make recommendations for program improvements.

Community building & content development

• Launch and facilitate 8-15 sponsorship networks composed of Americans who have sponsored newcomers, or are otherwise committed to championing the cause of welcoming through private sponsorship pathways. This includes facilitating regular meetings, organizing and managing Listserv, WhatApp groups, and other forms of group communications.
• Establish and maintain healthy and sustainable norms for sponsorship networks by:
  • Developing and maintaining standard operating procedures and community guidelines;
  • Setting and communicating meeting agendas in advance, soliciting input from and co-ownership with Welcomers;
  • Developing intentional rhythms and practices of celebration, recognition, and encouragement in each network;
  • Facilitating open, constructive, and nonpartisan dialogue during meetings;
  • Develop and implement a strategy to grow the networks quickly, “at the pace of trust”; and
  • Creating shared ownership by recruiting, training, and cultivating volunteer leaders, emphasizing a strengths-based approach.
• Create value for sponsorship network members by:
  • Building genuine relationships with and following up with individual Welcomers when they raise a challenge, opportunity, or initiative;
  • Participate in 15-25 calls with sponsors and/or Welcomers each week, whether through regularly-occurring network meetings or one-on-one onboarding or check-in calls;
  • Work with policy and storytelling counterparts to identify and develop sponsor “champions”, helping to recruit leaders with compelling stories and identify opportunities to elevate the stories;
  • Working with other Welcome.US team members to develop content and materials that would help meet the needs of Welcomers (e.g., training, discussion guides, toolkits, talking points, etc.)
  • Participating in sponsor or Welcomer-led events as a speaker or supporter as helpful (including virtual and possible in-person events);
  • Curating and sharing communications that would be helpful to each network (e.g., regularly share local media stories about sponsorship with appropriate state-based networks); and
  • Embedding regular customer service feedback loops in engagements with sponsorship networks for continuous measurement, improvement, and accountability to Welcomers.

Administration & coordination

• Set zoom calendar invitations, record meeting action items and follow up, manage listservs, WhatsApp group and other online/social networks communications channels;
• Regularly update customer relationship management (CRM) system;
• Routinely track and report on progress toward goals;
• Coordinate regularly with policy, storytelling, and marketing counterparts; and
• Aim to respond to all emails within one business day.

Qualifications:

• Two or more years of community organizing experience, including working with grassroots community and faith leaders;
• Skillful in facilitating group conversations around potentially divisive issues with authenticity, diplomacy, and compassion;
• Enthusiasm for collaborating with individuals and organizations from a wide variety of faith, political, cultural, and generational backgrounds;
• Excited about developing brand new strategies, programs, and systems. Not debilitated or overwhelmed by endless possibilities, but excited to take initiative, improvise, make mistakes, learn from them, and try again;
• Well-practiced in providing joyful customer service and relationship building;
• Strong commitment to lifelong learning;
• Outstanding organizational skills;
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written;
• Aptitude in decision-making and problem-solving;
• A solution-oriented approach to work, with demonstrated creativity, adaptability and emphasis on deep collaboration with colleagues at all levels within the organization;
• A “no task too small” mentality to achieve results within a dynamic team;
• A growth mindset, taking responsibility for continuous personal performance improvement.
• Available for occasional after-hours emergency calls and projects; ideally available for regular after-hours calls with an adapted day-time schedule based on sponsors’ availability.

Desired Values, Traits, and Experience

• Experience working on issues related to immigration or refugee resettlement;
• Experience as a sponsor, or able to speak about the sponsorship experience;
• Experience working in a remote work environment;
• High emotional intelligence and experience exercising savvy diplomatic skills in engaging with multiple stakeholders;
• Commitment to strengthening America and communities through the work of welcoming newcomers;
• Strong desire to work in a diverse setting, and commitment to ensuring the organization operates within its values by developing and supporting a culture of innovation, curiosity and inclusion.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Welcome.US is a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA). The salary range for this position is $5,000 - $7,000 per month Welcome.US/RPA offers 20 days annual vacation plus a winter break between Christmas Day and New Years Day, unlimited sick time, health insurance, retirement benefits, 11 paid federal holidays, and access to professional development resources.

TO APPLY

Welcome.US is committed to building and retaining a talented, diverse, and inclusive team. Our team members represent diverse backgrounds, bring a wide range of educational, professional, and lived experiences, and contribute expertise from varied disciplines within the philanthropic, nonprofit, public, and corporate sectors. We welcome candidates of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities and expressions. We strongly encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, those from immigrant and refugee backgrounds, differently-abled people, formerly incarcerated people and people of any and all traditionally marginalized identities to apply. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

Please submit a cover letter and resume using this form. In your cover letter, please explain why you are interested in this role and how your experience and skills are relevant. Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.

This position will remain open until the right candidate has been identified; however, for priority consideration, candidates are encouraged to submit materials by Friday, April 4, 2025. If you previously submitted an application to Welcome.US, we ask that you kindly re-send. No phone calls or email inquiries please.