Program and Communications Associate

The Role

The Associate is a key player of our small and mighty team, getting hands-on experience in all aspects of running a nonprofit, managing programs, collaborating with colleagues on campuses and partner organizations around the nation, and helping to shape the strategic direction of our organization to meet the moment. An ideal candidate will be a driven and proactive go-getter who excels at supporting multiple tasks and has fantastic organizational, writing, and thinking skills. Professional experience matters, but just as important (if not more) is your passion, drive, and insatiable curiosity to learn more and have a sense of ownership over the projects you’re working on. Project Pericles strives to foster a supportive environment and inclusive team that values diverse experiences and identities.

This is a meaningful opportunity to make a significant impact on advancing higher education’s mission to advance the public good and educate students for lifelong democratic leadership. Responsibilities may include communications, evaluation, fundraising and marketing, nonprofit operations, and research. This role is a great fit for individuals interested in working at the intersection of civic engagement, democracy, social justice, higher education, and nonprofits. More on this in “Scope of Work” below.

Scope of Work

Under the guidance of the Project Pericles Executive and Associate Director, the Associate will have responsibility within the following areas:

Communications and Outreach (30%)

• Build out and manage organization’s newsletters and social media, developing content, interviewing faculty and students, writing articles and copy, and maintaining presence across multiple platforms
• Build out and analyze databases of past program participants and key stakeholders, ensuring we maintain contact and send regular updates
• Identify possible stories for fundraising pitches and generate “thank you” letters for donors

Program Management and Content Development (30%)

• Facilitate the cycle of our regrant programs that support campuses with funds to do innovative civic engagement work, ensuring that from application to evaluation, all requirements are fulfilled by Project Pericles and regrantees
• Manage and regularly update both our Periclean civic engagement resources with cutting-edge educational resources from trusted sources and our database to reflect usage of our curricular resources and the breadth of the Periclean network
• Manage virtual and in-person event logistics, including cross-campus virtual professional development webinars, Board Meetings, and our in-person national Fall Program Directors Conference

Organization Administration (30%)

• Ensure accuracy and update bookkeeping records, reconcile accounts, and process invoices and donations
• Support preparation of information for grant reporting and budget tracking
• Maintain organization-wide Google drive filing system and ensure documents are appropriately labeled and sorted

Evaluation and Strategy (10%)

• Support development and implementation of evaluation metrics and systems to streamline reporting
• Cull through past and current evaluations to identify patterns and trends

Qualifications

• Degree and Work Authorization: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and authorization to work in the U.S.
• Experience: Experience in higher education, civic engagement, advocacy, and/or nonprofit organizations.
• Proactive Self-Starter: Demonstrated ability to work independently, take ownership over projects, and anticipate the needs of colleagues and the organization more generally.
• Quick Learner: Proven ability to absorb and process information quickly, and excitement for working in an evolving environment.
• Storyteller Extraordinaire: Experience and ability to craft compelling narratives and develop stories that capture the attention of our diverse audiences.
• Organization Enthusiast: A desire to keep program materials, files, and contacts organized and look ahead to streamline existing processes and systems.
• Digital Savvy: Competence and ease working with different online platforms including Constant Contact, Facebook, Google Workspace, Instagram, LinkedIn, Slack, and Zoom. Experience in Quickbooks and donation processing softwares is a big plus.

What is Project Pericles?

Project Pericles is a higher education non-profit organization committed to fostering the next generation of civic leaders. Working with our consortium of colleges and universities (“Pericleans”), as well as many other higher education institutions, we support innovative curricula and faculty leadership that empower students with the skills and knowledge to address society’s grand challenges including: Climate Change, Economic Justice, Education Access, Immigration, Mass Incarceration, Public Health, Race and Inequality, and Voter Engagement. Project Pericles works with presidents, provosts, faculty, staff, students, and community members to support political and democratic engagement across all levels of the institution. The organization was founded in 2001 by the visionary educational philanthropist Eugene M. Lang and is physically based in Manhattan.