BACKGROUND

Blessings in a Backpack (Blessings) mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. Each week of the school year, Blessings and its thousands of volunteers and partners send a bag of food home with children who, during the week, are fed by the free and reduced meal program.

During the 2020-2021 school year, 2.2 million bags of food were distributed to feed kids on the weekend across the country. The Waukesha Blessings Chapter, established in 2020, currently serves over 3,600 children at nearly 40 schools.

POSITION SUMMARY

This position requires a take-charge, self-starter to lead the Waukesha Blessings Chapter in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The Managing Director will have overall responsibilities for implementing Blessings’ strategic plan with a focus on board development, local fundraising, food logistics, school relationship management, volunteer management, program sustainability and expansion, and operations. The Managing Director will conceptualize and manage complex project plans, working in close collaboration with the Blessings senior management team and local advisory board.

The Managing Director is a direct report to the Vice President of Chapter Relations. The Waukesha Advisory Board is a key stakeholder.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The managing director is responsible for the overall performance of the chapter and is accountable for fund development, budget management, programming, and meeting the needs of its volunteers and board.

Key responsibilities include:

• Fundraising: Secure support to fund the chapter’s budget, utilizing materials and campaigns created jointly with the national fund development team. This includes:
• Corporation Partnership Program: Sponsorships, school investor partnerships, employee engagement packing events, and regional general support
• Individual giving: annual fund, monthly giving program, major gifts, family foundations, and planned-giving
• Grants: United Way, corporations, foundations, etc.
• Events: Lead local events, participate in nationally led events as needed. Local events may include gala, golf outing, DIY 5k, or other events established with the advisory board
• Develop and maintain local “School Partner” program
• Program operations: Work with or oversee the local volunteer team and Blessings school coordinators to ensure weekly program management and operations, including, but not limited to:
• Manage food ordering process
• Ensure weekly bag distribution at partner schools runs smoothly
• Develop and monitor chapter and program location budgets to ensure appropriate resource availability and allocation
• Maintain understanding of chapter budget status and communicate with internal stakeholders as needed
• Coordinate the annual chapter budget planning process
• Ensure that donor requirements are met with in chapter financial operations
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with schools as needed
• Assist in coordinating, training, and onboarding new volunteers ,and school liaisons as needed
• Manage food inventory; coordinate bag fill events
• Public relations and marketing: Maintain and enhance brand recognition and relationships in the geographic region, utilizing materials and campaigns created jointly with the national marketing team and local materials. This may include:
• Back-to-school campaign
• Giving Tuesday campaign
• Local storytelling and PR efforts
• Attending community events, such as the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, etc.
• Maintain and develop local corporate partnerships
• Volunteer management: Engage or oversee the engagement members of the community to give their time to help feed more kids on the weekends, including:
•  Board
• Working with the national office, recruit and train local advisory board members and support their efforts to help fundraising, build brand recognition and drive chapter growth
•  Work with the local advisory board to ensure successful fundraising, engagement, and communication, including:
•  Event planning, management, and administration
•  Communication of national news and priorities
• Chapter programs and financial updates
• Strategic Planning
• Work with Board committees.
• Meet reasonable needs of the advisory and associates board, including:
• Regular programming, financial, and stewardship reports
• Oversee list and event management
• Acting as a liaison with the national office
• Program: Recruit, train, and support local program volunteers and ad hoc volunteers for special events and specific tasks

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Fund Development

• Minimum five years of fund development experience in the chapter area, or comparable sales/revenue generation experience
• Proven track record of raising funds from diverse sources including major gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations
• Experience in donor cultivation, grant writing, contract management
• Experience in planning and executing special events for fund-raising

Community Relations

• Knowledge of and connections in the chapter’s geographic range
• Experience in working with a Board (Advisory Board or Board of Directors)
• Demonstrated effectiveness in working with diverse groups of people
• Ability to build and maintain effective internal and external interpersonal relationships

Financial Management

• Experience in budget development
• Experience in managing the overall P&L of an operating unit or department

Communication

• Writing skills for effective presentations, reports, memos
• Public speaking experience in addressing various sized groups in both informal and formal meetings
• Ability to communicate with multiple stakeholders including food inventory partners, school principals, and volunteer liaisons
• Familiar with volunteer management and email management tools

Measurement and Results Orientation

• Demonstrated success in working in organizations with accountability systems, and with metrics for outcomes and results
• Ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks/projects while maintaining attention to detail

External Engagement

• Willingness and ability to attend local business and social events that require both workday and evening availability, plus travel within the chapter area
• Ability to travel overnight by airplane on a limited basis

Computer Skills

•  Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs

Additional Requirements

• Home office in the chapter area
• Personal car transportation (mileage is reimbursed in accordance with IRS rules)
• Valid driver’s license
• Desire to make an impact on food insecure children in your community

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Sales and customer relationship management experience
• Knowledge of effective marketing strategies and tactics
• Work experience in a face paced, growth oriented, entrepreneurial organizational environment
• Project management experience
• Knowledge of Raisers Edge