FT Community Outreach Program Coordinator : AmeriCorps VISTA

The Community Outreach Coordinator will play a vital role in realizing the mission of A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village, a fun-loving nonprofit children’s museum located in the heart of Salem, Oregon’s capital city. Winner of the Portland area Nickelodeon Parents’ Pick Award for best museum, the Village emphasizes hands-on education in the sciences, arts, and humanities for children ages two to twelve. Named after Salem native and prominent toy inventor, Alfred Carlton Gilbert, the museum and its staff firmly believe that “playing is essential to learning.”

Using our lively site as a home base, the Community Outreach Program Coordinator will have sole responsibility of administering A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village’s year-old outreach program, entitled A.C.’s Community Enrichment and Student Support Program (ACCESS). ACCESS provides cost-effective opportunities for children and families with limited resources to visit the museum and participate in its educational programming options. The Community Outreach Program Coordinator will be tasked with continuing community partnerships established in the past year, ensuring the delivery of the contracted components of ACCESS, and monitoring the success of the programs. The Community Outreach Program Coordinator will also be maintaining close contact with the Salem community, by way of outreach activities and community involvement, aimed at both increasing the visibility of the museum and identifying potential outreach partners. The Community Outreach Program Coordinator will also devote a large portion of their time to developing and implementing a fundraising plan, researching and identifying funding sources, and writing grants/funding applications.

The Community Outreach Coordinator will work in one of three historic buildings that overlook the Willamette River in downtown Salem’s Riverfront Park. This position requires an outgoing and self-motivated individual who is passionate about early childhood education. The selected candidate will receive additional training opportunities in nonprofit marketing, communications, fundraising, and more. Additional benefits include a membership to the museum, which also consists of free yearlong admission to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland and over 300 other science and technology centers worldwide.

Primary Responsibilities: 1. Maintain current ACCESS partnerships, including monitoring delivery of programs and partners’ satisfaction with services. 2.Attend and participate in community-wide resource and policy-making meetings. 3.Identify future partner organizations for ACCESS program, and begin building those relationships. 4.Research and identify grant opportunities to fund ACCESS. 5.Manage grant reporting responsibilities for all outstanding ACCESS grants. 6.Develop and implement fundraising plan, including planning events and locating individual contributors. 7.Coordinate and manage outreach events (both on site and off) to increase awareness and accessibility of museum programs. 8.Solicit donations for ACCESS program as needed (translation services, food, transportation, etc.) 9.Market and oversee sales of reduced-fee family memberships for low-income community members. 10.Complete general office duties related to position (mailings, filing, phone calls, community outreach, etc.) 11.Attend CBVC/AmeriCorps*VISTA sponsored orientation, trainings, meetings, disaster response courses.