Encore.org is a national nonprofit building a movement to tap the skills and experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve communities and the world. Originally called Civic Ventures, Encore.org was founded in 1998 by social entrepreneur Marc Freedman and grew out of a desire to transform the aging of America—one of the most significant demographic shifts of the 21st century—into a powerful, positive source of individual and social renewal. Our ultimate goal is to create a better future for young people and future generations. 

Encore.org’s Generation to Generation (Gen2Gen) Campaign

Generation to Generation is a five-year campaign, powered by Encore.org, to mobilize a million adults 50+ to dedicate their time, talent and experience to help young people thrive, and to unite all generations to create a better future.

While the United States is among the world’s richest countries, millions of children in this country live in poverty and lack the resources and support they need to live fulfilling, successful lives. Reversing this trend must become a national priority—and a key resource for this effort is hidden in plain sight: The millions of Americans moving into their 50s and beyond who want to leave a positive legacy for future generations. Encore’s latest research indicates that 29 percent of adults 50+ are very/extremely interested in participating in the campaign, translating to a receptive target audience in excess of 30 million people.

These two groups—children in need of supportive adult relationships and adults with the time and inclination to fill those roles—fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The campaign will bring them together through three complementary strategies:

1. We’ll mobilize the million.
2. We’ll build a cross-sector network of organizations, to help us mobilize the million, and to serve as thought partners in identifying and solving the big obstacles that stand in our way.
3. We’ll change the narrative around aging in this country, so that service to children and youth is embraced as a compelling—and highly accessible—pathway for adults 50+. 

The Position: Community Builder, Generation to Generation

This position reports to the Communications, Director, Generation to Generation and is a full-time, exempt position. S/he will be responsible for responding to and supporting all potential and active campaign participants (individuals who receive our call to action), and will be responsible for ensuring they have a good user experience and that their opinions and observations are communicated back to the internal campaign team. The community builder will work across internal teams including communications, partnerships, and continuous improvement as well as the campaign leadership.                                                  

The Community Builder will be responsible for engaging with campaign participants through email, phone, social media and webinars, as well as in-person -- one-on-one, in focus groups and at conferences.

Responsibilities 

• Conduct front-line, one-on-one customer support -- then leverage learning to feed voices and experiences back into the campaign, develop advocacy, education and do-it-yourself initiatives for participants, and drive retention and an overall excellent campaign experience.
• Interact extensively with campaign participants (or potential participants), gaining first-hand insight into their worlds and worldviews and sharing those viewpoints with campaign staff.
• Respond to campaign emails and voicemails, help individuals navigate the campaign website, troubleshoot reported issues with the site or campaign opportunities, and field and proactively seek participant feedback.
• Navigate internal teams and processes, i.e., work with the communications or digital marketing team, flag hot issues for IT, and/or represent the voice of the campaign participant in a design review or team meeting.
• Support the campaign team in getting ready for new activations, help participants get maximum value from ongoing campaign activities, and attend relevant conferences to interact with attendees and sign them up as new campaign supporters. Flag participants who have potential to become campaign champions and nurture them into that role over time.
• Be at the heart of Generation to Generation, collaborating across functions and playing a significant role in the overall success of the campaign.

About You

You’re passionate about the aims of the Gen2Gen campaign. The people you interact with will feel your passion for the work and your humanity.  You will find your inner Sherlock Holmes and love getting resolution. You are decisive and have an intuitive sense about when you need to seek counsel and when you should just make the call. You’re intensely curious, eager both to learn new things and to regularly question your own assumptions.

You are a person who knows how to connect with people from all kinds of backgrounds, who loves talking to our target audience (people 50+), and most importantly, someone who other people love talking to! 

Key Qualifications

• Customer-focused, service-oriented and 100% committed to making sure our participants has an excellent experience.
• A keen listener and master translator who's adept at deciphering the true meaning of people’s words.
• A natural sleuth who knows how to dig for the root causes behind reported issues, and has a knack for recognizing when someone has potential to become a campaign champion.
• Professional and polished as a representative of Gen2Gen and the Encore.org brand.
• Detail-oriented and dependable, with an ability to close loops, nail the follow-up and see projects through to completion.
• A self-directed powerhouse who's also an excellent team player.
• A creative thinker and tenacious problem-solver who identifies opportunities for improvement--and then makes them happen, but also knows when to take the initiative versus when to consult before acting.
• Flexible, driven and at your best in a fast-paced environment.
• A lover of data, seeker of information and quick study when it comes to new technologies.
• Impeccable written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in customer service.
• The willingness to put in extra hours as needed to handle seasonal volume and other spikes in demand.
• A calm demeanor in the face of occasional adversity and the ability and desire to work across functions and teams.
• Comfortable with communication via email, phone, social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) and webinars. Working knowledge of (or ability to quickly learn) Blue State Digital Tools, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Wordpress, Webex, Salesforce, and familiarity with online collaboration tools (e.g., Google Docs, Google Hangout, Box).
• Willingness to travel domestically approximately every other month.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and minimum five years of professional experience. 

How To Apply 

Please submit your resume in Word or PDF format, along with a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, by February 3, 2017. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please respond to these two questions in your cover letter:

• What excites you about the Gen2Gen campaign?
• What excites you about the role of Community Builder role, and what specific expertise and experiences will you draw on to do the job?

Please note: Cover letters will be judged as writing samples; no application will be considered without a cover letter. Please send your resume and letter as one document to [email protected]. Name your attachment with the format: “LastName Gen2Gen CB 2017 Application” (e.g., “Hamilton Gen2Gen CB 2017 Application”). Applications that do not follow this format may not be reviewed.  

It is Encore.org’s policy to employ, compensate and advance personnel without regard to race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, height and weight, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, partnership status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, military status, arrest record and any other characteristic protected by law. We are an Employer of National Service: AmeriCorps, Peace Corps and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply and to tell us how your service experience has shaped your career.

We are seeking to develop a multigenerational and diverse team. Qualified people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Open until filled.

A Note on Encore.org’s Culture

Our staff members are part of a social movement that challenges old norms and seeks to establish a new definition of success in later life. We are a small, geographically distributed team, committed to making a significant impact. We attract people who think about how small investments can yield big results in the service of Encore.org’s mission.

We work hard, and we value our colleagues and the causes we dedicate time to outside of working hours. We understand the importance of commitments—family and otherwise—beyond Encore.org. Vacation time is meant to be used.

As an organization focused on deploying human talent in innovative ways, we try to walk the talk. We strive to have an intergenerational team. We also encourage and sometimes require flexible work; results matter more than face time. Many Encore.org positions require some or a great deal of travel; all require the use and mastery of a growing array of virtual tools.

Perhaps most important, Encore.org is in a period of transition and growth. We work in a dynamic environment that values mutual respect, rapid response to changing conditions or new opportunities, flexibility and intelligence, as well as a sense of humor and humility. Those who thrive tend to be creative, entrepreneurial types who are dedicated to our mission and who know how to execute ambitious plans in a lean environment.