Mentor Coordinator

Under the direction of the Center Director, the Mentor Coordinator is responsible for managing the mentoring program on the local level. The Mentor Coordinator is responsible for the recruitment, training, and retention of mentors and volunteers. In conjunction with the Center Director, the Mentor Coordinator will network to establish strong community, corporate, and school relationships and partnerships to identify resources that serve participants and their families. The Mentor Coordinator will develop and implement comprehensive recruitment strategies and outreach activities to educate the community about the U.S. Dream Academy and the various opportunities to volunteer. To perform this job successfully, the Mentor Coordinator must be able to perform each essential duty with experience. The requirements listed below are representative of the competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities, and education required.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

Community Outreach

• Actively participate in community networking and corporate organizations (e.g., NAACP, Rotary Club, etc.) to build the Dream Academy brand in the community.
• In conjunction with the Center Director, manage relationships with community partners, including cultivating new partnerships, maintaining regular communication with partners, and coordinating partners for presentations at family outreach events and special student events.
• Develop, manage, and chair a Parent Advisory Council consisting of mentors, volunteers, parents, and school representatives. Implement advisory council suggestions and initiatives.

Volunteer Recruitment and Retention

• Recruit and screen potential mentors and other volunteers according to Dream Academy policies and procedures.
• Proactively contacting potential mentors and guiding them through the commitment process.
• Develop quarterly mentor recruitment strategies that include social networking technology, i.e., Facebook or Twitter, to ensure sufficient mentors to fully match the center.
• Work with the Center Director to develop strategic action plans to overcome local barriers to quality mentor programming.
• Use industry “best practices” to develop retention initiatives that ensure 75% mentor monthly attendance and completion of the one-year mentor commitment and encourage 33% mentor multi-year participation.
• Network to build partnerships with churches, corporations, civic organizations, and colleges specifically for volunteer/mentor recruitment.
• Provide quarterly supplemental mentor training according to Dream Academy procedure.
• Effectively utilize youth development strategies to engage in the positive behavioral management of students.
• Communicate all concerns regarding mentor(s) and/or mentee(s) to the Center Director.
• Model positive behavior for mentees, mentors, and volunteers to include patience, kindness, and encouragement.
• Consistently completes all work products and services on time.

Volunteer Management and Match Support

• Conduct appropriate screening, orientation, and training that will utilize each volunteer effectively within the center based on their area of interest, skills, and experience to provide daily afterschool support beyond mentoring.
• Utilize Dream Academy matching criteria, mentor interviews, and personal knowledge of Dream Academy participants and determine suitable mentor/mentee matching pairs.
• Actively support mentor matches, which includes connecting with mentors during each visit, reviewing Mentor Session Reports, supervising mentor matches, and engaging mentors who miss mentoring sessions.
• Complete Mentoring Monthly Status Report
• Ensure that Mentor matches use the DreamJourney and/or DreamCommunity curricula during mentoring sessions.
• Oversee structured match-ending process, including coaching mentor and mentee through the match closure process and conducting exit interviews.
• Implement and adhere to all program policies and procedures as outlined in the Mentoring Program Guidebook.

Center Support and Professional Development

• Conduct meticulous weekly documentation of all aspects of the mentor management process, including recruitment, training, match management and retention, and the use of MentorCloud.
• Work with Center Director to gather information in preparation of quarterly narrative reports on the progress of the mentor program.
• Assist Center Director with special projects/events during program and summer hours as needed.
• Meet or exceed previously expressed goals for professional development.
• Accept constructive feedback and correction from the supervisor and seeks to enhance competencies in stated areas.
• Consistently attends all three days of semi-annual National Staff Training.
• Actively assist with special fundraising events and planned giving projects in support of the Center’s local fundraising initiatives.
• Use time efficiently while balancing team and individual responsibilities.
• Adhere to Dream Academy’s guidelines for recruiting and managing mentors.

Job Requirements

• Must be passionate about youth development and support and work with youth in high-risk communities and their families.
• Must have personal transportation and an active/non-suspended driver’s license.
• Must be able to use PowerPoint at a high level.
• Must have much internal initiative and not be distracted by rejection.
• Must have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills and be able to communicate in a public forum with a diverse population effectively; and be able to effectively communicate with competence and passion about the mentor/volunteer program.
• Flexible and able to work the hours necessary to complete all assignments according to agreed-upon timelines; and can demonstrate leadership ability when an assignment or deliverable needs to be renegotiated.
• Organized, efficient, and able to successfully function in a fast-paced and demanding work environment supporting multiple key staff.
• Exceptional ability to write clearly, effectively, and informatively, demonstrating accuracy and thoroughness.
• Understand issues surrounding incarceration and its impact on families.
• Working knowledge of “best practices” in the field of Standards of Mentoring, mentoring programs, volunteer management, and youth development.
• Able to effectively manage competing demands and multiple tasks/projects and meet deadlines on time and within budget.
• Ability to skillfully create and present PowerPoint presentations using MS Office applications, database, and spreadsheet software.
• Proficient in internet navigation and social networking technology.
• Proficient in data collection, data entry, and documentation.
• Possess critical thinking skills to analyze and proactively question and offer recommendations.
• Demonstrate professionalism, political savvy, and skills to ensure that all tasks and deliverables are completed in an efficient, timely, and high-quality manner.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Education, Social Work, Communications, or a related field.
• Minimum of three (3) years of successful volunteer recruitment and management experience (Education can be substituted for experience).
• Experience working in a youth-supporting environment; familiarity working with elementary and middle school children in high-risk urban communities highly desired.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Skilled in the use of common office machines, including but not limited to copy machines, fax machines, and phone systems.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this position successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, lift, use hands to finger dexterity, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, talk, and hear.

• Required to sit and/or stand for long periods of time.
• Intermittent physical activity, including bending, reaching, standing, climbing stairs, kneeling, and/or stooping.

Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Lifting twenty-five (25) pounds or greater is standard for this position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.