Executive Director

Position Description: Executive Director

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

East Atlanta Kids Club seeks an Executive Director (ED) who can passionately lead East Atlanta Kids Club to help promising youth to uncover their potential and build a strong future through participation in EAKC’s holistic out-of-school time program.  For 21 years, EAKC has been providing a safe and nurturing place for kids to play, relax, learn, create and express themselves under supervision of caring adults; exposing them to educational, recreational, and cultural experiences; helping them to build character, self-esteem and respect for others; preparing them to thrive in diverse communities; and helping them to bridge the technological divide through a  STEAM-focused curriculum.  The current ED and Founder has announced plans to step out of the ED role and to serve as a supportive advisor starting early 2020.  The organization is seeking a new ED to be in place by February 2020.

AGENCY MISSION & REACH

East Atlanta Kids Club serves children and teens aged 7-17, the vast majority of whom are African-American, live in low-income households, and attend Title 1 schools.  Most youth participate at no charge to ensure accessibility.  EAKC’s goal is for each participant to recognize their innate value, talent, and capabilities so they can make constructive decisions, excel academically, and develop healthy habits.  Since inception EAKC has served more than 1,000 youth, and is currently serving approximately 100 annually.  Each year an average of 72% show improvements in language arts; 65% demonstrate improvement in math, and 84% of high school students go on to college or technical schools. 

EAKC is located in East Atlanta and currently operates in the Brownwood Park neighborhood of southeast Atlanta, serving kids typically within a few miles of the park, and using buses to transport kids from school and to their homes to support their participation.  EAKC was founded by a small group of local residents and maintains a strong grassroots neighborhood heritage, with volunteer mentors and community-based partnerships nearby.  EAKC thrives on numerous programming partnerships across metro Atlanta, which enables fresh, innovative programming while ensuring moderate program costs.    EAKC operated with an approximate $500K budget in 2019, with revenue secured by public and private grants, income from its annual Brownwood Bike Rally, earned income, individual and corporate cash and in-kind donations.    The goal for 2020 and 2021 is to grow the budget to support growth from 100 to 120 kids served annually and to support other key strategic initiatives of the organization already underway with the addition of some dedicated development capacity brought in during the second half of 2019.

For more information about East Atlanta Kids Club visit https://www.eastatlantakids.org/.

POSITION OVERVIEW                                   .  

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director (ED) holds overall strategic and operational responsibility for the execution of the East Atlanta Kids Club mission. The ED is responsible for the management and development of a range of activities and resources to maintain and improve the quality of the services of East Atlanta Kids Club to meet its mission.

This is a full time, exempt position. Normal business hours are Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm with ED covering ideally 2 days until 6:30 or 7PM (Teen Club ends 7 PM on Tuesday and Thursdays), shared with Finance and Operations Manager; availability for early morning, evening, and weekend meetings and events is required.  Salary is commensurate with experience and organizational size and type.  Please submit salary requirements with inquiry.   Modest benefits stipend is also included

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Executive Leadership and Strategy

●    Lead, coach, develop, hire and retain EAKC’s high-performance team. 

●    Ensure effective systems to track and communicate organizational program and key results

●    Report to the Board of Directors.

●    In partnership with the board, set the strategic direction for the organization.

●    Lead execution of the strategic plan.

●    Energetically engage and energize East Atlanta Kids Club supporters, volunteers, board members, event committees, alumni, partnering organizations and funders.

Fundraising

●    Lead, plan and execute the annual fundraising plan and garner board and volunteer support for fundraising activities. EAKC must raise its operating budget annually with only a few fundraising sources or grants reoccurring over multiple years. The strategic plan calls for the budget to increase modestly each year as EAKC continues on its strategic growth plan.

●    Oversee grants management with assistance of contracted grant writer.  Source new opportunities, cultivate funder relationships, write and submit grant proposals, review and approve contractor key language and proposals, ensure compliance with all reporting and expense management requirements, maintain a diverse funding pipeline, including private foundations, family foundations, corporate foundations, and government grants.

●    Lead annual Brownwood Bike Rally with internal and external team which generates significant community involvement and financial support through sponsorship for East Atlanta Kids Club

●    Lead the annual Individual Giving in close cooperation with the board fundraising committee

●    Identify and lead the execution of small-scale donor cultivation and stewardship events.

●    Work closely with the board’s Resource Development Committee.

Board Governance and Support

●    In partnership with the Board Chair, ensure that board governance best practices are consistently followed.

●    Steward relationships of trust and engagement with and among board members.

●    Support the board’s work through clearly articulated expectations and roles.

●    Equip the board with the reports, structure, and analysis required for effective meetings.

●    Support the board in the recruitment and onboarding of new members.

Financial Management

Drive the strategy formulation for sustainability and take the lead role in business planning, budgeting and forecasting with day-to-day management by the Finance & Operations Manager.

●    Complete annual financial audit and 990

●    Create and manage the annual budget, as approved by the Board of Directors

●    Ensure that reporting requirements are met, and that funds are properly spent and accounted for.

●    Recommend changes to the financial model as needed.

●    Ensure strong financial practices and policies and that all policies and procedures are followed with fidelity.

●    Safeguard the fiscal health and sustainability of the organization.

●    Ensure all routine and annual bookkeeping and financial reporting tasks are completed on time

●    Support the work of the board’s Finance committee, and work closely with theTreasurer.

Program Oversight

Ensure consistent program excellence.

●    Oversee the work of the Program Director, working to ensure a strong program plan with target outcomes and quality program operations to achieve the targeted outcomes. 

●    During the summer program and at periodic intervals during the school year club program, spend time on site at EAKC programs, observing instruction and activities, getting to know students, staff and partners, thanking volunteers and donors, offering support, documenting stories of mission impact, and engaging stakeholders in the work.

●  Ensure that all data collection procedures are followed and that accurate data and outcomes are reported to stakeholders.

Organizational Administration and Compliance

Oversee the Finance and Operations Manager to ensure the proper organizational infrastructure to support East Atlanta Kids Club mission.

●    Handle compliance responsibilities including (but not limited to): insurance coverage, legal filings, tax filings, state registrations, policies and procedures handbook, board minutes, and donation acknowledgement.

●    Manage information, payment, donor data, and document systems.

●    EAKC uses PC laptops, Google Suite, Dropbox and other cloud-based applications such as Salesforce.  Quickbooks Desktop is the primary accounting tool.  The ED must be a proficient user of these technologies, but does not need to possess specialized IT or systems knowledge.

Human Resources/Talent Management

●    Directly supervise the senior staff of EAKC, currently the Finance and Operations Manager and Program Director, as well as potential contractors under the ED’s primary responsibility.

●    Supervise the Operations Manager to manage and ensure timely payroll, W2s, 1099s, HR policies, hiring, onboarding, evaluation and coaching.

●    Support professional development for employees.

●    Anticipate, plan for, and budget for changing HR needs associated with organizational growth.

●    Promote a culture of excellence, respect, inclusion, teamwork, self-care, and mission orientation.

External Relations, Partnership Development & Stewardship

●    Function as a visible community leader - a spokesperson for EAKC and an advocate for high-quality holistic out-of-school time programs, including after-school and summer camp.

●    Engage in associations, conferences, workgroups, forums, collaboratives, etc. related to afterschool/K-12 education, OST opportunities, summer learning, educational partnerships, child well-being, and positive youth development.

●    Maintain a current knowledge of the nonprofit and education/youth development landscape in metro Atlanta and Georgia, meeting regularly with other service providers and seeking opportunities for collaboration.

●    Take the lead role in developing and defining new programmatic partnerships and working with program director to shape strong partner relationships, agreements and effective program outcomes.

Marketing, Communications & PR

Lead this important function with day-to-day execution support from the Finance and Operations Manager to:

●    Develop key messaging, visuals and stories to illustrate mission impact.

●    Comply with brand standards of East Atlanta Kids Club

●    Secure pro bono marketing resources or partners to bring specialized skill or add capacity

●    Create marketing materials - brochures, annual report, flyers, etc.

●    Maintain website

●    Implement strategies to increase brand awareness

●    Seek and respond to media opportunities

●    Maintain social media sites and direct social media strategy

●    Communicate regularly with internal and external stakeholders through a variety of channels

COMPETENCIES

●    Senior-level track record in nonprofit management, education, or a related field

●    A college degree is required.

●    Functional knowledge and experience in each of the areas of responsibility detailed above or demonstrated ability to learn quickly

●    Demonstrated experience and track record in nonprofit fundraising, and an eagerness to lead fundraising efforts

●    Strong knowledge of Atlanta nonprofits organizations and funders

●    Experience with governance and board relations

●    Knowledge of youth development field or a demonstrated ability to work well with youth

●    Experience with financial accounting and reporting responsibilities

●    Executive presence and the ability to operate effectively in corporate, and community-based environments.

●    Clear thinking and communication, both written and verbal; public speaking

●    Capacity to think strategically and creatively to develop ideas into concrete plans

●    Adaptability and unflappability; ability to manage many simultaneous responsibilities and to adapt to a variety of opportunities and challenges that may arise

●    Orientation to both people and process

●    Ability to manage both the small details and the big picture

●    Servant leadership orientation

●    Commitment to East Atlanta Kids Club mission

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications should include a current CV and cover letter. Please send candidate referrals and applications to the attention of  Sundiata Rush, Board of Directors by clicking the "Apply" button.