Stand for Children, a national nonprofit organization, is seeking an outstanding new State Director in its Massachusetts affiliate.  Stand for Children enables everyday people to join together in an effective grassroots voice that wins concrete, long-lasting improvements for schools and other programs for children, at both state and local levels.  Based in Cambridge , the new State Director will lead a statewide citizens group that lobbies and campaigns for good schools, early childhood education, and other essential programs that prepare children for economic success and active citizenship.

The Organization

Since its inception in 1999, Stand for Children members have won 76 victories that leveraged more than $1.7 billion in public funding for schools and other vital programs and achieved a range of important education reforms that, overall, have benefited more than 2.7 million children.  Every dollar invested in Stand for Children has delivered $128 in public funding for children’s programs.  Headquartered in Portland , Oregon , Stand for Children now has four state affiliates: Massachusetts , Oregon , Tennessee and Washington .

The Massachusetts Stand for Children affiliate was established in 2003.  It now has seven local Chapters and 750 members who have achieved two statewide victories and six local wins.  Specific successes include:

• Leading the way for Education Reform - In 2007, Stand for Children helped to increase general state aid for public schools by $220 million and $12.3 million for special education. Responding to Stand’s call for an Adequacy Study to advance education reform, the Governor’s new Readiness Project is charged with recommending specific steps to deliver education reform throughout Massachusetts . Stand’s year-long state campaign was highlighted by in-district meetings with legislators involving over 400 members, a rally and lobby day of nearly 2,000 participants from 85 different communities, and media coverage with 2.8 million viewer impressions.

• Increasing State Aid for Public Schools – Stand for Children helped increase state aid for public schools by $125 million through a persistent and strategic lobbying campaign that culminated in a School Funding Rally on Boston Common that drew more than 1,000 participants from 50 communities.

• Health and Wellness – Successfully lobbied the Arlington School Committee to adopt a child-centered health and nutrition policy for Arlington Public Schools, positively impacting 4,658 children. In Lexington , Stand members improved the learning environment for children in Lexington Public Schools by persuading the school district to adopt the EPA’s “Tools for Schools” indoor air quality maintenance program and secured a $30,000 EPA Healthy Communities Grant to support implementation.

• Local School Funding – Successfully campaigned for the passage of three local Proposition 2 ˝ overrides to restore critical funds back into classrooms. In 2004, Stand members campaign for the restoration of $3.27 million to the Lexington Public Schools which controlled class sizes, restored foreign language, art and music programs, and saved special education tutoring. We repeated this success in 2007, by campaigning for the passage of a $3.9 million override. In 2005, Stand members contributed to the Arlington Override Campaign which restored $2.5 million back into the district’s schools. In Lowell during the spring of 2007, the Stand Chapter helped prevent $800,000 in funding cuts for its local schools through effective lobbying at City Council public budget hearings and contacting individual committee members. 

Massachusetts Stand for Children has an annual budget of $750,000 and a high-caliber staff of six including four organizers, a Director of Development and Policy, a Development/Executive Assistant.

Massachusetts Stand for Children is supported and guided by an outstanding Advisory Board made up of business and civic leaders who provide oversight and play a key role in fundraising.  The organization is led by a Massachusetts Leaders Network made up of Chapter leaders who select its statewide issue priorities. 

The Position

The State Director will work to move Massachusetts Stand for Children to the next level of scale, impact, and financial stability.  S/he will report to the National Organizing Director and will lead and manage a team of community-based field organizers and statewide staff. 

Major short term organizational priorities include:

• Developing a partnership with the Governor to help shape and provide strong grassroots support for his education platform.
• Holding the Massachusetts Legislature accountable for conducting a school funding adequacy study and advocating for the Municipal Partnership Act to give towns and cities tools for raising local revenue for public schools
• Helping Stand for Children develop a broad, long term policy vision for improving schools

Key ongoing responsibilities include:

• Ensuring Effective Field Organizing – Supervising and coordinating Stand for Children’s local Organizers to ensure that they achieve increasing levels of effectiveness and local impact, reach their organization-building goals, and contribute to statewide campaigns.
• Budgeting and Fundraising – Raising sufficient 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 revenue to meet annual expenses and a specified percentage of national overhead.
• Statewide Campaigns – With current staff and with the addition of a Deputy Director, managing statewide issue development and actions/campaigns; coordinating lobbying at the state level; developing and maintaining key organizational partnerships and alliances; and ensuring effective internal and external communications.
• Strategic Planning and Organizational Expansion – Ensuring continued strategic positioning and statewide growth.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring many of the following attributes:

• Commitment to children and dedication to positive social change

• A minimum of five years of community organizing, political organizing and campaigning, or relevant leadership experience is required.

• Statewide lobbying experience

• Experience supervising Community Organizers

• The entrepreneurial orientation and management ability to achieve organizational outcomes

• Track record of effective major donor fundraising

• Experience with K-12 education issues

• Self-starter with high integrity

• Financial management skills

• Experience working with volunteers

• Strong interpersonal and team-building skills; a consensus and partnership builder;

• Exceptional communication skills including strong listening

• Self-aware and able to incorporate direct feedback

• Strategic, goal-oriented, persistent and politically-oriented

• Ability to travel

• Bachelor’s degree is required

• Residence in or ability to relocate to the Cambridge , MA area

For more information, please see www.stand.org.

Stand for Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer and candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply, please send cover letter, resume and salary history to: 

segmont@egmontassociates.com

Egmont Associates

85 East India Row #24F Boston , MA 02110 .

Word documents as attachments only; no need to apply by multiple media.