Consulting Executive Advisor & Assistant

Description of the Organization:

For 30 years, LEAP has worked with children, teenagers, and young adults in New Haven, Connecticut in some of the lowest income urban neighborhoods in America. As the largest youth agency in our city, we provide academic support, social enrichment, and leadership development, but we do so in a unique way. We give older students (ages 16-24) the training, education, and resources they need to work as counselors to our younger students (ages 7-15). In doing so, we go beyond impacting individual lives through education and employment. We build a community with power and purpose.

Description of Q House:

The Dixwell Community House, known as the “Q House”, was started in 1924 as a settlement house for African Americans moving north as part of the Great Migration. It served as a center for the historic Black community in the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods for generations, providing a comprehensive set of community based services for residents of all ages. In 2003, the Q House closed its doors. After 19 years, the Q House is back! The new Q House is deeply committed to the community it calls home, with a love of its history and a commitment to our shared future.

A group of dedicated community activists organized for more than a decade to build a new Q House. The Q House Advisory Board working with the City of New Haven and the State of Connecticut raised funds to open the Q House in September 2021. The Q House includes the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, the Stetson branch of the New Haven Public Library, the Dixwell/Newhallville Senior Center, in addition to spaces managed by LEAP.

In combination, these allies have created a facility and community resource unparalleled in the State of Connecticut. The Q House will be a center that welcomes and provides resources and opportunities for the breadth and diversity of our community: young children, teens, adults, and senior citizens.

LEAP and the Q House:

LEAP was chosen by the City of New Haven and the Q House Advisory Board and contracted by the City of New Haven to play two roles: (1) to manage programming spaces including the gym, teaching kitchen, teen lounge, art studio, dance studio, weight room, game room, meeting rooms, recording studio and outdoor plaza; and (2) to coordinate activities done jointly with the other Q House partners (library, senior center, and health clinic) and other important allies (community groups, local schools, etc.).

General Purpose

Position Summary: The Consulting Executive Advisor and Assistant for the Q House Advisory Board is a contracted consultant who provides administrative and management support to the Q House Advisory Board. The Q House Advisory Board members, including its leadership and committee chairs, are all volunteers. This position provides support to ensure that the Advisory Board can meet its goals of implementing its strategic plan, including meeting its goals around the building of a fund raising strategy and apparatus. Specifically, the position supports leadership of the Advisory Board and its Committee Chairs in assisting the Advisory Board in its fundraising efforts, scheduling, meeting prep, meeting follow up, communications, presentation, contracting and donor/partner engagement.

Distinguishing characteristics, features, and requirements: This is part-time consulting (non-employee) work. The consultant will be independent and provide the services under a contractual non-employee arrangement. The consultant will set their own working hours and the work will be non-exclusive, provided that there shall be no conflicts of interest. While the consultant will be contracted by LEAP, their day to day work will largely be driven by the needs and requirements of the Advisory Board leadership. This is a position requiring effective interaction and communication with Advisory Board leadership and members, donors, LEAP, partner organizations, government agencies, community leaders, educational institutions, and vendors. LEAP may end the contractual relationship at any time and for any reason.

Important and essential duties:

• Provide support to the Finance Committee and the Finance Committee chair to facilitate the raising of funds toward the endowment of the Q House. This includes setting meetings with potential funders, preparing materials for potential funders, researching potential funders, following up on potential funder requests, and initial drafting of proposals and reports for potential funders.
• Manage meetings of Advisory Board Committees, including scheduling, minute completion, and working with leadership to set agendas.
• Attend meetings with Advisory Board and Committee leadership to understand initiatives and take responsibility for necessary follow up with donors, community partners, and institutions.
• Work with LEAP to support acceptance and designation of gifts for the endowment. Said gifts may go to a fiduciary entity other than LEAP as determined by the Advisory Board and LEAP, in which case, maintain communication with the fiduciary entity.
• Retain records for the Advisory Board.

Qualifications:

• Several years of demonstrated experience in senior executive assistance, fund raising, or similar role
• Demonstrated strong organizational skills
• Strong time management skills
• Ability to establish work priorities, meet deadlines, and remain flexible
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Cultural competency based in experience working in African American and Latino communities
• Ability to organize and maintain digital records and filing systems for collecting and reporting data
• Strong knowledge and use of computer software applications, including Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Zoom, file sharing, databases, and research tools

Note:

This position is remote, and it is intended that the consultant will provide their own technology (phone, computer, etc.), transportation, and workspace. For in person meetings, spaces will be made available at the Q House. Flexibility to attend meetings on some evenings and weekends required.

Additional information about the organization is available via www.leapforkids.org.

~LEAP is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer~