Description

JOB TITLE: Volunteer Support Specialist

DEPARTMENT: Programs

REPORTS TO: Program Manager- Site Based 

LOCATION: Seattle or Bellevue

PAY RANGE: $25.00/hour DOE Generous benefits including, 4 weeks of accrued vacation leave along with accrued sick days and 2 personal days per year, 100% employer paid medical, dental, vision, and long-term disability for employees, 401 (k) with employer match, LinkedIn Learning Professional Development and EAP 

FLSA STATUS: Non-Exempt, Full-time 

LAST REVIEWED: June 2024 

Our Values: Trusted and Transparent | Respect and Dignity | Relationship Building | Inclusivity and Belonging (JEDI) | Rise to Meet Youth 

Our Mission: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound (BBBSPS) creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Each employee in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound helps to extend the mission of the agency in particular ways as outlined in the position description. The essential functions of the position include, but are not limited to the following. 

JOB SUMMARY:

Are you a person who is passionate about working closely with volunteers? Are you excited to develop recruitment and outreach efforts to best support our community? Do you work well in a team environment to meet goals and objectives? 

At BBBSPS our team strives to sponsor and promote innovative partnerships between youth, volunteer mentors and the community. This Volunteer Support Specialist will be responsible for volunteer recruitment, outreach, and interviewing. They will create and lead volunteer training and conduct ongoing volunteer over the phone, email, and in person. 

The Volunteer Support Specialist works closely with our corporate partners, volunteers, schools, and the community. They connect students with volunteer mentors who can transform their futures. By maintaining contact with matched pairs, they ensure successful and viable ongoing relationships. The Volunteer Support Specialist should possess the drive to meet or exceed goals and build capacity for future growth.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Identify the needs for and conduct outreach for new volunteers. Collaborate with the Marketing team to ensure volunteer outreach and recruiting meets the demand for mentors.
• Prepare and distribute program materials; communicates program information to mentors regularly and to youth and parents/guardians as-needed. 
• Manage and support a caseload of up to 100 volunteers from initial inquiry to established volunteer mentor.
• Lead orientation and training sessions related to Site Based Programming for team, volunteer mentors and partners. 
• Maintain strong relationships with all members of the Site Based Team, external partners, and match members to ensure volunteers have skills and information for an outstanding match. 
• Maintain documentation to assure youth safety, accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency. 
• Develop and maintain on-going relationships with designated partner organizations and BBBSPS, including regular communication and problem-solving. 
• Assist in recognizing volunteers for their contributions and re-engaging volunteers at key points in their engagement journey with us. 
• Create and maintain a volunteer community where volunteers can support each other.

Agency Support Responsibilities

• Establish, monitor and meet goals for new match growth, match length, support contact compliance, and customer/volunteer satisfaction. 
• Coordinate with other departments to identify possible partners and partnerships, staff and promote agency events, and provide support for other efforts as necessary. 
• Participate in mandatory trainings/on-going professional development/coaching in the areas such as: 
• Race and Equity 
• LGBTQ Competency and Support Strategies
• Youth Development Best Practice 
• Trauma Informed Practices 
• Apply the practices and principles attained in your BBBSPS trainings/on-going professional development/coaching to all mentors, mentees, and families. 
• Other duties as assigned by the Program Manager- Site Based and the Chief Program and Impact Officer. 

Requirements

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree with preference given to human services, education or similar; or Associates Degree with 4 years of relevant experience; or 8 years of relevant work experience. 
• Prior experience working with volunteers preferred.
• Access to reliable automobile, valid driver’s license, auto insurance required. 
• Willingness and ability to demonstrate a commitment to support the organization’s efforts to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion. Must be comfortable working with a range of races, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, languages, and socio-economic backgrounds. 
• Understanding of issues/barriers that impact children and families from underserved populations. 
• Able to work independently exercising good judgment, decision-making and problem-solving skills. 
• Able to succeed in a fast-paced environment required.
• Able to facilitate trainings and workshops with large groups. 
• Able to work with confidential information required. 
• Available to work evenings and weekends as needed. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills reflecting solid customer service both in-person and via the telephone. 
• Volunteer coordination requires time orienting, training and building rapport with volunteers. 
• Fluent in Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog or Vietnamese would be helpful, but not required. 

 WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

The environmental conditions described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. 

• 30% of time will be at schools and partner sites working directly with Youth and Volunteer Mentors.
• Routine office environment weekly. 
• Frequent independent travel. 
• Physical demands: While performing duties of job, employee is often required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. Employees must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. 
• Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 
• Phone time: 30% of work will be spent on the phone or email contacting volunteers. 
• The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and required skills. Job Description may be subject to change to meet the needs of the organization. Management retains the discretion to add or to change the duties of the position at any time.

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement  

At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, we are unwavering in our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion (JEDI) and these principles are integral to our values and mission. We firmly believe that every person should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, and we are committed to upholding JEDI principles in all aspects of our organization. We are dedicated to taking concrete actions to uphold these values both internally and externally, with a particular focus on empowering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual, plus) individuals and other traditionally marginalized communities. Through these actions, both internally and externally, we create a transformative environment where every person can thrive, be heard, and truly belong. 

Americans with Disabilities Act

Applicants as well as employees who are or become disabled must be able to perform the essential duties & responsibilities either unaided or with reasonable accommodation. The organization shall determine reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law.