There are many folks running some of today’s major nonprofit organizations who cut their teeth in the late 60s and in the 70s taking to the streets for issues like opposition to the Vietnam war, civil rights and women’s right. They often look at today’s younger generations and wonder… why aren’t they taking to the streets?
The culture has shifted, but the commitment is still there. You see a tremendous amount of activity online for advocacy and there is a major movement of social entrepreneurship.
Our job is to tap into this strong desire to make the world better in a way that fits with today’s culture. One thing we know is that young people want to do service. And so if you have a service program or are thinking about adding one, now might be the time to think big.
May 14, 2008 Teach for America Sees Surge in Popularity
By SAM DILLON
Teach for America, the program that recruits top college graduates to teach for two years in public schools that are difficult to staff, has experienced a year of prodigious growth and will place 3,700 new teachers this fall, up from 2,900 last year, a 28 percent increase.
That growth was outpaced, however, by a surge in applications from college seniors. About 24,700 applied this spring to be teachers, up from 18,000 last year, a 37 percent increase, according to figures released by the organization on Wednesday.
The nonprofit program sent its first 500 recruits into American public school classrooms in 1990. It has a large recruiting staff that visits campuses, contacting top prospects and recruiting aggressively. Founded by a Princeton graduate, it has always carefully sifted through applicants’ grade-point averages and other data in recruiting. But with the numbers of applicants increasing faster than the number of teachers placed, it was even more selective this year than before, the organization said.
About 11 percent of the graduating class at Yale applied, 10 percent at Georgetown and 9 percent at Harvard, said Amy Rabinowitz, a spokeswoman.
It was the No. 1 employer on many campuses, including at Duke, Emory, George Washington, Georgetown, New York University, and Spelman, Ms. Rabinowitz said. The campuses with the largest number of recruits, however, were large, prestigious public universities. About 90 recruits are from the University of Michigan, and about 60 from the University of Illinois, while Wisconsin, Berkeley and the University of Texas are each sending 50 recruits, Ms. Rabinowitz said.
The program will place teachers in 29 locations this fall. Those include many of the nation’s biggest cities and some largely rural states, like South Dakota, where about 50 recruits work on Indian reservations. About 1,000 recruits teach in New York City schools.
Teach for America’s budget is $110 million, up from $40 million in 2005.
This is a great job for someone to run the Chicago operation of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corp. AVODAH is a year-long residential program where the young folks live together, learn together and work full time in a local anti-poverty organization.
Chicago Site Director
Position Reports to: Executive Director, dotted line reporting to Associate Executive Director
Job Title(s) Reporting
to This Position: Chicago Program Director, Administrative Coordinator
POSITION OVERVIEW
Serves as primary spokesperson, strategist, fund raiser, and advocate for AVODAH’s Chicago site and program. Manages Chicago staff and is responsible for developing and meeting annual goals for site.
DUTIES
• Serves as chief spokesperson and advocate for Chicago site and program.
• Develops and monitors site budget and monthly financial statements.
• Establishes and fulfills Chicago fundraising goals under supervision of AVODAH’s Associate Executive Director.
• Plans and implements all aspects and fundraising activities for AVODAH’s annual fundraiser in Chicago, as well as smaller fundraising house meetings and other opportunities during the year.
• Cultivates and nurtures current and potential community and funder relationships and partnerships.
• Organizes public speaking opportunities for Chicago staff, alumni and Corps members.
• Recruits members for and staffs local Advisory Council.
• In collaboration and coordination with national program director, provides supervision, coaching, and support to local program director.
• Assists Chicago program director to research, recruit, select, and match program participants and placement agencies.
• Represents AVODAH at and assists Chicago program director with orientation and retreats.
• Serves as trainer or facilitator and provides backup program staffing for one-year program.
• Provides supervision and direction to Chicago program assistant.
• Serves as primary liaison and resource to local alumni community.
• Advocates and promotes engagement of broader Chicago-area Jewish community in effective work for social change.
• Manages day-to-day operations of Chicago office and oversees efforts to locate new office and residential space.
• Manages relationship with landlord of AVODAH Corps member housing.
• Performs any other site or agency-related duties or special projects as required by the Executive Director.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Substantial nonprofit management experience.
• Track record in cultivating and nurturing individual, group, and community relationships and partnerships.
• Supervisory and fundraising experience strongly preferred.
• Ability to develop and monitor budget and financial reporting.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Sensitivity and ability to collaborate and work with diverse populations.
• Commitment to the work of integrating social activism and Jewish life.
• Creative self-starter.
• Flexible.
• Team player.
• Facilities management a plus.
• Some weekend and evening availability.
Salary: Competitive salary, excellent benefits.
E-mail cover letter, resume to:
David Rosenn, Executive Director, AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, at drosenn[at]avodah[dot]net. No calls, please. For more information about AVODAH, visit our website.
American Jews, like Americans generally, opened their hearts and wallets to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A lot of the giving went through the Red Cross, but for many Jews it was important to find a Jewish response. In reaction to this desire, the main organs of Jewish philanthropy set up funds to help.
But here we are, two years later. New Orleans is in trouble. The response to Katrina from all levels of government has been inadequate. New Orleans had problems long before the hurricane and the destruction only has exacerbated a long list of problems.
I am very excited to say that a new continuing Jewish response to help New Orleans is being launched by AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corp. AVODAH puts young Jews to work in a year-long program of service. While working locally, these folks live communally and study both how to make change in the world and the Jewish connections to social justice. Right now, AVODAH has houses in New York, Washington and Chicago. Starting next fall, AVODAH will be in New Orleans putting “boots on the ground” to help the city recover.
I am on the national Board of Directors of AVODAH and yesterday, in an all-day meeting in New York, we decided to greenlight the expansion to New Orleans. We will need to raise money for this effort, and there are lots of logistical challenges. But we all felt that in running a national service program we could not avoid addressing New Orleans. Our broader goal is to invigorate Jewish life in America with the values of service and we hope that this effort can help energize a new generation of Jewish leaders to step up and act.
Learn more about AVODAH and make a donation while you’re at it. And if you think New Orleans isn’t still in need, have a look at this recent piece by Robert Greenwald.
