Write Pittsburgh Executive Director

Reporting to the Write Pittsburgh Board of Directors, the Executive Director is responsible for overseeing all day-to-day operations—including program management; budgeting; fundraising; communication with stakeholders including board, team, participants, parents, funders, donors, partners, and the community; volunteer and intern support; social media and marketing efforts; website and online store; and organizational best practices and reporting.

The executive director sets Write Pittsburgh’s future goals and builds collaborative partnerships to accomplish those goals—including youth autonomy and leadership, the empowerment of writers, and the development of a strong writing community. The selected candidate must combine a proven track record in nonprofit and educational leadership and demonstrate commitment to Write Pittsburgh’s mission, values, and program offerings. 

The Executive Director must have current clearances or the ability to acquire clearances for working with youth in Pennsylvania, including PA Child Abuse, PA Criminal Record, and FBI Background Clearances, and the Mandated Reporter Certificate.

• Create a supportive environment for all associated with the organization—those working for or on behalf of the organization as well as those participating in Write Pittsburgh programs.
• Follow established procedures for recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, and scheduling of team, volunteers, and interns. 
• Work with the program leadership team to determine opportunities for volunteers/interns.
• Oversee team and work closely with program leadership team, facilitators, interns, and volunteers on scheduling and implementing programs for teens and adults, including publishing opportunities.
• Monitor and support team member requirements including professional development opportunities, website presence, clearances, and trainings.
• Develop and implement a plan for recruiting teen and adult participants.
• Support, develop, and distribute writing curriculum with the program leadership team and workshop facilitators. Curriculum will reflect Write Pittsburgh’s commitment to social-emotional learning, mental health, and participant autonomy. Curriculum will be reviewed and modified by the team to ensure that it meets the aims of the organization.
• Establish and maintain a calendar of program offerings with the program leadership team.
• Develop a robust roster of community collaborators and partner organizations (including youth-serving organizations, schools and universities, and reading and writing organizations of similar mission) that support the vibrance of the Pittsburgh community and reach populations that tend to have less access to programming. 
• Ensure that the organization and each program meets federal, state, and local laws, as well as requirements for insurance coverage.
• Ensure programs are inclusive, accessible, and demonstrate equitable representation.
• Update and evaluate feedback methods to survey impact of programming for the purpose of continuous improvement and reporting.
• Utilize International Alliance of Youth Writing Centers for program support.
  

• Welcome teen participants and their adults, adult participants, community members, funders, and donors into the organization.
• Receive and respond to emails sent to info@writepittsburgh.com as well as the executive director’s personal Write Pittsburgh email account.
• Represent the organization at various community programs, meetings, conferences, and  similar networking or community events.
• Draft, solicit content for, edit, and deploy a monthly newsletter.
• Create, solicit, and deploy relevant content for social media channels.
• Develop and implement a marketing strategy for various Write Pittsburgh programs.
• Utilize database tools and software to maintain constituent relationships.
  

• Maintain organizational relationships with vendors and contractors for marketing and media materials, printable assets, and deliverables; partnerships and collaborations; as well as legal, accounting, insurance, and other administrative services.
• Find and attend professional development opportunities.
• Oversee and maintain program platform and functionality needs including software, hardware, data storage, record-keeping, website, financial, and other, as needed.
• Attend Board meetings as a non-voting participant to answer questions, communicate organizational vision, and provide regular updates on the operations of the organization.
• Support the recruitment of new Board members and with the assistance of the Board Vice Chair and help onboard new Board members
  

• Act as the primary fiscal agent, implementing all financial policies and procedures.
• Work closely with the Board of Directors, Treasurer, Bookkeeper, and Tax Accountant to maintain the integrity of organization finances. 
• Work closely with the Board Treasurer and the organization’s bookkeeper to provide financial reporting to the Board at all meetings and as requested.
• Present the annual operating budget to the Finance Committee for review and approval by vote by the Board of Directors prior to the start of each new Fiscal Year (July 1).
• Encourage 100% giving from Write Pittsburgh Board members, commensurate with their capacity, either financially (board dues) or by other agreed-upon terms (programmatic support, etc.).
• Complete end-of-year outreach (donor letters), grantor and foundation communication, and Annual Report.
• Perform other financial responsibilities assigned by the Board and according to the Financial Management Policy and Procedures.
  

• Cultivate new relationships with foundations, including by writing and submitting grant proposals.
• Maintain existing relationships with foundations, communicating openly and completing grant reports in a timely manner.
• Work with Write Pittsburgh’s bookkeeper to oversee grant distribution and diligently maintain record-keeping of all expenditures.
  

• Record donations through fundraising software. 
• Maintain and manage online giving for various fundraising campaigns.
• Collaborate on fundraising appeals and strategy with the Board of Directors, including an annual fundraiser.
• Lead corporate sponsorship campaigns, employer matching donations, and similar relationship programs.
• Cultivate relationships with potential donors and community partners.
• Perform prospect research and analysis for financial giving.
• Serve as the main point of contact for existing donors to create lasting relationships that result in continual communication, future donations. Cultivate individual donations through email and phone follow-ups, in-person conversations, mail, etc.
• Provide donor acknowledgments, thank-you letters, and year-end giving summaries.
• Process donations and enter fundraising data into a constituent database; correlate and clean-up historical data on a regular basis.
• Maintain donor privacy.
  

• $60,000 per year, plus benefits