Program & Events Coordinator
Write Around Portland seeks a Program & Events Coordinator.
The Program & Events Coordinator is responsible for coordinating our ticketed public programming, including Resonate: A BIPOC Writers Circle, as well as our events, including an auction and gala and our signature Summer and Winter Reading events.
The Program & Events Coordinator will also collaborate in implementing Write Around Portland’s Strategic Plan; Racial Equity goals; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) initiatives.
Our Ideal Candidate
You’re our ideal candidate if you love throwing a good party! You’re organized, detail-oriented, and passionate about meeting deadlines. You can demonstrate experience supporting communities of color. You can cultivate and build relationships on behalf of an organization, and you’re excited about helping Write Around Portland grow and thrive.
We’re committed to understanding and changing historical legacies of inequity and patterns of oppression, especially as applied to communities of color. We encourage applicants who reflect the full range of our community’s diversity to apply, including people of color, people who are living on or have lived on a low-income, and people with disabilities.
About Write Around Portland
Write Around Portland changes lives through the power of writing. We facilitate storytelling and sharing in underheard communities by partnering with nonprofits, prisons, hospitals, recovery centers, schools, and other organizations throughout the Portland area.
Responsibilities
- Manage ticketed public programming, including Resonate: A BIPOC Writers Circle, Prompt, and Freewrite. This may include recruiting, scheduling, training, and supporting volunteer facilitators, preparing materials, creating curriculum, recruiting participants, and evaluating the program.
- Coordinate development events, including our annual auction and gala (100+ attendees). Duties include asking for donations and sponsorships; stewarding relationships with local businesses; booking vendors; communicating with donors; and providing creative vision to inspire marketing, décor, and on-stage entertainment.
- Coordinate our signature Summer and Winter Reading & Book Launch events (100+ attendees) that celebrate participants’ achievements at the end of each program season.
- Manage email, phone, and mail; send letters and postcards; answer questions.
- Ensure the execution of Write Around Portland’s mission by collaborating with staff and volunteers. Bring an abundant, equitable, and inclusive lens to our programming and development efforts. Help to advance Write Around Portland’s racial equity work.
- Help to nurture and sustain a warm, welcoming, collegial, and respectful organizational and office culture; upholding, practicing, and implementing our core values of respect, writing, and community; and interacting with our participants, volunteers, agency partners, donors, and the general public.
- Other duties as assigned.
Position Details
- This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position that reports to the Executive Director. The salary is $45,000.
- We offer a flexible, hybrid, 4-day (32 hour) work week. We offer two remote workdays and two in-person days. Our ADA-accessible office is located in downtown Portland near public transit.
- Benefits include health insurance, sick leave, paid time off, 12 paid holidays and 2 floating paid holidays, SIMPLE IRA retirement plan, short-term disability insurance, organization-issued cell phone, professional development and learning opportunities, flexible work schedule, ability to do meaningful work and make an impact, and the opportunity to be part of and contribute to a collegial, good-humored team where creativity and laughter abound.
- In-town travel to readings and events is required, which are held throughout the greater metro area including Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and other counties in Oregon, and Clark County in southwest Washington. Events are generally held on evenings and weekends.
- This position requires the ability to work at a computer for multiple hours.
- Upon hire, Write Around Portland employees must be able to offer proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Qualifications
Note: Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in the job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and we would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet every one of our qualifications described. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position or how this would be determined, please email apply@writearound.org to discuss your application.
Required for This Position:
- Demonstrated experience supporting communities of color. Ability to cultivate positive, professional relationships with writers of color, small businesses, vendors, partners, facilitators, and volunteers.
- Exceptional organization skills
- Collaborative and self-directed; can drive a project and work with others to meet organizational goals
- An entrepreneurial mindset, understanding that fundraising is essential to the success of any nonprofit. Willingness to learn and execute fundraising best practices including asking for money
- Ability to hear, reflect, act on, and learn from feedback. Takes accountability for mistakes
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong commitment to Write Around Portland’s mission and values
Helpful for This Position:
- Understanding of the literary industry and what writers may want or need
- Certification as a Write Around Portland facilitator
- Experience as a writer
- Experience as a teacher or in an education-related field
- Educational background in creative writing, such as a BFA or MFA in creative writing
Required for All Write Around Portland Staff:
- Strong commitment to our mission; upholds and implements our values of respect, writing, and community.
- Engaged in anti-racism learning; knowledge and familiarity with DEIA principles and ability to implement racial equity goals in assigned areas.
- Excellent verbal communication skills including being clear, sharing context when needed, and asking questions to understand others’ perspectives.
- Efficiently manages workload without sacrificing quality; has or can create a system for tracking and prioritizing tasks; strong organizational skills.
- Collaborative and self-directed. Ability to take initiative, anticipate deadlines, and work with others to meet organizational goals. Asks for help when needed.
- Exhibits strong attention to detail and relationships. Acknowledges mistakes and turns them into learning opportunities. Exhibits a learning mindset.
- Ability to hear, reflect, act on, and learn from feedback
- Enthusiasm for and ability to work respectfully with people with diverse backgrounds, health statuses, income and education levels, or those who may otherwise face barriers to writing in our community.
- Warm, good-humored, collegial, strengths-focused, and kind.
- Ability to be flexible, adapt, and roll with difficult situations as they arise. An understanding that small organizations like Write Around Portland require exceptional flexibility in taking on new tasks and working on things that are outside of a job description.
- Proficiency (or willingness to learn) basic computer systems, email communications, organizational systems, and Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel.