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2010-11 AmeriCorps Residency in Social Enterprise
START DATE:
September 7, 2010
END DATE:
August 13, 2011
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
April 9, 2010
LOCATION:
Boston, MA and San Francisco, CA (tentative)
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR THE 2010-11 RESIDENCY IN SOCIAL ENTERPRISE!
New Sector's Residency in Social Enterprise is a competitive program that provides young professionals with up to ten years of work experience the opportunity to be trained and serve as an AmeriCorps member at a nonprofit organization for one year.
AmeriCorps New Sector Residents are selected from a competitive applicant pool to provide Boston- or San Francisco-area organizations (service sites) support that enhances the organizations' service to their constituents. Residents engage in projects that include improving programs, measuring impact, strengthening operational procedures, and expanding communication and strategic marketing efforts. We develop each project in coordination with service sites to ensure a substantive, high-impact experience that builds the character of the Resident and benefits the service site and larger community.
Training:
Residents participate in New Sector's training curriculum to learn analytical and strategic tools and develop their understanding of service and the social sector. Curriculum content is delivered by leading academics and practitioners through three weeks of intensive kick-off training and continuing bi-weekly workshops. Participants learn about topics such as effective leadership, financial literacy, effective communication, project management, and career development--all with a specific focus on applying the tools and knowledge to achieve social change.
Support:
Each Resident is matched with a volunteer consultant advisor from firms including Accenture, Bain & Company, The Boston Consulting Group, The Bridgespan Group, Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, and Oliver Wyman. These consultant advisors provide instruction and concrete feedback to improve Residents' project management skills, persuasive communication, and analytical analyses.
Serving as a Resident:
Residents are placed at our service sites, which vary in their area of focus--from addressing environmental or human and health services issues, to engaging in education or community and economic development. Past projects have included developing performance management measures, researching partnership opportunities, and designing new marketing strategies and materials.
New Sector develops a "project scope" with the service site before Residents arrive to ensure a structured, challenging experience. Residents attend biweekly workshops to further the development of their skill sets and deepen their understanding of successful social impact and civic participation. They also participate regularly in small-group, peer-facilitated Learning Teams that provide a support network and a more intimate forum for sharing knowledge, ideas, successes, and challenges.
Through their efforts on specific strategic initiatives, their experience with the daily operations of their service sites, and the training and support New Sector provides, Residents develop a holistic understanding of community, service, and building a socially responsible career.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
While no two New Sector experiences are the same, all offer unique opportunities and challenges. Specific responsibilities vary based on project and placement, but a typical Resident's duties include:
- Plan and manage projects to address a service site's key strategic opportunities and challenges
- Perform quantitative and qualitative analysis
- Generate practical, creative, and action-oriented insights and recommendations for a service site
- Create and give presentations and provide other deliverables to ensure service site satisfaction
- Work with service site staff members to implement recommendations
- Recruit and manage volunteers for service events
- Assist in daily service site operations
- Effectively communicate and manage relationships with all stakeholders in the New Sector model
Eligibility Requirements:
Residents must:
- Be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Not have served two or more State and National AmeriCorps program terms
There is no "typical" Fellow; New Sector consciously seeks individuals of differing perspectives and backgrounds and with various career goals. Successful applicants will demonstrate the following:
- Passion for and experience in achieving social change
- High level of self-motivation and a proven ability to deliver excellent results, demonstrated by a record of strong academic, extracurricular, professional, and personal accomplishment
- Core leadership attributes, including: resourcefulness, responsibility, independence, patience, integrity, energy, and a strong work ethic
- Ability to adapt and remain flexible in the face of various challenges and opportunities
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the capacity to understand the needs of multiple and diverse stakeholders, build strong service site relationships, and work effectively individually and as part of a team
- Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytical skills
- Ability to approach challenges in a structured manner by setting goals, devising a plan to achieve those goals, and meeting those goals in a timely manner
- Desire to proactively take on responsibility within the New Sector organization and network
Compensation and Other Benefits:
Residents receive a stipend and benefits totaling roughly $30,000, along with a certificate of completion of New Sector's training curriculum.
Compensation includes:
- Living stipend of $19,000
- Health-care coverage with no financial contribution from the Resident
- An end-of-year $5,350 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, distributed upon successful completion of the program and good for outstanding loans or future educational expenses at any accredited institution in the United States
- Annual travel stipend (in the form of a subway/bus pass) worth $700
Selection Process:
Successful candidates will progress through three rounds during the selection process:
- Application Screening
- 30-minute Phone Interview
- 60-minute Phone or In-person Interview (New Sector is not able to refund travel expenses for interviews and does not penalize candidates who interview by phone)
- Reference checks with at least two professional references
Successful candidates will then be offered a place in the 2010-2011 Residency cohort. Once a Resident has accepted his or her offier, the process of matching the Resident to a service site begins.
Matching Process:
Finalists will interview with potential service sites of New Sector's choosing. Feedback to New Sector from service site interviews will be the determining factor in making Resident offers. Please note that it is likely each accepted Resident will end up at one of his or her preferred service sites, but it is in no way guaranteed that even the most qualified applicant will end up at his or her first choice site.
Release of Information:
To facilitate participant selection and matching, New Sector may share candidates' resumes with potential service sites and professional consultant advisors. If candidates have any questions or concerns about this, they may contact Senior Manager, Jessica Lee, at jlee@newsector.org.
Application Deadline:
April 9, 2010
Candidates will be asked to prepare a cover letter, resume, and writing sample.
Inquiries can be sent to Jessica Lee at rise@newsector.org.. Please no calls.
The New Sector Residency in Social Enterprise program is supported by the Massachusetts Service Alliance and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
New Sector Alliance actively seeks to build a Residents class with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, representing a diversity of race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, secular preference, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, and ancestry. Further, we encourage individuals with disabilities to apply to the program and can provide reasonable accommodations for those individuals upon request. For additional assistance please contact Hollis Van Inwagen at hvaninwagen@newsector.org..
