Colorado Nonprofit Association

Public Policy and Community Outreach Coordinator

 EMERGENCY FAMILY ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATION

Job Title: Public Policy and Community Outreach Coordinator

Hours of Work: 40 hours per week, typically Mon-Fri within the hours of 8:30 – 5:00 with some flexibility as determined by the supervisor and employee. Some evening / weekend work will be required. Regular and timely attendance is an essential function of this job.

Reports to: Executive Director

EFAA’s mission is to provide stabilizing services, innovative programs, and transformative advocacy to strengthen families and create a thriving community. For over 100 years, EFAA has provided a local safety net to vulnerable households and has increasingly developed deeper programming to more systemically reduce poverty, prevent homelessness, build family resilience and create a more equitable community.

Position Summary

Background about the position

EFAA’s Strategic Education efforts have grown over the last 5 years, including creation of a Strategic Education Committee, development of a series of background ‘white papers’ and a Community Wellbeing Scorecard on the main issues facing EFAA participants (see www.efaa.org), development of public policy positions on key legislative issues at the local, state and federal levels, greater incorporation of participant voice in advocacy, and heightened engagement of strategic education messaging in EFAA’s communications and outreach efforts. 

Strategic Education Goals in the FY26-28 Strategic plan priorities:

• Build public awareness of EFAA and issues in the community through targeted outreach and strategic partnerships 

• Focus EFAA’s legislative and policy agenda to go deeper on key areas that have the greatest positive impact on our participants

• Center participants and their experiences as drivers of EFAA’s advocacy and communications efforts

Essential functions

Management of Strategic Education program

• Oversees EFAA’s Strategic Education program, sets annual implementation plan guided by the strategies and goals set forth in the Strategic Plan

• Provides updates and technical support to EFAA’s Strategic Education Committee, including preparation of agenda and action minutes, arrangements for informational items, and preparation of background memos, as needed

• Prepares analysis, metrics and research on strategic education issues,

• Leverages EFAA’s programmatic expertise and programs information to develop strategic education issues and messages

• Ensures a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens in EFAA’s strategic education and outreach efforts

Policy advocacy

• Identifies priority policy issues and helps prepare policy positions, public statements and appearances to testify on local, state and federal legislative issues

• Advocates for and supports local legislative and ballot issues based on EFAA’s comparative expertise and mission alignment

• Builds and organizes coalitions proactively, or joins existing ones, to address key issues

• Drafts statements on EFAA policy and legislative positions for public testimony and public dissemination 

Community Awareness

• Develops and distributes a suite of materials to be used for public information (EFAA platforms and beyond) that includes a combination of hard data, participant stories and lessons learned from experiences, including an annual Community Well-being Scorecard

• Organizes annual community wide event to raise awareness about key issues affecting EFAA participants

• Represents EFAA on various community coalitions related to policy and advocacy

• Incorporates strategic education efforts into EFAA outreach, marketing and core messaging 

Participant voice

• Identifies and prioritizes advocacy issues based on engaging and listening to feedback from participants, including community priorities survey

• Cultivates participant engagement, input and testimony to support public policy and legislative issues

• Supports participant voice in strategic education including training on participant testimony, support to community mobilization activities, voter engagement outreach, and similar activities

• Provides staff support to EFAA’s Participant Advisory Committee (PAC), including member recruitment and selection, development of workplan priorities, meeting agendas and logistics and action minutes, Participant Newsletters, trainings and facilitation of PAC activities in general

Outreach

• Develops an integrated annual outreach strategy, including identification of priority objectives and target populations

• Provides overall coordination of EFAA’s community outreach efforts, including managing team of Outreach Ambassador volunteers and related logistics and communications

The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned as necessitated by organizational demands.

Skills/Competencies

Required:

• A minimum of 1-3 years public policy, community outreach, community organizing, or related experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field or equivalent work experience

• Proficiency in Spanish

• Excellent analytical skills and demonstrated interest and passion in public policy and advocacy work, with an emphasis on issues related to EFAA’s mission (poverty, homelessness, housing insecurity economic inequality, food insecurity, etc.)

• Excellent writing skills to draft policy statements, position papers, meeting minutes, and, in collaboration with EFAA’s Communications manager, strategic education messaging for EFAA’s media platforms  

• Excellent public speaking skills to present EFAA positions and speak to issues in the community 

• Ease with engaging with groups from different backgrounds, from elected officials to community members, including facilitating community outreach meetings

• Demonstrated cultural competency engaging in outreach and dialogue with key community groups and organizations to promote advocacy   

• Thorough knowledge of MS Office programs

Preferred Skills / Competencies:

• Experience in working with community groups to engage policy and legislative advocacy

• Knowledge of the State of Colorado policy and legislative environment and, preferably, issues and actors in Boulder County.

• Commitment to EFAA’s mission and the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion

Working Environment, Physical Activities and Equipment Used:  

Typical office environment. Regularly uses computers for data input and other work.

Employee must take proper safety precautions, anticipate unsafe circumstances and act accordingly to prevent accidents; adhere to and practice EFAA Safety Rules.

Compensation

This is a full-time position (100% FTE) or 40 hours per week. The salary range for this position is $58,000 – $63,000 annually. Competitive pay commensurate with education and experience.