AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator

Organization/Agency Mission and/or Goals: The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) is a non-profit law firm that provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers.

Program Mission and/or Goals: Through a collaboration with Met Council, a community based non-profit organization serving the poor, elderly, and recent immigrants in NYC; the New York Legal Assistance Group is seeking to hire 1 of 14 AmeriCorps members to assist in a New York City wide initiative.

Community Need: Poverty has always been a critical problem in our communities. According to 2011 US Census Bureau statistics, 20.1% of New Yorkers now live below the federal poverty line of $10,388 per year ($18,310 for a family of three), a 1.4% increase since 2009. This means that 1 out of every 5 New Yorkers – 1.6 million – live in poverty. In addition, approximately 40% of New York City residents live below 200% of the federal poverty line of $21,660 per year, while the cost of living continues to increase significantly compared to the national average. Individuals and families living in poverty come from all backgrounds, including a significant number from the Jewish community. The 2004 Community Study: Report on Jewish Poverty revealed that of the estimated 643,000 Jewish households in the eight county New York area, 103,000 (16 percent of these households) were living below the federal poverty line, and significant increases in poverty are expected to be reported in the upcoming 2012 Jewish Community Study, currently underway. In these 103,000 households alone, there were over 244,000 people -- both Jewish and non-Jewish -- who were living in poverty. These numbers do not begin to take into account the significant number of households from all racial and ethnic backgrounds thought to be living at or just above the poverty threshold; households that are not making enough money to truly survive, but are ironically making enough money to not be classified as "poor," therefore keeping them from receiving many of the services that could help their families to live sustainable healthy lives. Addressing the many issues that can lead to poverty -- such as unemployment and lack of financial education -- and remedying the many issues that result from poverty -- including lack of housing and poor nutrition -- has been the focus of non-profit agencies including the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty (Met Council) and UJA-Federation of New York (UJA-Federation) for decades.

Member Position Summary: The AmeriCorps program will focus on redressing poverty in New York's local communities. The program is focused on career services and job-readiness, and on hunger relief and nutrition education. All AmeriCorps members will be responsible for creating, implementing, and managing projects that address needs related to these two areas. By capitalizing on these efforts, you will create sustained volunteer programming that addresses the needs of the poor and near poor in our area, engage thousands of community members in service to this population, and create the standard for a lifelong ethic of service and civic responsibility. As a full-time AmeriCorps member, your impact will be huge, reaching over 11,250 individuals, including over 8,500 unemployed adults.

Necessary Training or Training Plan to be Implemented prior to Member Placement: Member trainings will take place monthly. The trainings will be on topics relevant to your service. Some training topics include, recruiting and managing volunteers, public speaking and program creation.

Member Impact: Recruit at least 150 volunteers to serve over 800 clients in the area of job readiness and hunger relief.

Essential Functions of Position:

• Creating at least 15 sustainable volunteer programs that focus on career services and job-readiness & hunger relief and nutrition.
• Recruit at least 150 volunteers from the local community to participate in these programs.
• Assist in training volunteers to support all programming focused on alleviating poverty in the community.
• Recruit 10 volunteer leaders to assist in running volunteer programs.
• Participate in two large scale initiatives with other members that will affect all five boroughs.
• Creating relationships with at least 5 local businesses, schools, and community organizations to support and participate in volunteer initiatives.
• Participate in creating tools and resources to leverage self-guided learning and web-based technology in support of the long-term management of these volunteer systems.

Trainings and events may take place before or after traditional work hours and on Sundays. This position is based in Manhattan, and trainings will take place in Manhattan. Additional travel throughout all five boroughs may be required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to make a one-year commitment to this position
• Demonstrated commitment to community service and volunteerism
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of agency contacts & volunteers.
• Group facilitation skills, community organizing, and program management skills a plus
• Excellent interpersonal skills; strong administrative skills, including an ability to manage and multi-task many projects;
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a team
• Excellent written and oral communications skills;
• General knowledge of MSOffice

Required Academic and Experience Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience

Salary and Benefits:

+ Annual living allowance of $5,000, before taxes

+ Monthly MetroCard; good for unlimited public transportation on all busses and subways or alternative transportation reimbursement

+ Student Loan forbearance/deferment options

+ Training and professional development opportunities

+ Upon completion of year of service: Education Voucher of $2,775

To Apply: Send a resume and cover letter to volunteer@nylag.org. Please reference the job title in the subject line of your email.

For more information about the New York Legal Assistance Group, please visit our website: www.nylag.org.

For further information about the AmeriCorps program, please visit: www.americorps.gov