Part-Time Volunteer Coordinator at Seattle's LGBTQ+ Youth Community Center

Overview

Lambert House LGBTQ+ Youth Center empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allied (LGBTQ+) youth, ages 10 - 22, through the development of leadership, social, and life skills. Located on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington, and with nine other service locations in Western Washington, we deliver over 40 programs with a small staff and a large, skilled volunteer pool. 

We have a well-established and organized volunteer program. While all our activities and services are youth-driven, and some are youth-led, the interaction with adult volunteers is often described by Lambert House alumni as the most valuable aspect of their experience here. This position greatly influences that client experience.

The volunteer program is central to our service delivery and to our business model, and the volunteer coordinator has an important job. The volunteers are the face of the agency for our youth program participants and they enable Lambert House to deliver an array of programs to a large number of youth with a high degree of excellence, and on a limited budget. As in most organizations with small staffs, the person in this position has many responsibilities.

Lambert House has approximately 100 regularly scheduled volunteers that work directly with youth in weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly roles. Each volunteer commits to a minimum of one year and the average length of stay is beyond 4-1/2 years. We are selective when accepting volunteers into the agency. Near the culmination of a multi-step application process, selected volunteer applicants are invited into a three-day training that the volunteer coordinator produces. 

Responsibilities

The person in this position collaborates closely with other staffers. Much of the work occurs in predictable cycles throughout the year and has been accomplished in 20 hours per week for many years. Not all of the responsibilities in this position occur simultaneously throughout the year.

The volunteer coordinator ensures both the quality and size of the volunteer pool. They are responsible for recruiting, screening, assisting the Program Director with interviews, checking backgrounds and references, and collaborating with the Program Director and other staff on selecting volunteers for our online programs, the drop-in center, meals program, youth events, CyberCenter, support groups, outdoor recreation program, library, facilities maintenance, administrative and fundraising activities, and other roles. 

This position coordinates and sometimes supervises one-time group volunteer projects, usually with corporate groups, local sports teams, or other social groups. These projects typically involve facilities improvements including painting, lawn & garden, minor maintenance projects, IT projects, cleaning & organizing, and others. 

This position coordinates volunteer trainings, typically three times each year, including: Identifying, contracting, and scheduling trainers; contracting space; arranging food; updating and preparing volunteer manuals; and other tasks. The volunteer coordinator: Schedules volunteers into weekly to monthly long-term roles; implements volunteer management systems; writes and distributes monthly volunteer updates; recruits and schedules volunteers to chaperone youth events; and arranges periodic volunteer social and recognition events.

The volunteer coordinator also supports volunteers in direct service with youth and needs excellent skills in working with youth: They supervise volunteers on the floor, conduct disciplinary interventions with program participants, resolve client disputes, and interact with other staff to coordinate, and maintain quality of service delivery. 

The volunteer coordinator participates in staff meetings, project meetings, and interagency partnerships as directed. They track relevant statistics on volunteer service and occasionally prepare short reports for budgeting and program planning. They make photocopies of volunteer materials, print and coordinate bulk mailing of the monthly program calendar, maintain accurate volunteer records, and complete other assorted administrative tasks. This position may be assigned other responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or a relevant field required; master’s helpful
• Significant volunteer coordination or staff supervision experience
• Significant experience working with adolescents
• Availability to work four afternoons and evenings weekly on an ongoing basis (must be on-site in our Capitol Hill facility once in-person programming resumes; may work from home until then), and up to seven specific weekends each year to support volunteer training and youth events in various locations.
• Able to flex schedule to meet the needs of the organization.
• A two-year commitment is requested.

Skills

Ideally, applicants should have:

• Superior interviewing skills. Demonstrated ability to assess and screen volunteer candidates to match people with program needs and values
• Demonstrated ability to relate well to highly diverse LGBTQ+ and allied adults
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to write individualized volunteer-applicant rejection letters
• The ability to diplomatically implement progressive discipline, including dismissing volunteers and suspending or banning youth program participants
• Ability to independently create and proofread written material such as monthly volunteer updates, occasional articles, brochures, training materials, etc. 
• Ability to speak persuasively about the organization and its programs
• Ability to develop positive relationships with community-based civic groups, cultural groups, partner agencies, school personnel, and parents
• A formal understanding of LGBTQ+ and allied adolescent development
• Demonstrated professional experience, and the ability to communicate in a supportive manner, with teens and young adults
• Conflict resolution and limit-setting skills
• Experience working with LGBTQ+ youth from varied backgrounds including: Youth with stable family support and youth in crisis or homeless due to family conflict over sexual orientation or gender identity; youth from all economic levels; racially and ethnically diverse youth; behaviorally challenging youth; youth with HIV.
• Comfort when discussing, and knowledge about, human sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity
• A demonstrated dedication to the mission of Lambert House
• The ability to work under deadline pressure
• Experience and comfort working with limited resources
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and focus while managing multiple tasks
• Demonstrated ability to set, and meet or exceed, measurable performance goals
• Functional knowledge of personal computers and office software including word processing, e-mail, Facebook, databases, and online research
• Ability to handle stress and to join a team effort in a changing environment
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and build rapport with others

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, talk, see, and hear. The employee is also required to regularly push, pull and lift objects weighing up to 20–30 pounds unassisted, and to climb one flight of stairs 5–10 times per day. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

No smoking by staff is allowed on the premises or at any Lambert House in-person youth function, program, or activity. Being under the influence, or experiencing the effects, of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs not used in accordance with a prescription is prohibited during work hours. Limited use of alcohol may be permitted at private Lambert House events designated by the Executive Director.

Compensation

This position is defined at 20 hours per week and requires 10 to 20 additional hours in each of up to seven specific weeks per year, with at least eight weeks advanced notice of those busier weeks. The pay rate is between $20.00 and $24.00 per hour depending on qualifications. There are no benefits other than those mandated by the City of Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time ordinance, and Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave statute.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter and resume, either as email attachments or on hard copy, to:

jobs2@lamberthouse.org

Jobs/Volunteer Coordinator

Lambert House

P.O. Box 23111

Seattle, WA 98102-0411

Selected applicants will be contacted to schedule an initial interview. This position is open until filled.