Idaho Youth Ranch Summer Associate VISTA - (PAID ROLE)

Summer Associate VISTA

• Idaho Youth Ranch
• On-Site, Boise, ID
• Full-Time

Summer Term: June 1 – August 2, 2026

Listing Details

📅 Start Date: June 1, 2026

📅 End Date: August 2, 2026

🕐 Time Commitment: Full-time (30–36 hrs/week) with 4 hrs/week professional development

📍 Location: On-site — Boise, ID (volunteer must be in or near Boise)

💰 Living Allowance: Bi-weekly, set by Ada County, Idaho AmeriCorps VISTA rate — view current pay rates

🎓 End-of-Term Benefit: Segal Education Award or end-of-service stipend upon successful completion

✅ Requirements: Driver’s license, background check, orientation attendance, age 18+

👤 Eligibility: Current college students, graduate students, or recent graduates

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Cause Areas: Children & Youth, Mental Health, Housing & Homelessness

About Idaho Youth Ranch

Idaho Youth Ranch has spent over seven decades transforming childhood trauma into healing and hope for Idaho’s most vulnerable youth — through equine therapy, crisis shelter, outpatient counseling, workforce development, adoption services, and more. The Advancement Department supports this mission through marketing, fundraising, grants, volunteer services, and community engagement initiatives that ensure sustainable statewide impact.

Position Summary

Idaho Youth Ranch is seeking a Summer Associate VISTA to serve a summer AmeriCorps VISTA term from June 1 through August 2, 2026, focused on building long-term organizational capacity across the Advancement Department. This opportunity is ideal for current college students, graduate students, and recent graduates interested in nonprofit leadership, organizational systems, fundraising infrastructure, and cross-functional strategy.

The VISTA member will design and enhance internal systems, documentation, and workflows that strengthen marketing, development, volunteer services, events, grants, and internal communication functions. This position is strictly capacity building in nature and does not include direct service, donor solicitation, event execution, or volunteer management.

Key Responsibilities

Strengthen Organizational Infrastructure Across Advancement Functions

• Conduct organizational assessments to identify gaps or inefficiencies in Advancement systems
• Develop and refine standard operating procedures, internal workflows, templates, and process documentation across marketing, fundraising, volunteer services, events, and grants
• Build shared resource libraries, process maps, timelines, and documentation that support operational clarity and continuity
• Design tracking and reporting systems using platforms such as Office 365, CRM systems, and Excel
• Create shared calendars, intake systems, and internal request processes to improve coordination
• Produce sustainability tools including guides, toolkits, and structured documentation that staff can maintain beyond the service term

Expand Community Engagement Capacity

• Map potential community partners, outreach channels, engagement opportunities, and event platforms to strengthen public visibility
• Develop outreach templates, messaging guides, and partnership intake systems to ensure consistent communication
• Create scalable event planning infrastructure including checklists, communication frameworks, staffing guides, and post-event documentation templates
• Design volunteer engagement infrastructure such as role descriptions, onboarding materials, communication guides, and recognition frameworks
• Build a Partner Engagement Toolkit with shared databases, calendars, templates, and communication documents

Strengthen Resource Development Capacity

• Conduct research to identify prospective donors, funders, foundations, corporate partners, and grant makers aligned with the organization’s mission
• Develop grant readiness infrastructure including narrative libraries, case statement templates, data repositories, document storage systems, and tracking calendars
• Create fundraising infrastructure such as stewardship calendars, acknowledgment templates, sponsorship frameworks, and segmented messaging outlines
• Support development of digital fundraising systems by organizing dashboards, documentation, and engagement toolkits
• Produce sustainability documentation that institutionalizes processes for future Advancement staff

Advance Internal Communication and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Assess existing internal communication channels and identify opportunities to improve coordination across teams
• Develop shared update systems, meeting templates, document organization structures, and internal communication calendars
• Create cross-functional onboarding materials outlining roles, expectations, and workflows across Advancement functions
• Design structured processes for cross-team information sharing, including intake forms, briefing templates, and collaborative planning workflows
• Ensure all communication systems are documented and sustainable beyond the VISTA term

Benefits of AmeriCorps VISTA Service

• Bi-weekly living allowance through AmeriCorps (Ada County, Idaho rate — view current pay rates here)
• Segal Education Award or end-of-service cash stipend upon successful completion
• Student loan forbearance eligibility during service
• Professional development time built into the weekly schedule
• Non-competitive hiring eligibility for federal government positions for one year after service

Impact

By strengthening systems across marketing, fundraising, grants, volunteer services, events, and internal communications, the Summer Associate VISTA will help Idaho Youth Ranch increase efficiency, improve coordination, and build sustainable infrastructure that supports youth and families across Idaho.