Associate, Community Engagement

ABOUT CRADLES TO CRAYONS:

Cradles to Crayons (C2C), founded in 2002, provides children, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play. We supply clothing, shoes, diapers, school supplies, and more, free of charge. Our vision is that one day all children will have the essentials they need to thrive.

Two in 5 kids in the United States are currently facing Clothing Insecurity, going without basic essentials like pants, shoes, diapers, and school supplies during their critical development years. Three of the top 10 reasons kids miss school are rooted in Clothing Insecurity—just one example of the significant short- and long-term social and economic costs when these needs go unmet. Cradles to Crayons keeps Clothing Insecurity at the core of our mission and is the only large-scale nonprofit organization to focus on this resource gap. Since its founding, Cradles to Crayons has distributed more than three million customized packages of essentials to children in Massachusetts, Greater Philadelphia, Chicagoland, NYC, and nationally, through Giving Factory Direct—a first-in-kind online product donation platform launched in 2021.

Cradles to Crayons takes a three-pronged approach to mitigating Clothing Insecurity:

1. In-person Engagement—through tens of thousands of children and adults volunteering at our Giving Factory warehouses to sort and package high volumes of new and like-new donations from our communities for our Service Partners to distribute to the children they serve.
2. Online Product Donations—Giving Factory Direct matches product donors directly to children who need the items they have to donate. GFD is currently available in a growing number of communities as we expand our reach nationally.
3. Advocacy and Awareness—Cradles to Crayons is uniquely positioned to raise Clothing Insecurity as a national issue through awareness campaigns, data/evaluation, and legislative outreach.

Cradles to Crayons’ strong financial health and ongoing effectiveness and reliability have helped it earn a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator every year since 2009. C2C has a budget of $20M for FY26 and a total staff of approximately 100.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

This position is an opportunity to become an expert on motivating and empowering community members to act to directly impact the lives of thousands of children served by Cradles to Crayons each year. The Community Engagement Associate is responsible for organizing and supporting volunteer engagement and product collection opportunities in the community.

They will use community donation drop off locations as resources for acquiring recycled product and providing community-based engagement opportunities. The associate will provide meaning and direction to their “community networkers”, as well as tools to lead efforts in their community (i.e. marketing and communication resources, successful collection models, and ways to build upon strengthens). They will be working on multiple projects at the same time, so attention to detail and organizational skills are critical.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Community Management & Engagement

• Lead projects that expand Cradles to Crayons’ presence and impact in targeted communities by establishing and maintaining partnerships, coordinating donation bin placements, supporting donation drives, and strengthening volunteer networks.
• Develop and manage town-specific goals and project plans to increase Cradles to Crayons brand awareness and deepen community engagement.
• Organize and guide “Community Champions” to align efforts and resources toward achieving full engagement in target communities.
• Support donor and partner relationships through strong project follow-up, clear communication, and excellent customer service.
• Coordinate logistics to ensure efficient donation pickups and supply distribution as needed, including occasional use of the Cradles to Crayons van.
• Partner with the Marketing Team to produce project communication materials, maintain accurate and updated presentations, and align messaging with End Clothing Insecurity (ECI) statistics.

Project Management & Data Tracking

• Manage and deliver on annual collection initiatives by identifying participating groups, coordinating deliverables, and ensuring timelines are met.
• Take ownership of assigned projects from planning through execution, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and community needs.
• Record all community engagement activities and project milestones in Salesforce to track outcomes and measure impact.
• Monitor progress toward personal and team donation acquisition and community networking goals, providing data-driven updates and insights.

Team & Organizational Support

• Collaborate with the Community Engagement Team to meet recycled donation acquisition goals and contribute to larger organizational priorities.
• Provide project status reports to the Manager of Community Engagement, identifying risks, challenges, and opportunities for improved strategy.
• Support organizational operations and signature initiatives as needed, maintaining flexibility and cross-functional collaboration.
• Model and reinforce a positive “One Cradles” culture, grounded in Cradles’ Cultural Values.
• Perform additional project and program responsibilities as assigned.

Required Experience/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• 2-3 years experience working in a role that involved project management and working with external stakeholders.
• Proven networking and relationship-building skills.
• Proven written, verbal and communication skills.
• Excellent customer service skills including the ability to communicate with external stakeholders in a courteous and professional manner.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills; Self-motivated, resourceful, and the ability to multi-task and be highly attentive to detail.
• Weekend and evening hours required.
• Strong commitment to Cradles to Crayons’ mission and a passion for non-profit work.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance, access to a vehicle, and a clear driving record.
• Easily walk up and down stairs, bend down, reach, push and pull and lift up to 40 lbs.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

The estimated starting salary for this position is $25.00 per hour based on geographic labor market.

Cradles to Crayons is committed to pay equity and uses geographic benchmarks to ensure fair compensation. The compensation offered to the successful candidate may vary from the posted range based on work experience, education, and/or skill level, among other things.

This is a benefits-eligible position. Cradles to Crayons offers a generous benefits package, which includes, but is not limited to:

• Health benefits including medical, dental, vision and a Health Reimbursement Arrangement.
• A monthly cell phone and internet usage stipend
• Employer-sponsored short- and long-term disability and basic life insurance
• Retirement plan matching
• Annual professional development stipend

DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH:

Diversity and Inclusiveness are core values at Cradles to Crayons, and we continuously strive to be a team where everyone feels welcome and supported. It is the policy of Cradles to Crayons to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Individuals from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

Working Conditions:

This is a warehouse environment and normal changes in temperature are to be expected while working inside the warehouse or outside, on or around the loading dock. There are no hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions.

Accommodation:

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made by Cradles to Crayons which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others, or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

To Apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume with relevant experience to https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/what-we-do/careers/

The estimated starting salary for this position is $25.00 per hour based on geographic labor market.

Cradles to Crayons is committed to pay equity and uses geographic benchmarks to ensure fair compensation. The compensation offered to the successful candidate may vary from the posted range based on work experience, education, and/or skill level, among other things.

This is a benefits-eligible position. Cradles to Crayons offers a generous benefits package, which includes, but is not limited to:

• Health benefits including medical, dental, vision and a Health Reimbursement Arrangement.
• A monthly cell phone and internet usage stipend
• Employer-sponsored short- and long-term disability and basic life insurance
• Retirement plan matching
• Annual professional development stipend