Title: Executive Director
Start Date: May 15th 2022
About RYSE:
RYSE (Refugee Youth Solidarity through Education) is a Rhode Island nonprofit dedicated to serving refugee youth. Our mission is to foster literacy, confidence, and community among K-12 refugee youth in Rhode Island through hands-on, joyful summer learning and leadership development. We fulfill this mission through a free, five-week summer camp program for 80-100 refugee youth which provides curriculum and instruction in math and literacy, enriching field trips, creative outlets, fun activities, free breakfast and lunch, and a strong supportive community. The majority of camp staff, including the seasonal director team, are alumni of the program and refugee youth and young adults. Founded in 2011, Camp RYSE (formerly known as BRYTE Summer Camp) operated for 11 years through local partnerships and a fiscal sponsorship. We recently incorporated as an independent nonprofit and will continue to grow our programs in 2023 and beyond. Learn more about our mission, vision and programming at campryse.org.
Summary of Role:
Reporting to the RYSE Board of Directors, the Executive Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for RYSE’s nonprofit staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission. This leadership position requires vision, strategic thinking, organizational management, fundraising experience, and teamwork. The Executive Director will initially develop deep knowledge of camp, the RYSE community, operations, and business plans. We seek candidates who have the skills and experience to lead with humility and attentiveness.
Responsibilities and Expectations:
Develop a deep knowledge of the mission, vision, and history of Camp RYSE.
Ensure ongoing local programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems.
Develop and track project budgets and produce financial reports as needed.
Ensure effective systems to track scaling progress, and regularly evaluate program components, so as to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the Board, funders, and other constituents.
Ensure long-term financial sustainability through leading fundraising efforts, including stewarding donors and major gifts, grant writing, grant management, and reporting.
Nurture and maintain strategic organizational relationships with crucial partner organizations including but not limited to local refugee resettlement agencies, school districts, similar nonprofits, etc.
Recruit, hire and train seasonal camp directors. Manage and collaborate with camp directors to coordinate pre-camp planning and logistics, including hiring camp counselors, identifying field trips, key partnerships, transportation, and location.
During camp, have a presence on-site as needed to assist camp staff, and to build relationships with campers, families, and staff.
Actively engage and energize volunteers, board members, event committees, alumni, partnering organizations, and funders.
In conjunction with the Board of Directors, create strategic plans for RYSE to ensure long-term sustainability.
Deepen and refine all aspects of communications, including web presence, social media, email newsletters, and public relations.
Use external presence and relationships to garner new funding opportunities.
Report regularly to and work collaboratively with the Board of Directors, including presenting an annual report at the annual retreat.
Qualifications:
Required
3+ years of organizational management experience, including nonprofit management, team management, project and program management, other related experience
Experience working with diverse communities
Ability to manage and develop high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget
Ability to create marketing campaigns, engage in public relations, raise funds, and engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures
Commitment to developing and sustaining data-driven program evaluation
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Self-directed, highly organized, detail-oriented, mission-directed, and committed to learning and growing
Preferred:
Experience working in K-12 education
Experience working with immigrant, refugee, and/or multilingual communities
Experience with fundraising and/or grant writing
Experience with social media and communications
Schedule and Compensation:
Hybrid position with residence in Rhode Island required during the summers, with a strong preference for candidates who are able to build connections in RI year-round
Salaried position, averaging 35 hours / week, with a flexible schedule to accommodate for weekday, evening and weekend hours
Compensation ranges $70,000-$90,000, commensurate with relevant experience
4 weeks of PTO, and all national holidays with the exception of July 4, as it falls during camp
Application Instructions:
To be considered, please submit your resume along with a one-page cover letter to careers@campryse.org with “Executive Director Applicant” included in the subject line. Priority deadline is 3/15/2023. Position open until filled.