Summary
The Associate, Policy and Engagement, supports staff and projects across Independent Sector's Public Policy portfolio. IS' Policy team produces and commissions research, builds engagement/advocacy in the nonprofit sector, and advances a public policy agenda to strengthen the charitable sector.
About Us
Independent Sector (IS) is the national membership organization that connects, strengthens, and advocates for nonprofits and philanthropies. Our vision is for a charitable sector that is healthy, trusted, and equitable and helps all people in the United States thrive. We unite nonprofits and philanthropies to strengthen the charitable sector, identifying structural challenges and mobilizing around policy and practice solutions. Independent Sector aims for a sector where charitable organizations are financially robust; powered by a thriving workforce that reflects the communities they serve; trusted, well- governed, and effective; and informed and active advocates.
Driven by the deep recognition of our impact, our organization is growing to meet the need for our work. At IS, we are seeking passionate individuals with a deep understanding of the social sector and a commitment to strengthening nonprofit institutions that, in turn, strengthen our nation. We deeply value and welcome those who bring their whole selves to our work. In this role, you will have a unique opportunity to shape the future of our team and our sector. If you are ready to make a meaningful impact, drive transformative change, and lead with purpose and passion, we invite you to join us in advancing this critical mission.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
• Assists with management of Independent Sector's Public Policy Committee and other advisory groups, coalitions, and working groups, including communications to group members, producing working group documents, managing group schedules and rosters, and supporting working group meetings.
• Provides team support to manage execution of annual program plans, including scheduling team meetings, tracking key deliverables and deadlines, and coordinating across other teams, particularly related to sector data and research products. Coordinate logistics for community engagement and partner outreach, including event scheduling, virtual event platform management, community member and partner communications, collecting stakeholder feedback, and data management.
• Assist with basic research on nonprofit sector trends, best practices, and policies related to nonprofit health, ethics, and equity, and in response to current events.
• Organize and track program and engagement data, including tracking data in Independent Sector's database, coordinating with membership department, and running basic engagement reports.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities
None.
Experience and Education:
• Bachelor's Degree plus 1-2 years of experience in nonprofit program/project management, research or a High School Diploma plus 3-4 years of relevant experience.
• Experience developing relationships with diverse partners and stakeholders.
• Expertise using virtual tools to manage engagement and outreach, including virtual event/meeting platforms (e.g. Zoom), data management tools (e.g. Excel, Salesforce) and collaborative work tools (e.g. Asana, Slack, SharePoint).
• General knowledge of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.
Qualifications:
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to draft clear meeting summaries, outreach emails, and basic memos.
• Successful multi-tasker who can manage immediate, short-term, and long-term projects simultaneously.
• Ability to organize and schedule work effectively in communication with internal and external stakeholders, even under urgent timelines.
• Self-motivated, ability to learn quickly, and take initiative to advance priority projects
• Comprehensive personal computer skills, including working knowledge of spreadsheets, word processing, and database management.
• Exceptional judgment, attention to detail, thoroughness, and follow through.
• Awareness of diversity, inclusion, and equity (including race equity)'s impact on social change work, and willingness to engage on race equity in professional development and programmatic work.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with professionalism.
Work Environment:
The work environment is a typical office environment. The noise level is usually quiet. Up to 10% travel may be required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions..
Physical Demands:
• Remaining in a stationary position, often sitting for prolonged periods. Repeating motions, like typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers
• Assessing the accuracy, neatness and thoroughness of the work assigned
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Benefit Offerings
The selected candidate will be required to successfully pass a background check.