Position Description Vice President, Military Initiatives “Our young troops and their families have done everything their country has asked of them. Their lives have been changed forever by war, but their dreams haven’t changed at all. They want to raise their children, own a home, go to school, find work and even find new ways to contribute. Most of all, they want to be good citizens. They want to reconnect and renew their relationship to their local communities.” ~ Admiral Mullen, All Volunteer Force “The challenge is to move the American public from unaware to action…by building public awareness, encouraging community involvement (making a personal connection to a warrior or military family) and promoting community services for returning service members, veterans, families and families of the fallen.” From the white paper, “Channeling the Sea of Goodwill” from the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Warrior & Family Support
If you are a smart, innovative, action-oriented leader with a military background who’s passionate about addressing the needs of veterans and military families and interested in shaping a volunteer movement that focuses on solutions; if you believe that members of our military are a community asset to be engaged as a resource vs just being seen as a needy population; if you have a passion for innovation, making things happen, collaboration and creating effective, high impact partnerships, then Points of Light has a once-in-a-lifetime position for you! About Points of Light As the nation’s leading volunteer organization, Points of Light is uniquely positioned to harness the groundswell of support for America’s military and to be the engine that funnels that goodwill into action – not only addressing problems, but also providing an ongoing community connection and support for veterans and military families. Points of Light is part of the White House’s Joining Forces initiative and works with a coalition of 50 military agencies and organizations committed to better meeting the needs of military through increased collaboration, innovation and the effective use of volunteers. With more than 20 years of history, a bi-partisan presidential legacy and the largest volunteer footprint in the nation, Points of Light Institute has the vision and the strategy to create a quantum leap for service and civic engagement. The country’s largest network devoted to volunteerism and civic action was formed in late 2007 by the combination of two extraordinary organizations—Points of Light Foundation and HandsOn Network. Four years later, Points of Light Institute remains dedicated to inspiring, equipping and mobilizing people to solve some of the world’s great challenges, enabling civic engagement and community impact on an unprecedented scale.
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There has never been a time of greater promise for civic engagement and progress. As new generations, corporations, governments and nonprofits embrace volunteerism and the power of individuals to make a difference, Points of Light Institute stands to benefit from accelerating growth, opportunity and centrality in American life. Points of Light has a staff of about 110 and an annual operating budget of $35 million. POLI has just completed its most successful fundraising campaign ever, culminating in last March’s Celebration of Service at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. With all four living former Presidents in attendance and the current President participating by video from his travels abroad, the evening was a direct tribute to President George H. W. Bush and an indirect manifestation of the role Points of Light Institute plays in igniting and leveraging the growing enthusiasm for service. Points of Light Institute is led by CEO Michelle Nunn, a co-founder of Hands On Network. For each of the past four years, Michelle has been named to Nonprofit Times’ annual “Power and Influence Top 50” list. POLI is governed by a board of two-dozen senior executives, philanthropists and community activists, all notables in their fields and all possessed of an extraordinary commitment to service and impact.
The Opportunity In June, Points of Light became the national home and administrator for the Community Blueprint Network, an initiative conceived by more than 50 military service nonprofits and government agencies that has identified eight critical needs facing veterans, returning service men and women and their families: employment, K-12 and higher education, behavioral health, housing stability and homelessness assistance, financial and legal issues, family strength and reintegration. Within each of these issue areas, the Blueprint has created promising practices that support community leaders in addressing these needs. The goal of the initiative is to make things happen – to increase innovation, best practice sharing, and collaboration that results in increased and more efficient delivery of services, as well as more strategic engagement of veterans and military families. Points of Light is committed to launching 10 Blueprint pilot sites; developing 300,000 project opportunities serving and engaging veterans and military families; and engaging military kids and families through our Kids Care Clubs and genOn curriculum. Position Title: Vice President, Military Initiatives Position Reports to: President, National Programs Location: DC Position Overview This role is responsible for developing Points of Light’s national military strategy and increasing the capacity of communities across the country to develop volunteer powered programming to support and engage veterans, active duty military and their families. Leading relationships 2
with existing partners, including the White House and Community Blueprint Advisory Council, and Points of Light’s 250 HandsOn Action Centers, as well as developing new ones with other partners, will be a critical part of the executive responsibilities. HandsOn Action Centers , as well as other non-profit partners, will be key to effectively engaging their communities both in service to the military population and in service with the military population. Using the Community Blueprint ( .communityblueprintnetwork.org) tools and the Blueprint council to help guide this work, this person will help our affiliates and our national office develop strategies, tools, processes and systems to: • Increase the number of targeted volunteer projects and opportunities that support the military community (to include veterans, service members and their families); and • Increase the number of veterans, service members, and their families serving their communities. This role will work closely with all POLI business units and channels including HandsOn Network, GenerationOn and AmeriCorps Alums and will work cross-functionally with all departments to ensure the organization wide support of our military strategy. This includes, but is not limited to, supporting our development department in raising funds for this program area. This role will also oversee and manage the Blueprint Advisory Council which includes representatives from over a dozen national organizations that work for military service organizations and that helped develop the Community Blueprint tool. This person will also expand the membership of the Blueprint Advisory Council and increase the number of Points of Light partnerships with military service organizations. A successful Vice President for Military Initiatives will effectively integrate into our larger volunteer engagement work and should be comfortable being part of a multi-channel, multiproduct and multi-partner organization. Strong strategic thinking, as well as the ability to execute programming, and an entrepreneurial mind-set are critical skills. He/she should also be comfortable supporting fundraising efforts, including providing reports and updates to current funders, and handling other duties as necessary. Essential Responsibilities Develop and Implement National Military Strategy • Direct and lead internal cross functional efforts to create and support the military strategy, including the development of effective metrics and evaluation • Lead and coordinate the engagement and continued partnership of Joining Forces and the Community Blueprint Advisory Council • Coordinate with Points of Light’s government affairs to develop a policy strategy • Serve as the leading “voice”for Points of Light advocating for the power of volunteerism and service to engage and meet the needs of veterans, active military, and military families – to include speaking and writing internally and externally • Develop and increase adoption of the Community Blueprint model and strategies • Support and coordinate the development of a fundraising strategy that leverages internal staff and the Blueprint Advisory Council to raise dollars for this program area. 3
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Cultivate new and support existing partnerships that will help implement the strategy and take it to scale. • Manage grant making and non-financial support to Community Blueprint pilot sites • Provide supervision and guidance to one Fellows and National Service members supporting this work. • Represent Points of Light at conferences and meetings • Provide guidance to all VISTA members supporting the Community Blueprint. The Vice President, Military Initiatives will also perform other related duties as assigned or requested. Position Qualifications and Requirements: Education & Experience: • A Bachelor’s Degree and three to five years of military experience; Master’s Degree helpful but not required • Experience working with both national and local government, non-profit, corporate and foundation partners and organizations • Executive leadership experience • Demonstrated project and program management skills • Demonstrated political and business acumen Skills and Attributes: • High professional standards with the ability to bring diverse communities and groups together for a common mission • Strong communication and organizational skills—excellent writer, active listener and synthesizer of group-based outcomes • Strong understanding of military culture, language, and structures • Superior relationship management skills • Passion for volunteerism and service as a strategy for addressing social issues • Ability to give direction • Ability to take direction, prioritize and multi-task • Strong decision making skills and ability to work independently as well as on a team • A strong combination of personal skills, technical ability and commitment to the success of partnerships • Unwavering commitment to the value of diversity and inclusion • Strong planning and facilitation skills • Outgoing and optimistic personality Interested persons should send, fax or email a cover letter and resume to: Points of Light Institute, ATTN: Human Resources, 600 Means Street, Suite 210, Atlanta, GA 30318. FAX: (404) 979-2901; resumes@HandsOnNetwork.org . No phone calls please. 4