The Organization
Lori’s Hands builds mutually beneficial partnerships between community members with chronic illness and college students, fostering empathy, connection, and resilience. Students provide practical assistance to support community members’ independence at home, and community members share their health and life experiences to support students’ learning. Lori’s Hands was founded at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware in 2009 and grew from a volunteer-led initiative to a professionally staffed organization in 2017. Today, our college student volunteers support more than 150 clients via weekly visits through three Lori’s Hands chapters: one in Newark, Delaware, one in Baltimore, Maryland, and one in Metro Detroit, Michigan.
Lori’s Hands has been recognized with a Jefferson Award for Public Service and the Delaware Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award, in popular media including PBS’s Next Avenue, USA Today, and WYPR, and through state and federal contracts including the inaugural round of Community Care Corps funding. The program is evidence-based, with research demonstrating benefit for both students and clients.
Lori’s Hands is committed to expanding in a sustainable manner that fosters generational, socioeconomic, and racial equity. We intentionally look to learn from and build partnerships with existing community organizations in order to support safe, effective, and connected aging in place for community members. We are thrilled to build on our work in Delaware, Baltimore, and Metro Detroit and to bring our program to additional communities in the future through our continued expansion. As health systems become increasingly attuned to the social and practical needs of their patients, our partnership offers them an opportunity to provide what they provide well – clinical services – and to coordinate rather than directly provide services they value but are not prepared to offer – non-medical home and community-based services. Long-term, we aim to disrupt the current support service sector for older Americans by meaningfully connecting healthcare and social services through a cost-effective, person-centered method that has never before been tried. We envision Lori’s Hands becoming a national program known for best practices in community health service learning.
Position Overview
JOB DESCRIPTION
Lori’s Hands, Inc. is looking for a dynamic Executive Director who will be responsible for the continued growth of Lori’s Hands, based on the established models operational in Newark, DE, Baltimore, MD, and Metro Detroit, MI.The Executive Director will be a “realistic dreamer” who will both develop and lead the implementation of strategic growth plans for the organization. The Executive Director will oversee all development and fundraising efforts and will pursue non-philanthropic funding streams (e.g. mutually beneficial contractual partnerships with higher education and healthcare institutions) to support the continued growth and sustainability of the organization.
The Executive Director will be responsible for managing a team of 3 full-time and 2 part-time employees, who are responsible for program delivery. The Executive Director will report directly to the Lori’s Hands, Inc. Board of Directors. (Lori’s Hands Organization Chart). The Executive Director will travel approximately 2-4 times per year to each of our chapter locations: Newark, DE, Baltimore, MD, and Metro Detroit, MI. In addition, the Executive Director will travel approximately 5-10 times per year to other locations nationwide for donor meetings, partnership opportunities, and professional development opportunities. This position may be completed remotely when travel is not required.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Development and Fundraising (70% of week spent performing function)
- Lead the Lori’s Hands team in identifying and obtaining new and continued philanthropic funding, including corporate sponsorships, foundation grant opportunities, and individual donations (estimated budget is $520,000 for FY2023)
- Develop fundraising strategy; Mentor program staff to plan and lead local events
- Develop novel revenue-generating relationships (such as contractual partnerships with healthcare and higher education institutions)
- Oversee organization communications to bolster fundraising, engagement, and outreach efforts; Serve as the organization’s primary spokesperson
- Oversee Board recruitment, development and engagement activities; Lead Board meetings with administrative support from Program Assistant
Strategic Growth (20% of week spent performing function)
- Identify and assess opportunities for Lori’s Hands’ growth through the expansion of current chapters and launching of new chapters
- In collaboration with the Program Director, cultivate new partnerships to enable the strategic growth of Lori’s Hands
- Lead the development of new chapters with support from the Program Director (e.g. developing and carrying out staffing plans in new locations)
Supervision and Organization Management (10% of week spent performing function)
- Lead Lori’s Hands employees in organizing to efficiently provide exceptional services for community members and student volunteers
- Report to and collaborate with the Board of Directors to evaluate service delivery and plans for growth
- Develop and manage organizational budget
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
Required Qualifications
- Passionate about the Lori’s Hands mission
- Experience raising and managing funds
- Experience with grant writing and familiarity with the nonprofit sector
- Experience developing, implementing, and managing business plans and budgets
- Strong and effective writer and verbal communicator
- Supervisory/mentorship experience
- Experience and comfort with cloud-based technology (Lori’s Hands uses Google Drive, AirTable, Canva, and email marketing tools)
Nice to Haves
- Experience fundraising with private foundations, corporations, individual donors, and government funders
- Experience developing and managing revenue-generating partnerships and services
- Lived experience and/or deep understanding of the issues that are central to the work of Lori’s Hands; a strong candidate may not already be working in community health, but must demonstrate a genuine interest in and commitment to community health and intergenerational relationships
- Familiarity with the health care, higher education, and/or community health sectors
- Experience using data analysis to drive decision making and to demonstrate value of a program
BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION
- Salary range: $115,000-$130,000, commensurate with experience; This is a full-time position
- Competitive benefits package
How To Apply
To apply, please complete the application form on our website: https://lorishands.org/careers/#ExecutiveDirector