Posted on October 11, 2012

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National/Executive Director

Everybody Dance Now! (EDN!) is a national nonprofit organization that provides free hip-hop dance programs to young people who could otherwise not afford access. Through the powerful art of dance, EDN! strives to help youth cultivate self-esteem, establish healthy lifestyles, engage in positive outlets, be surrounded by strong role models and friends, and more.

EDN! was founded in 2005 in Santa Barbara, CA ago by a then 14 year-old. The Santa Barbara chapter grew to offer 17 dance classes per week, in addition to programs including a pre-professional performance dance troupe, cultural dance classes, outreach performances, a community breakdance project, and more. Driven by dedicated high school and college students -- and after being featured on the popular MTV show, America's Best Dance Crew, in 2010 -- the organization expanded from 1 city in 2009 to 10 cities by 2012. Today, EDN! provides resources, mentorship and support to help young people throughout the United States create and sustain EDN! programs in their communities

With a mission to "positively transform the lives of youth through dance, leadership, & community," EDN! is dedicated not only to supporting students, but also to empowering young leaders and volunteers to recognize and reach their potential as social change agents.

To date, Everybody Dance Now! has been run entirely by high school and college students, demonstrating the ability of young people to make a difference – one of EDN!’s core values. However, with rapid growth and extensive programming in several cities, the organization is now looking to become nationally staffed with a team that can devote the necessary time and resources to helping EDN! continue to flourish and serve children nationwide, while pursuing a strong strategic direction and continuing to cultivate a professional culture.

The job of National Director is one that can potentially be promoted to Executive Director role in the coming months. The National Director is an opportunity for an ambitious and capable individual to work with an existing, established organization – with a network in 10 cities that has served 2,500 children – and take it to its next level of growth and success, by providing a high level of support to chapter leaders, building strong relationships with supporters in diverse communities, and helping shape the vision for a changing organization in a time of great opportunity.

Along with hiring a National Director, EDN! is also looking to recruit other members to its National Team, including a paid Development Director and several volunteer roles.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The National Director position could be 25 hours per week, or up to 40 hours per week (fulltime) – TBD based on the preferences of the person being hired and on the organization’s determined needs.

Primary responsibilities for EDN!’s National Director will include:

• Direct training and support of EDN! leaders in at least 10 cities’ chapters throughout the United States that serve 1000+ students every year; mentor Everybody Dance Now! Chapter Directors (mainly high school and college students, but with a full range from ages 14-28) on how to effectively direct EDN! chapters, focusing on areas including: site partnerships, teacher relations, leadership and sustainability planning, fundraising and financials, public relations, and much more.
• Spearhead recruitment and training of new EDN! chapter leaders (EDN! brought on 10 new chapters in the last 2 years, but will likely slow down growth somewhat this year to ensure quality and focus on impact measurement)
• Build effective communication mechanisms with geographically dispersed leaders within Everybody Dance Now! so that all key stakeholders know what is necessary to achieve objectives and feel connected to the overall organization's vision, values, and activities.
• Cultivate and maintain key external relationships with donors, partner organizations, press representatives, advisors, and stakeholders.
• Strategize to co-design and lead the implementation of a system to evaluate EDN!'s impact and measure performance, working with EDN!’s President and with the team at large – a focus for the organization in 2013.

Depending on performance, this position may transition into a future Executive Director role, which would additionally include:

• Be responsible for the overall leadership and management of EDN!, including implementation of strategic plan; manage day-to-day operations of a growing organization.
• Collaborate with Board of Directors; ensure that annual performance goals are set, reviewed quarterly, and achieved. Create processes to include relevant feedback and data-driven recommendations into strategic decision-making.
• Oversee financial management (financial reporting, budgeting, and accounting) and ensure that financial systems are sound and up-to-date.
• Collaborate with Development Director to fundraise for EDN! from individual donors, foundation grants, and other sources.
• Recruit and manage staff members and volunteers to work effectively in areas including development, public relations, finance, programs, chapter support, performance/impacat measurement, and more.
• Further develop EDN!'s positive public image in the press and externally.

In addition to engaging in on-the-job training, the National Director will have opportunities and funding to continually engage in high-quality nonprofit leadership training at professionally led workshops. As Everybody Dance Now! determines its growth strategies and structure for upcoming years, the National Director will also engage in conversations with successful CEOs and senior leaders of similar nonprofits to help determine EDN!’s own future direction.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Qualifications

• B.A. degree in any field required; graduate degree is a plus
• 3-5+ work experience in nonprofit management or a related field highly preferred (but we still welcome applications from talented recent or soon-to-be college graduates)
• Strong leadership experience – including in student-led organizations at some point – and a demonstrated ability to inspire, motivate, and mobilize others
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, and strong interpersonal abilities
• Passion for Everybody Dance Now!'s mission, vision, and organizational values. While extensive dance background is not required, an ability to resonate with and to effectively communicate the mission of EDN! as it relates to dance is necessary.
• An interest in working frequently with young people and in helping them develop as EDN! leaders and as individuals

Desired Characteristics

• Fast learner who can understand the culture and functions of an established organization and help it grow further, while constantly gaining new skills and understandings
• Visionary and strategic thinker who is able to see the "big picture" and recruit/mobilize the proper people to make it a reality; effective delegator
• Inspiring individual who can communicate well with and engage others; an effective teacher
• Excellent" relationship builder" who can invoke support from people of diverse backgrounds for the mission and objectives of Everybody Dance Now!
• Ability to prioritize and multitask; attention to detail
• Effective problem solver and communicator who can recognize and solve interpersonal issues as they arise and before they escalate
• Ability to relate to and work well with young EDN! leaders who are as young as age 14 but up to age 28 (average age 18). The National Director should have significant experience and may be older than other EDN! leaders, but he or she should be able to connect well with them.

PROJECT DURATION:

EDN!’s Board strongly desires that the National Director be interested in a 3+ year commitment for this position. At a minimum, however, a 2-year commitment is necessary for a person interested in becoming Executive Director. The National Director should be someone who significantly resonates with Everybody Dance Now!'s mission and the functions of this job, and who can feel responsible for helping support the organization's long term sustainability alongside EDN!’s Board of Directors.

Other positions may be available for people looking for a shorter-term position, including but not limited to volunteer opportunities.

COMPENSATION:

Commensurate with experience

REPORTS TO:

National Director will report to EDN!’s President.

If promoted, Executive Director will collaborate directly with EDN!’s Board of Directors.

LOCATION:

Because EDN! has chapters in 10 cities, the city for this job is somewhat flexible and work could be done remotely, with flexible hours. EDN!’s strongest and most long term relationships - as well as most Board members – are in Santa Barbara, CA. Santa Barbara would therefore be an ideal location for the National Director to be based, but travel to Santa Barbara could be arranged instead, when necessary. Chicago or the Bay Area could also be good headquarter locations for EDN!’s National Team because of strong chapter bases and opportunities there. EDN!’s President, who will be training the National Director, is based in New York City.

The position may involve 10-15% travel, domestically, to EDN! chapter sites or to meet with donors.

Application Instructions

Please email your resume, cover letter, and a list of at least 3 references to jackie@everybodydancenow.org, with subject header "EDN! National Director - Your Name – Where You Found the Job Description" This position has a rolling application deadline, and early entries will be at an advantage.