AmeriCorps and VISTA Positions 2017-2018-Spring

College Possible is a growing nonprofit dedicated to coaching low-income students to-and-through college, breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering our workforce. Our rigorously-tested model earns top-of-field results that have helped 98 percent of students served earn admission to college and supported nearly 80 percent through graduation. A 2011 Harvard study found that the program more than doubles a student's chance of enrolling in a four-year college.

Our after-school services include (1) academic support through ACT/SAT test preparation; (2) college application assistance; (3) financial aid consulting; (4) guidance in the college transition; and (5) support toward college degree completion.

As an AmeriCorps organization, College Possible is recruiting college graduates to serve for one year to help make a college degree and college success possible for low-income students. With positions ranging from working directly with students to writing grants to coordinating events, there are many opportunities offered. Not only do College Possible AmeriCorps members make a difference in their community, they gain valuable experience for their next job or graduate school endeavor.

Required Skills:

Four year college degree required. Ideal candidates will have demonstrated leadership skills, a high level of achievement in academics, employment and/or other pursuits, and a commitment to the mission of College Possible. We welcome candidates of all academic majors to apply.

 I.         Available AmeriCorps and VISTA Positions

Coaching:

A. AmeriCorps High School Coach

Serve as an in person College Possible coach in a high school. Support juniors by providing ACT/SAT test preparation and work with students on an individual basis providing subject specific assistance. Guide seniors as they complete the college application process including: essay writing, applications for admission, scholarships, and the FAFSA. Reports to Program Team.

Serve as a College Possible coach in a pilot program that is leveraging technology to reach high schools across the state of Minnesota. Provide one-on-one coaching for juniors on college options, goal setting, ACT/SAT test preparation and much more. Guide seniors as they complete the college application and decision process including: essay writing, applications for admission, scholarships, and the FAFSA. Be a part of innovating our strategies to use phone calls, social media, and other mediums to increase our reach of high school students. Reports to Program Team.

B. CollegePoint Coach

Support a group of high-achieving, lower-income high school students across the country as a part of the CollegePoint initiative. Utilize technology to provide personalized information and resources to students surrounding such topics as creating a college list, writing a college essay, and accessing financial aid and scholarships. Develop relationships with students as you coach them through the emotional and social transition of attending a top-performing college. Assist in planning and implementing workshops for high-achieving College Possible students at your site.

C. College Coach

Serve as a coach for College Possible student alumni as they transition from high school into college. Maintain communication and offer services to alums in college either from a college campus or College Possible Headquarters. Help link students to student services already available on campus, and plan on- and off-campus events for alums. Reports to Program Team.

Community Partnerships and Program Enrichment:

D. Community Partnerships AmeriCorps Member

Support College Possible's programming by building and supporting partnerships to serve l students. This may include organizing College Prep Talks, college planning workshops for middle and early high school students; conceiving and organizing two program-wide community service days for College Possible students; organizing four practice ACT exams for high school juniors; organizing campus visits to College Possible Explore partner colleges; coordinating support services to College Possible Bridge partner colleges; and working with Leadership Team members to develop new partnerships for the site. In addition, this person will organize the annual Launch celebration to be held at a College Possible Connects campus; serve as lead substitute for coaches; and support summer bridge programming for students transitioning from first to second year of college and supporting summer bridge programming for high school seniors. Research policies, timelines, and resources specific to your site for partners such as high schools, colleges, scholarships, summer programs, etc.

External Relations and Organizational Expansion:

E. Communications VISTA (Philadelphia and Chicago)

Serve on the external relations team by providing direct support in media relations, strategic communications, and marketing. Specific projects include: writing for newsletters, website, and news releases; graphic design projects; photography of coaches & students for publications; and website maintenance. Reports to External Relations Team.

F. Development VISTA (Philadelphia and Chicago)

Serve on external relations team by providing direct support on fundraising initiatives. Projects include: event planning, writing for grant proposals and letters; maintaining a grants calendar; conducting internet donor research, and soliciting in-kind donations from local businesses. Reports to External Relations Team.

G. Program and Curriculum VISTA (St. Paul only)

In coordination with the National Program Team, develop and assist in the implementation of updates, revisions and creation of content for the College Possible curriculum to be used by coaches when working with students. Build centralized resources for use by teams when implementing curriculum sessions. Create tools to support new pilot programs and initiatives across the organization.

H. VISTA Leader (St. Paul only)

Develop the National office's capacity to manage the VISTA program for efficiently and effectively. Collaborate with the AmeriCorps and VISTA Manager to support 10 VISTAs across the organization in five states. Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of VISTA recruitment and reporting practices. Must have served at least one previous full term of national service as an AmeriCorps, VISTA or Peace Corps member

I. Strategic Plan VISTA (St. Paul only)

Support College Possible's new strategic direction by building tools and resources to establish relationships with new colleges through the College Possible Connects model. Develop communications and marketing materials to be used by program leadership to communicate the value of the Connects model to partner schools. Develop systems and processes that coaches will utilize to more effectively and efficiently serve program participants in the new expansion model, and create training resources for these materials.

J. Research and Evaluation VISTA (St. Paul only)

Update and manage systems that College Possible uses for collecting and managing the integrity of program evaluation data. Create and refine tracking tools that monitor student outcomes. Support internal and external evaluations of the program and create systems for monitoring program effectiveness and predict potential future challenges.