MH Action Program Overview
MHAction empowers homeowners and residents in manufactured home communities to build and win local, state, and national issue campaigns that strengthen the long-term viability and affordability of their communities and build progressive power in rural and exurban areas and small cities across the country. The work of MHAction is based on a set of shared values – compassion for our neighbors, love of our communities, and our belief that everyone has a right to a decent, affordable place to call home in a healthy community. Core to MHAction’s work is uniting and organizing people across class, race, religion, age, citizenship status, sexual orientation, and gender to fight back and prioritize the needs of communities that have been historically marginalized.
MHAction’s Director is responsible for developing the programmatic work of the project based on the advice and consultation with MHAction’s National Core Leadership Team. This includes recruiting, managing and supervising paid employees, establishing and facilitating the project’s budget and overall fundraising plan, and implementing organizational systems for staff and financial management as well as other needs. The Director will oversee and support the project’s online to offline organizing systems, political campaigns and communications strategies, and key organizational relationships with local, state, and national organizations in the social, economic and racial justice non-profit sector.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Program Development
- Develop MHAction’s workplans, goals, and outcomes related to all of the programmatic work of the project in consultation with MHAction’s National Core Leadership Team.
- Design and lead a strategic plan for MH Action, setting and tracking short and long-term goals for the project.
Budget and Fundraising
- Create and oversee MHAction’s annual budget. Provide financial oversight and monitoring of MH Action’s budget, including providing regular financial reports to the Advisory Board and sponsors.
- Attract and sustain foundation and grassroots funding support for MHAction by writing and managing all of MHAction’s foundation proposals, major donor efforts, and grassroots fundraising plans and implementation systems.
- Stay informed of philanthropy trends and apply learnings to improve fundraising efficacy.
- Lead the execution of fundraising events, including securing sponsors, managing marketing efforts, and overseeing ticket sales.
Staff Recruitment, Development and Supervision
- Supervise and manage MHAction’s paid staff, including the establishment of individual workplan goals and yearly staff reviews.
- Support MHAction’s staff and volunteer leaders in coordination with MH Action leaders on all aspects of the programmatic work, including but not limited to online to offline organizing tactics, leadership development, communications work, direct action plans, policy analysis and strategy, organizational systems development, and facilitation of partnership opportunities.
- The Director also the main point of contact with the project’s fiscal sponsor, current and prospective funders, and national allied organizations. The Director must effectively oversee all paid employees of MHAction and determine the best methods to share and transfer key organizational relationships to ensure for the long-term health of the organization.
Work with MHAction’s fiscal sponsor to ensure effective, clear, and concise administrative management of the project. Maintain an effective and responsive working relationship with Tides Center.
- Ensures project staff are trained to follow all Tides Center processes and procedures. Communicates to project staff, volunteers, and participants the goals, policies, and procedures of the project and Tides Center up-to-date changes
- Manages project finances in accordance with Tides Center cash management policies; takes action when notified of cash flow shortages
- Authorizes all financial transactions in accordance with funding guidelines and Tides Center policies
- Directs allocations of financial and human resources to successfully carry out the project’s mission and activities within Tides Center and funding guidelines
- Ensures project compliance with applicable employment laws, rules and regulations
- Provides direct reports clear direction, sets appropriate work standards, and ensures a fair and healthy work environment
- Follows all Tides Center procedures associated with the obligation and expenditure of funds; develops, submits to Tides Center and manages the annual budget and regularly reviews the project’s fiscal status with Tides Center staff
- Assures timely and accurate delivery of all requisite information for employee benefit elections and Supplemental Personnel Policies, the hiring and terminating of employees, and any other employee status changes
- Resolves any excess expenditure, unallowable cost, personnel or other risk management issues of the project in a timely manner
- Reviews staff job performance and addresses any employee performance issues in consultation with Tides Center for their direct reports.
- Prepares grant proposals consistent with Tides Center policies and ensures compliance with all grant agreements
- Informs Tides Center of any new program activities in order to assure timely budgeting and assessment of potential risks in partnership with the Organizing Director.
- Collaborates with Tides Center to develop internal systems that enable the project to effectively utilize Tides Center and track activities as required
- Keeps Tides Center informed of all current advisory board members’ names, contact information, and term-ending dates
- Annually completes and signs Tides Center’s Conflict of Interest Disclosure forms, and arranges for each project advisory board member to sign Conflict of Interest forms as well
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Familiarity with the overall non-profit community organizing, political, movement lawyering, and/or social justice policy advocacy sectors.
- A minimum of 5 years’ paid work experience managing social, economic, and racial justice campaigns in the non-profit community organizing or movement lawyering/policy advocacy sector.
- A minimum of 5 years paid work experience crafting foundation proposals, supporting foundation strategies, and/or overseeing grassroots fundraising strategies.
- Knowledge of housing justice campaigns and policy issues related to the establishment and protection of affordable and accessible multi-family and/or manufacturing housing communities.
- Ability to effectively manage and oversee the workplans of paid employees;
- Strong writing skills to craft and submit proposals to charitable foundations and major donors with a proven track record of winning six-figure grants.
- Emotional intelligence and effective listening skills in order to effectively inspire and motivate volunteer leaders to participate in social, economic and racial justice campaigns. Highly refined cultural sensitivity; ability to work with partners from diverse regions, backgrounds and organizational types Strong communication skills, written and verbal, and ability to leverage these to inspire the staffing team, Board, partners and donors.
Physical Demands
Must be able to travel at a minimum 20% of the time to local communities in order to directly visit and assist in guiding the work of local leadership teams involved with MHAction. Travel also includes attending meetings and gatherings of key MHAction ally organizations. This involves travel by airplane and other means of transportation.
MHAction, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.