Community Development Educator

Job Profile

Outreach Specialist

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Academic Staff

Regular

The Community Development Educator serves the people and communities of Wisconsin by addressing local, statewide, and national issues, improving lives through research‑based education, fostering partnerships and action, and facilitating positive impacts that support thriving individuals and families, effective organizations, healthy and vibrant communities, and strong economies. This position will serve Fond du Lac County, WI, and surrounding communities. The Educator designs, delivers, and evaluates research‑based educational programming and services aligned with the position’s programmatic focus: building the capacity of nonprofits, community organizations, and coalitions.

The Educator will assess needs and develop educational responses such as workshops, peer networks, and facilitated processes that support community‑serving organizations with action planning, board governance, volunteer engagement, fund development, and program/service evaluation. The Educator will collaborate with local partners already serving the area. The Educator will also develop new content to meet additional needs of nonprofits, especially in areas of the state with fewer resources available to support nonprofits.

As part of the county‑based work, the Educator connects Fond du Lac County and its communities to other Community Development and Extension resources and supports priority local initiatives through the facilitation of group and community engagement processes.

• Assess the organizational development needs of community‑serving organizations (e.g., nonprofits, coalitions, school districts, local governments) and develop educational responses such as workshops, peer networks, and facilitated processes.
• Collaborate with local partners (e.g., Fond du Lac Area Foundation) to support their capacity‑building efforts by assisting with needs assessments, advising on curriculum design, and delivering organizational development content (e.g., fund development strategies, board governance, volunteer management, program planning and evaluation).
• Support community‑serving organizations with consultation, design, and facilitation of goal‑setting, action planning, strategic planning, and program evaluation processes.
• Support local coalitions addressing community development issues (e.g., housing, transportation, childcare) by providing training and resources on group processes, assisting with adopting appropriate structures and policies that support their ongoing work, facilitating group action planning and goal setting, and advising on evaluation strategies.

The Educator will prioritize and spend most of their time on a clearly defined programmatic focus: building the capacity of nonprofits, community organizations, and coalitions. To the degree local needs shift or other programmatic needs arise, the Educator will serve as the primary conduit for the community to access the appropriate research and educational resources, if they are available within the Community Development Institute.

The Educator serves as the “on‑ramp” for the community to access the wide range of resources in Community Development and Extension more generally, such as training for local government officials and assistance with housing needs studies, broadband, and food entrepreneurship.

All Educators are expected to contribute to statewide efforts related to their area of focus. Through their statewide work, the Educator is connected to the most current research, best practices, programming, and networks, and brings that expertise back to the county for application to local issues and needs.

The main office for this position is located in Fond du Lac, WI, and the primary programming focus is Fond du Lac County; however, some programming may also be conducted over a broader geographical area.

It is anticipated this position…