UMH Sparrow Health System - Community Outreach Assistant

Community Outreach Assistant

The Community Outreach Assistant supports the day-to-day operations and administrative and strategic priorities for the University of Michigan Health Community Outreach department, functioning as a key connector between the regional network and the communities we serve. This includes coordinating internal and external community events including but not limited to: event setup, volunteers, marketing materials, communication, promotional items, and other event resources.

The Community Outreach Assistant is accountable for overseeing event preparation and execution, ensuring events reflect organizational brand standards and community health priorities, as well as assisting with the collection and input of data for the annual Community Benefit Report.

This role operates at the intersection of marketing and organizational mission, requiring strong relationship building skills, cultural competency, and the ability to represent University of Michigan Health values in public facing settings.

Essential Duties:

• Collaborates with Marketing on event media, adhering to brand voice and visual identity guidelines, providing key event details, pictures and other visuals for social media as needed.
• Leads coordination of event set up including staffing (volunteers & employees), venue, tents, tables, promotional items, and marketing materials. Manages event logistics, timelines, and serves as day of point of contact to ensure smooth execution.
• Maintains and updates relevant community outreach events to the UM Health-West and UM Health-Sparrow event calendars, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with organizational event schedules.
• Assists in gathering and maintaining data for the annual community benefit report, including tracking event attendance, populations served, and community health touchpoints. Ensures data integrity and timely submission to support compliance and grant reporting requirements.
• Drafts, edits and provides content for UM Health Insider stories and Community Outreach updates, including drafting press releases, newsletter content, and internal communications that highlight community initiatives and event outcomes.
• Maintains an inventory of promotional items and marketing materials, including tracking usage, reorder thresholds, and budget expenditure for supplies and promotional assets.
• Performs a variety of administrative and coordination tasks involving reports, forms, documents, newsletters, and correspondence. Performs other duties as assigned. These may include but are not limited to:
  Maintaining a current knowledge base of department processes, protocols, and procedures, pursuing self-directed learning, and continuing education opportunities, and participating in committees, task forces, and work groups as determined by management.

Work Experience:
Minimum of 2 years of related experience in community outreach, program coordination, data collection, and/or event facilitation or related.

Education:
High school diploma or equivalent. Associate degree in business, communications or related field is preferred.

Specialized Knowledge and Skills:
Strong project management skills with attention to detail and accuracy are essential. Demonstrated written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences including community members, healthcare professionals, and organizational leadership. Takes initiative to complete work under limited supervision in a small office environment. Works effectively and efficiently while managing multiple projects and competing deadlines.

Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% throughout mid-Michigan and West Michigan, as required by business needs. Must have reliable transportation to meet travel obligations. Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a team member, including cross functional collaboration with Marketing, Communications, and clinical departments. Ability to respond effectively to sensitive inquiries or complaints. Manages information of highly sensitive and confidential nature, with understanding of HIPAA requirements as they relate to programming.

Ability to reason, define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

University of Michigan Health is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.