Director, Grassroots Advocacy and Engagement

About NACHC

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is the national membership organization for the nation’s federally qualified health centers (also known as FQHCs or Community Health Centers). Health centers are nonprofit, community-directed health clinics that provide access to high-quality, culturally competent, and comprehensive care to people living in medically underserved areas. NACHC strengthens the health center movement through advocacy, training, and technical assistance, clinical and operations support. NACHC is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace.

Position Summary

The Director of Grassroots Advocacy and Engagement is responsible for planning, implementation, and coordination of grassroots mobilization and activities, and community organizing. The successful candidate will collaborate across departments and functional areas to design and implement non-partisan grassroots initiatives to build momentum among Community Health Centers (CHC) and state Primary Care Associations (PCA) for activities that may include national fly-ins, advocacy alerts, and in-district events.

Key Responsibilities

1) Manage the planning, implementation, and coordination of all grassroots activity for NACHC:

• Collaborate with NACHC’s function areas to educate, inspire, and mobilize health center stakeholders in NACHC’s advocacy issue campaigns.
• Lead team in the development and dissemination of advocacy leadership development programs and materials to ensure effective response to federal advocacy campaigns.
• Work with the NACHC Policy Research staff to develop compelling advocacy materials, using data to tell the health center’s story and educate decision-makers.
• Continue to define and manage the deployment of NACHC’s organizing strategy in coordination with key partners, including PCA, Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCN), and corporate sponsors.
• Increase PCA engagement with Quorum.

2) Support NACHC’s policy strategy by developing measurable short-term and long-term advocacy tactics to support NACHC’s policy goals:

• Collaborate with division staff to identify leverage/action points when mobilization is needed, and draft plans and assets for nimble implementation.
• Work with colleagues to create and implement effective tactics to increase the number of health center advocates and improve their participation in advocacy campaigns and initiatives.
• Develop tools and resources to support advocacy education and effective response to federal and state advocacy campaigns.

3) Build advocacy communications strategy and ensure effective implementation:

• Create and maintain a PPR Communications Calendar to coordinate the flow of communications to the field and manage the capacity of the advocacy platforms.
• Develop goals, edit, and ensure publication of weekly advocacy e-newsletter.
• Identify best practices to strengthen the online community and approve the implementation of social media posts and efforts.
• Edit advocacy materials to ensure lay readers can understand and act on shared information.
• Evaluate the messaging and implementation of advocacy communications’ initiatives.

4) Work with State and Regional PCAs and HCCNs to develop their internal advocacy capacity and coordination of state, local, and national advocacy efforts:

• Coordinate a national community organizing strategy with state leaders.
• Provide support, including online/onsite training and speaking events, to increase the number of advocates and engagement.
• Build trusted relationships and share campaign strategies and resources to increase engagement of state-level advocacy leaders by State Legislative Coordinators.

5) Manage all grassroots logistics related to NACHC conferences, organizing/training, and national fly-ins:

• Brainstorm and implement creative ways to engage conference attendees in developing advocacy leadership skills.
• Support committees that want to incorporate advocacy and organizing to deepen engagement in NACHC and overall policy issue campaigns.
• Work with the meetings team to identify ways to use signs, advocacy booth, and other areas of the conference space and program to inspire a deeper commitment to advocacy leadership.
• Lead the NACHC Advocacy Task Force.

6) Negotiate NACHC online advocacy technology contracts and build vendor relationships:

• Manage agreements with affiliates on NACHC advocacy platform and other programs.
• Ensure all parties have the training needed to effectively implement online tools.

7) Manage an effective national civic engagement program to develop local activities and build alliances that will empower communities that health centers serve:

• Maintain current policies and practices with the help of attorneys to share with health center leaders.
• Develop relationships with non-partisan voter registration organizations and encourage specific outreach and support (in accordance with HRSA guidelines) for FQHCs.
• Build capacity among advocates through trainings and periodic communications through the Washington Update.

8) Collaborate with other NACHC Function Areas on the management of National Health Center Week:

• Solicit sponsorships from and build relationships with corporations and private foundations.
• Create social media/communications assets.
• Implement the NACHC NHCW sponsorship by soliciting nominations from each state and coordinate the matching with corporate health center matching process.

General Professional Development

• Master’s degree in a related discipline; or minimum ten years related work experience.
• Ten years of communications and/or grassroots advocacy and organizing experience.
• Demonstrated ability to engage at a high level with issues of racial equity and inclusion.
• Commitment to NACHC’s mission and goals.

Professional/Technical Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Proficient with Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, and Outlook).
• Working knowledge of WordPress, Elementor, or other website editing tools.
• Working knowledge of Quorum, SparkInfluence, or other advocacy platforms.
• Familiarity with lobbying rules for 501(c)(3) organizations.

Communications Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communications.
• Strong management and interpersonal skills.
• Collaborative leadership skills.
• Commitment to customer service.
• Recognition of the importance of interdepartmental coordination and communication, and of the need to keep leadership informed of problems and issues.

Physical Demands

Work is performed in a typical office environment.

Salary

$140,000–$150,000

Learn more here