Department of Student Engagement

Community Engagement Ambassador (Training & Volunteer Retention)

Department: Department of Student Engagement
Stipend: $14.25/hr (fall); $15.00/hr (spring)
Time commitment: 6-7 hours per week
Duration: Fall 2022 - Spring 2023 (year-long position)

Position Overview

This Community Engagement Ambassador will take the lead on training and volunteer retention initiatives for the Department of Student Engagement (DSE) and will assist students, clubs or departments partnering with DSE to implement high-impact training and volunteer retention strategies. 

Training & Volunteer Retention Duties

With the assistance of all of the Community Engagement Ambassadors, this position will take the lead to:

  • Develop and update content, facilitate, and implement Waltham: The More You Know, EngageDeis training, and other all-volunteer training initiatives.
  • Streamline opportunities for programs and clubs to receive and collaborate on similar training initiatives, including supporting the Community Engaged Leader Series.
  • Advocate for involvement of Brandeis faculty and staff and any other applicable experts (including community partners and alumni) in training and meeting initiatives for all community service and activist clubs. Determine and track best partnerships that can enhance volunteer training sessions.
  • Meaningfully and intentionally incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion and social justice education into student, faculty, staff, and community trainings.
  • Serve as a resource on creating impactful trainings and best practices to retain volunteers for all service and activist clubs.
  • Assist in the development of a pilot training curriculum for alternative break trip participants and leaders (i.e. Service Without Borders, Global Brigades, Habitat for Humanity, etc.).
  • Coordinate volunteer retention, appreciation, and celebration efforts, including serving on the Celebration of Service Committee and assisting with Volunteer Appreciation Week, among other volunteer recognition efforts.
  • Meet with Brandeis volunteers to discuss and brainstorm ideas for impactful reflection, focusing on the four C’s of reflection (continuous, challenging, contextualized, and connected).

General Duties

Community Engagement Ambassadors will collaborate with each other and the DSE professional staff to: 

  • Provide peer-to-peer training that promotes best practices in community engagement.
  • Build connections with, and intentionally support the efforts of, all service, activism, advocacy, social justice, and cultural clubs on a regular basis.
  • Strengthen Brandeis’ community engagement impact through coordination across clubs, campus partners, and collaborative programs (e.g. I am Global Week, Kindness Week, Stressbusters, We Wear Blue, etc).
  • Support the Department of Student Engagement’s efforts to continuously advance our collective commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to ensure all marginalized populations are represented and supported in our work.
  • Develop programs that increase awareness of community service, social justice, and civic engagement opportunities.
  • Team up with other campus leaders to address student needs regarding community engagement.
  • Serve as a central resource and point of contact for students looking to volunteer or engage in service on behalf of the department.
  • Collaborate with the Department of Student Engagement to lead ‘day of service’ events throughout the academic year, including VolunteerFest.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Required to be an undergraduate student seeking a degree at Brandeis University.
  • Required to have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Experience leading and developing trainings.
  • Commitment to learning new skills and developing professionally.
  • Comfortable with engaging in outreach initiatives with a diverse set of peers and campus/community partners.
  • Understanding of and commitment to community engagement initiatives, with preference given to those who have engaged in at least one Brandeis sponsored community engagement program/club for at least one semester.
  • Seeking candidates that bring diverse perspectives and social identities.