Executive Director of Downtowners

Lancaster Downtowners, a non-profit Village of seniors desiring to age successfully in the homes of their choice, seeks part-time Executive Director to assess and respond to member needs and build community presence.  The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the organization. Other key duties include fundraising, marketing, and community outreach. The hire will be in collaboration with partner organization Landis Communities.  Education and experience in human services, with interest in field of aging and proven administrative, leadership ability are required.  Excellent communication and relationship building skills essential; organization and office technology skills also needed.  

Member Relationship Management

• Builds and maintains relationships with individual members by initiating regular visits and communication, including assessment of member needs and interests. Maintains members’ awareness of benefits offered by Lancaster Downtowners, and their sense of connection to Lancaster Downtowners.
• In collaboration with Just One Call Committee, facilitates and supports regular contact with all member households that can anticipate and respond to needs of members (including home-care needs).
• Provides consultation with members and their families as appropriate, to review member needs.
• Promotes active and broad participation by members/volunteers in all areas of the Downtowners work.
• Regularly attends Lancaster Downtowners program events.

Information Management

• Ensures accurate tracking of member data and volunteer hours.
• Oversees the maintenance of updated member information in database, including contact information, volunteer services requested and significant life changes that could impact lifestyle and support needs.
• In collaboration with Just One Call Coordinator and Just One Call Committee, oversees the updating of volunteer information in database (i.e., volunteer interests, services provided).
• Maintains official records and documents and ensures compliance with applicable regulations and organizational by-laws.
• Oversees staff and volunteers who maintain and update database information. Supports and oversees the maintenance of organization policies and procedures.

Member Resourcing and Advocacy

• Maintains a working knowledge of significant resources, developments and trends in the field of aging.
• In collaboration with Resource committee, researches, compiles, evaluates and regularly updates resource/referral information regarding healthcare, home care and other service providers in the community. Adjusts and modifies as necessary to meet members’ needs.
• In cooperation with the board, advocates for age-friendly initiatives and solutions in our community.

Community Visibility and Relationships

• Builds relationships with a variety of organizations, including healthcare and home-care providers, seeking out opportunities for alliances that could benefit members. Works in cooperation with the Board to negotiate contracts with vendors wishing to provide services or programs to Lancaster Downtowners.
• Raises community awareness of Downtowners and issues related to aging and quality of life.
• In collaboration with Membership, Just One Call and PR/Marketing Committees, invites and shares stories and testimonials provided by Downtowners members.
• Builds relationships with local universities and colleges. Interviews, selects and supervises any intern(s) who serve Lancaster Downtowners.
• Maintains relationships with the Village-to-Village Network, other villages, and supports initiatives that further develop the village model and/or aging-in-place supports including expansion of villages into Lancaster County.

Board and Committee Relationships and Support

• Implements board plans and decisions, ensuring that programs and services are consistent with overall Village mission objectives.
• Communicates effectively with the board and provides, in a timely and accurate manner, necessary information for the board to make informed decisions.
• Assists the President with pre-board meeting planning and regularly attends Board meetings.
• Maintains a current annual Board Calendar.
• Assists the President in orientation and training of new board members as well as periodic board self-evaluation and training.
• Maintains communication with Downtowners Just One Call Coordinator and Just One Call Committee to ensure timely follow-up on member needs and volunteer interests.
• Collaborates with Downtowners Membership Committee on member recruitment and follow-up with new members based on their interests and needs.
• Collaborates with Downtowners Program Committee to suggest and coordinate program events offered to members, and with the Resource Committee on vendor referrals and member education.
• Provides input to the board and Treasurer in preparing the annual budget. Operates within the budget guidelines and ensures annual independent review of accounts.
• Participates in organization’s fundraising activities in cooperation with Board, Fundraising Committee and Business Sponsors.
• Collaborates with the President and Nominating Committee to ensure board and committee leadership positions are filled.
• Collaborates with the PR & Communications committee to promote Lancaster Downtowners

Administrative Staff Functions

• Develops job descriptions for individual roles, supervises and performs annual evaluation for all administrative staff members.
• Oversees and evaluates the performance of interns and contracted providers.
• Coordinates the above activities with the Personnel Committee of the board.
• Maintains regular office hours to the extent necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Executive Director.
• Delegates to administrative staff appropriate functions to allow the Executive Director time to fulfill responsibilities to the organization.

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, gerontology, human services or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years direct experience in human services or related field, with interest in the field of aging and understanding of laws and regulations that affect service to older people.
• Proven administrative ability and experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to supporting a high quality of life in the aging process.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build rapport and relationships, build partnerships and represent the organization in the community.
• Ability to work well independently and problem-solve effectively.
• Must be flexible, organized and motivated.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfortable learning and managing organization’s software.