Family Services Specialist

Who We Are

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois (RMHCCI) provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthens families, and promotes healing when children need healthcare. We care for families with children who are ill or injured. We see a world where every family has what they need to ensure the best health outcomes for their children.

We are a place that feels like home for families who can’t be and we strive to be a playful, courageous, and hopeful place. We are a premier nonprofit established to keep families together and promote the health and well-being of children. RMHCCI is committed to an inclusive culture—that means we serve families and hire team members who are diverse. Each member of our team demonstrates our core values: we lead with compassion; we are deeply respectful; we act with integrity; and we are firmly committed. These values are our foundation for caring for families with children who are ill or injured and our foundation for working together. We are committed to performance improvement and programmatic growth through data informed decision making and strategic action. Every member of our team is responsible for carrying out, in some way, the initiatives identified by our strategic plan.

The Family Services Specialist is the crucial pillar of support for families who stay at the Ronald McDonald House. Individuals on this team support families and make sure the amenities in the House are available as needed while helping families navigate their health care journey and address their needs—whether it’s directions to get somewhere or a connection to get support services. In this role, you are the go-to person who stays updated on just about everything going on in the House, and you’ll often jump in to help other teammates solve problems or make special moments happen for families, guests, volunteers and teammates.

Where We Are Going

RMHCCI has four strategic priorities:

• Serve More Families, Better: broaden our programs, strengthen our impact, and boost participation in our programs
• Enhance Collaboration: share our best practices and foster external partnerships
• Drive Engagement: elevate our brand, diversify funding sources, and expand advocacy efforts
• Prioritize People: cultivate team (staff) well-being, enhance onboarding, and build professional development

What You’ll Do To Drive Success and Get Us To Where We’re Going

So we can Serve More Families, Better, you will

• Lead practices that maintain a safe, secure, and inclusive environment at all times
• Ensure all procedures are observed for background screenings, visitor access, check-in and check-out, etc.
• Answer the phones and address outside visitors to take referrals, meet guest needs, and maintain wait lists
• Provide exceptional levels of customer service to families, visitors, volunteers and teammates to create a welcoming and uplifting environment
• Maintain a welcoming and safe environment by addressing concerns and enforcing rules and policies—intervening with appropriate actions, and preparing required documentation as needed
• While you are empowered to make the best decisions to address situations immediately - you will address urgent or serious concerns and issues to management as needed
• Provide housekeeping and tidying as needed to ensure common areas remain clean and accessible
• Prepare simple meals for families in the kitchen when needed and follow food handling protocols
• Regularly check -and update- House communications channels, including email and the guest services platform
• Keep your cool while addressing emergencies or other circumstances that require immediate attention while on duty - updating management immediately and completing incident reports as required
• Maintain the safety and security of the House, its contents, and guest families at all times

So we can Enhance Collaboration, you will

• Engage with volunteers so they may work independently or alongside you to complete tasks
• Identify when families may need support services beyond our offerings and communicate to leadership
• Recommend local service providers to leadership for partnership consideration
• Work with other departments and teammates within RMHCCI to accomplish tasks

So we can Drive Engagement, you will

• Represent RMHCCI’s values at all times
• Share our mission with visitors and invite them to partner with us through volunteering and in-kind contributions
• Wear RMHCCI name badges and brand when working
• Accept and document donations from the public
• Provide support to the Volunteer Coordinator

So we can Prioritize People, you will

• Demonstrate our core values when interacting with families, teammates, and volunteers
• Collaborate with teammates to provide families the best care possible
• Complete training and professional development to improve skills
• Be a resource to Managers and Directors
• Perform other duties as assigned to deliver a safe, welcoming environment for families, volunteers, visitors, and staff

But Realize….

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to follow other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as requested, subject to all applicable state and federal laws. Certain job functions described herein may be subject to possible modification in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

What You Bring To The Table

• High energy and a contagious spirit to have a great day helping families
• A positive attitude and mindset to problem solve and evolve as a professional and as a team mate
• A giving personality that puts the family’s needs first
• A can-do work ethic and energy
• Family safety and security are paramount to RMHCCI - you’ll be able to successfully clear any pre-employment drug screen, background check, and driver’s license requirements
• Reliable transportation or dependable support to be able to arrive on time for every scheduled shift
• Experience supporting others in meeting their needs in Human Services, Health Services, Guest Services or other high-impact service-related role—at least 2 years is ideal
• Solid computer skills with the ability to create documents in MS Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), check email, update calendars, and enter data into various systems
• Confidence and sound judgment to make quick decisions to ensure that families’ needs are met
• The drive to look for things to do when you’ve completed all your tasks
• The ability to complete the physical tasks for the job, like changing bed linens, basic cleaning, lifting and moving boxes to accept donations, etc.
• Ability to work independently while also being a team player - you’ll have your tasks to complete, but we all jump in and help each other when things get busy
• High levels of empathy to provide support to families experiencing trauma
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and polished one-on-one communication skills—you will be constantly communicating with families, doctors, nurses, board members, community leaders and team members
• Strong communications skills on a phone—like smiling when you speak, confidently delivering complex information in digestible bites, and quickly gaining trust with families
• Ability to address issues with teammates independently and then seek assistance from leaders only when needed
• The ability to “read” and interpret the verbal and nonverbal cues—our families are navigating highly stressful journeys and we all need to support them respectfully.
• High school diploma or equivalent is required. Some college course work, a certificate, or a degree is helpful, but not required
• Maintain positive relationships with all RMHCCI stakeholders
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and remain calm in hectic situations

You’ll Love This Work If You Are…

• Highly compassionate because our families are navigating through difficult, often traumatic situations. Everyone’s job at RMHCCI is to, in some way, bring small comforts and moments of joy—but this is your primary responsibility.
• Passionate about helping those on your team learn, grow, and reach their full potential through personal and professional development opportunities
• Perpetually positive, flexible, creative, and “scrappy” - there are many times when circumstances beyond our control change things, and we have limited resources to react; you enjoy the challenge of making remarkable impacts in any given situation
• Driven to support causes that are bigger than any one of us—each of us here at RMHCCI plays a role in helping families find comfort and joy in some very trying situations, but none of us can do it alone; you enjoy stepping outside of your comfort zone and supporting others in special ways to make a big difference
• Service-focused: at RMHCCI, we strive to provide a safe, inclusive environment—that means we welcome everyone to our programs as families, volunteers, and team members
• Family-focused: at RMHCCI, we create a home—that means going above and beyond for the families staying at the House or using our hospital-based programs, ensuring no small detail gets overlooked, and being a supportive and accommodating host when a family needs extra care and attention
• Selfless in mindset so that the comfort and success of others—whether families or teammates—is prioritized and individual focus is secondary
• Energetic and infuse fun in your work while being sensitive to the stress and discomfort that a family may be experiencing during a difficult time
• The type of person who goes above and beyond because that is the type of person they are (like putting away a shopping cart that wasn’t yours or picking up litter in a public place)

What You’ll Get From Us

• Hourly wage above minimum wage--$20.00 per hour
• Accrued PTO—1 hour for every 40 hours worked
• RMHCCI is open 24/7/365, so you will receive time-and-a-half on recognized holidays
• An inclusive, (meaning we embrace the diversity of our families, volunteers, and team members) welcoming environment with a powerful mission to impact and change lives
• Opportunities to gain leadership capabilities through training and development programs
• Paid bereavement leave for the death of an immediate family member.

One More Thing You Should Know…

There’s a lot of research showing how marginalized groups of people may not apply for jobs unless they meet 100% (or more!) of the qualifications. Here at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Illinois, we understand that someone who is passionate about improving the quality of life and supporting individuals through challenging times can be manifested from many backgrounds and experiences that might not seem “standard” - and that’s totally fine! We greatly value the unique perspectives and added knowledge that everyone on the team can bring.

That said - you might not feel like you “check all the boxes” as you read this job post. We get it. And we feel these things ourselves, too. But we hope you’ll apply anyway, and we’ll take great care in working with you by providing a transparent hiring process open to diverse candidates. Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. We’ll let you in on a little industry secret: there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ candidate. RMHCCI is a place where everyone can grow; so whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come to work every day.

Pay: $20.00 per hour

Expected hours: 15.0 – 24.0 per week

Benefits:

• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

Work Location: In person

Salary : $20