DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Since 2000, more than 5 million people and partners have contributed $1 billion to support 2 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. Projects range from art supplies to build the set for a school musical, to books and puzzles that affirm students’ identities, to bird seed for an at-home science project. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and we combat systemic inequity by driving a majority of donations to schools that have been historically underfunded due to economic and racial inequity.

DonorsChoose has been recognized as a best place to work by GOOD Magazine and the Nonprofit Times, while Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list. Our dedicated team works from across the United States bring classroom dreams to life.

About the Team

The Content & Volunteer Operations team has a front-row seat to the most compelling classroom-generated content on our site. We review all incoming project requests, and help deliver the final touch to funded projects to donors: the donor thank-you “package”. When donors give to a project on our site, they receive direct follow-up from the classroom, including a letter, photos of the project in-action, and handwritten student thank-yous.

Our goal is to guide, approve, and leverage this content to deliver a personal experience that inspires donor and partner loyalty.

Our team of staff members works in tandem with a community of 200+ mission-driven volunteers to review this digital and physical project content.

About the Role

The Volunteer Operations Coordinator is responsible for supporting key aspects of our NYC-based Gratitude volunteer program.

Donors who give above a certain threshold can opt in to receive physical thank-you notes from students, which are physically mailed to our NYC offices for review by our team of local in-person volunteers.

That’s when you and your team (including dozens of in-person Gratitude volunteers) will come in!

You will play a pivotal role in ensuring that our volunteers feel supported, and that student thank yous are successfully and speedily reviewed so that eager donors can receive their notes as quickly as possible!

In this role, you will:

• Represent gratitude operations by fostering an inclusive and productive in-person volunteer environment. (75%)
  • Prepare for daily programming such as organizing volunteer stations and workspaces.
  • Support daily volunteer operations. This could mean: connecting with volunteers about scheduling, managing our incoming and outgoing mail deliveries, answering volunteer questions, and coordinating materials and supplies.
  • Welcome new volunteers. Respond to applications and schedule and run regular volunteer orientation sessions for new volunteers.
  • Cultivate a fun, friendly, and productive volunteer environment. This keeps volunteers excited, inspired, and motivated to support our mission.
  • Build relationships and a sense of community with (and between) our volunteers. You’ll make sure volunteers feel like an integral part of the DonorsChoose team.
  • Curate special student thank-you deliverables for our most impactful partners.
  • Review incoming student thank-yous that have been escalated by volunteers to staff for further review.
  • Connect with teachers and donors on tricky thank-yous that require an extra special touch.

• Contribute towards larger team initiatives by supporting special projects. (25%)
• Collaborate on strategic initiatives and projects as needed that the Content and Volunteer Operations team undertakes.
• Support with remote volunteer program operations. This could look like: answering incoming volunteer emails, drafting weekly volunteer communications, overseeing our Facebook communities, creating volunteer training videos, supporting with volunteer data management, and more.

About You

This position may be a fit for you if:

• You adapt quickly to changing priorities. You know how to roll with the punches, and are excited by change. You are cool and collected under pressure, are adaptable to meet team needs, and thrive in situations where you can help someone find a solution. You’re happy to jump in wherever needed.
• You live for organization, and pay attention to the details. You’re thorough, self-sufficient, and comfortable with repetitive, intricate tasks. You are meticulous when following instructions, and take pride in your attention to detail.
• You’re a natural relationship-builder and collaborator. You love forging authentic connections with others. You notice the person at the party who feels left out and immediately invite them to join the conversation - both online and IRL. Awkward silence? You don’t know what that is.
• You are an A+ communicator. Your emails make people smile and you can explain just about anything to anyone.
• You are tech savvy. You’re comfortable with technology, and can learn new programs and tools quickly.
• You are mission-motivated, and passionate about educational equity. You care about helping teachers, and believe that all students should have equal access to educational opportunities.
• You believe in the power of volunteerism - and have the experience to prove it. You have hands-on experience with working with volunteers or have been a volunteer yourself. You’ve already started jotting down potential ideas to engage our community.

Skills and Qualifications:

• 1-2 years of full-time work experience.
• You are a recent graduate, current student, or professional who is motivated to work for a mission-driven non-profit organization.
• Ability to work beyond traditional working hours. Occasional weekends and evenings may be required.

Compensation and Benefits

Our compensation philosophy ensures that we are both externally competitive with tech-forward nonprofits of a similar size and internally fair in our pay practices. While this role has a starting salary of $48,000, our organization supports career progression and salary growth commensurate with performance and experience gains.

Once employees are hired, everyone at DonorsChoose is eligible to receive annual performance-based raises as they grow in their role. We are open to a variety of experiences, and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced or more senior than this job description as posted. If you don’t check every box listed here, or you know you’d bring additional experience to the table, we hope you’ll submit your application.

In addition, we offer full-time staff 25 paid vacation days per year and 11 paid holidays, a rich employer-paid individual and family health plan, a matching 401(k) plan (up to 5% of base salary), annual professional development stipend, and casual and flexible work environment. To learn more about what it is like to work for DonorsChoose, visit our careers page.

Hybrid Workplace and Other Details

This role requires a full-time in-person schedule in our NYC Midtown office with some non-traditional hours, such as evenings [till 8pm] and weekends, at least twice a week.

DonorsChoose is a fully vaccinated workplace and all new employees, regardless of their work location, will be asked to share proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 within two weeks of their hire date or request an exemption from this policy due to a disability or sincerely held religious belief or practice. (This policy does not apply to employees in states with state restrictions on vaccine mandates.)

DonorsChoose participates in E-Verify. We will provide the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

To Apply

Please submit your resume and answer the application questions online. Since we’re trying to get to know you through our hiring process, we ask that you please refrain from using AI writing tools to craft your response to our application questions.

A cover letter is optional and may be addressed to Vithusha Balachandran, In-Person Volunteer Operations Manager.

A Final Note

The DonorsChoose team works toward a nation where students in every community have the resources needed for an excellent education. To do this we hire and support a diverse team of the best and the brightest talent available.

We are an organization increasingly representative of the varied races and ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs, and abilities that comprise our nation. DonorsChoose focuses on attracting, retaining, and advancing diverse talent because it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative, and resilient.

If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a place where you can bring all of yourself to work, we want you.