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Director, Cultural Alliance of Maine

15 Mar 2022 9:45 AM | Anonymous
The Cultural Alliance of Maine (CAM), a new statewide coalition to unite, champion, and advance Maine’s cultural sector, seeks an inaugural Director: a cooperative and transformational leader with a commitment to and skills in equitable, anti-racist community building and shared leadership. This individual will have an entrepreneurial, collaborative mindset and be excited by the work needed to partner with a wide range of stakeholders and constituents to establish CAM as a nonprofit in 2022-23 and to build this alliance; strong environmental, networking, and organizational development skills, and the verbal and written abilities to represent and advocate for the advancement of Maine’s libraries, historical societies, arts organizations, creative industries, and cultural workers. 5+ years in cultural and/or nonprofit or legislative work desirable.

CAM’s goals are to establish unified efforts in support of the many diverse components of Maine’s cultural sector amongst a community that:
  • Collaborates and is mutually supportive, regardless of organizational size, geography, budget, mission, etc.; 
  • Communicates with and learns from each other, shares resources and information;
  • Engages and educates elected officials, policymakers, funders, and the general public to increase visibility and understanding of the cultural community’s impact;
  • Works collectively to address resource allocation, related policy, crises and critical issues.
The Alliance seeks a collaborative and transformational leader with a commitment to and skills in equitable, anti-racist community building and shared leadership as its first F/T Director. This individual will have:
  • An entrepreneurial mindset and enthusiasm for shepherding the creation and launch of a new statewide nonprofit organization;
  • Passion for culture-making and the role of culture in strengthening communities;
  • A collaborative style and the ability to interface with diverse constituents;
  • A willingness to travel the state in-person and/or virtually, and to connect personally with constituents;
  • Strong organizational development skills, including but not limited to nonprofit administration, fundraising, and facilitation;
  • An ability to widely scan broad environments, identifying issues and opportunities and synthesizing information for the field; 
  • Excellent communication skills, including both written and verbal presentations.
The Director will:
  • Steward and lead a statewide collaborative vision within a wide and diverse field of stakeholders and constituents including nonprofit, for profit, and individual constituents in the arts, creative industries, and humanities, the latter specifically but not limited to libraries, historical societies, and historic preservation.
  • Connect the cultural sector (nonprofits, for profits, individuals) for peer learning and consensus-building around shared interests, opportunities and challenges, with an emphasis on elevating equity in the field;
  • Identify and manage policy issues and gaps in sector-relevant resources;
  • Act as the sector’s primary liaison with state and regional governments, building and maintaining the necessary relationships to keep the cultural sector and its infrastructure an active member and concern of policy and budget conversations;
  • Oversee advocacy, research, and communications materials and strategies on behalf of Maine’s cultural sector, championing its wide impact both internally and externally and elevating the visibility of Maine culture;
  • Participate in the development of a new and sustainable organization structurally, legally, and financially.
Specific responsibilities are aligned within five priority areas as established by the field during CAM’s pilot year of 2021: Championing the sector internally and externally; Community, Consensus, and Knowledge Building; Advocacy; Research and Analysis; Governance and Administration.
  • Champion and advance the sector internally and externally, raising visibility, promoting value, and building broad engagement and consensus.
  • Manage and grow a budget that includes room for contractor fees where needed.
  • Oversee creation and distribution of research and messaging relevant to community priorities across multiple media and content channels, including economic impact reports; commercially produced video’s; PSA’s; talking points for members; recordings of Alliance events.
  • Create opportunities, gatherings, materials, trainings and events to build community and collective knowledge in and advocacy for the field, including but not limited to a regular advance calendar of public convenings; messaging kits; website, social media, and newsletter; the keeping and distribution of records of communications, meetings, convenings or events hosted by or on behalf of the Alliance.
  • Facilitate communication and engagement in CAM by diverse individuals and entities in the  broader cultural community.
  • Identify top advocacy opportunities and priorities and create, lead, and/or oversee strategies and initiatives.
  • Lead efforts to increase the visibility of the cultural sector and its economic  and community impacts to policymakers/decision-makers, including direct lobbying and media engagement.
  • Attend relevant public committee meetings, sharing information with elected officials, and drafting or coordinating sign-on letters.
  • Represent Maine and participate in the Creative States Coalition, and/or similar regional, state, and national efforts.
  • Collaborating with other entities, research organizations, and/or hired contractors, direct 1 - 2 research projects annually including creation of data reports and communication tools to support advocacy. Determine what data national peer organizations are seeking and gathering and coordinate where appropriate. Create summaries/analyses of stakeholder input gathered on revolving bases.
  • Through ongoing partnership with MANP and/or additional hires, coordinate, facilitate, and lead CAM’s process to becoming a 501 C 3 nonprofit, including participation in and/or leadership of structural, legal, and development systems.
  • Beginning with a growing budget raised over three years by the founding Steering Committee, collaborate with the Board and field to develop financial and sector resources to create a sustainable organizational model.
  • General Administration: Lead the development of vision, work and business plans for the next stages of the project in alignment with overall project goals. Project and manage budget and cash flows. Coordinate funding efforts/revenue generation including Letters of Intent, competitive applications, and funders’ reports. Additionally, coordinate, facilitate, and support CAM’s virtual meetings (and possibly in-person meetings should public health guidance allow) of the Cultural Alliance of Maine, Steering Committee and/or Governing Board (and potentially  meetings of smaller groups as determined by the governance structure.) Manage project subcontractors (such as  lobbyists, speakers, designers, policy analysts). Maintain accurate and complete project records.
About CAM
The Cultural Alliance of Maine is a group of organizations and individual leaders who are committed to uniting, advancing, and promoting Maine’s diverse cultural sector, including the arts, humanities, and creative industries, and better leveraging the resources and policies applicable to the increased centrality of the field as part of Maine’s socioeconomic well being. The Alliance is currently governed by a founding Steering Committee made of constituent organizations which has raised the initial two years of funding for the Alliance, and is in the process of reshaping its governance body to ensure it best represents CAM’s founding values of equity, inclusivity, and diversity. This work is running in parallel to the hiring of the Director with the goal of bringing the new Director and governance team together to finalize the shape of the organization. At this time, the Alliance is a freestanding project fiscally sponsored by the Maine Association of Nonprofits; it is not a separate legal entity and does not have a separate legal existence. The goal is to organize and confirm status as a 501 C 3 nonprofit corporation by early 2023. 

The Director of the Cultural Alliance of Maine will be hired by and report to the Cultural Alliance of Maine Steering Committee, representing diverse non-profit cultural organizations around the state. Administrative and fiscal management for the project is provided by the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP). 

Contract Terms:
  • Initial 12-month term
  • Compensation: $70,000 + benefits package
  • Starting June - July 2022
To be considered for this position, please email your application to culturalmaine@gmail.com, using the word APPLICATION to start your subject line. We invite you to include with your resume a cover letter that addresses why you believe the Cultural Alliance of Maine is needed, and the unique strengths and approaches you would bring to the Director role.

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