Community Engagement Manager - South Central Region

About Tennessee Kids Belong

Tennessee Kids Belong (TKB) is a 501c3 launched in 2016 as an affiliate of the national non-profit, America's Kids Belong. TKB provides an innovative, holistic, proven model that dramatically improves the experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care by equipping leaders within multiple sectors of our society–Business, Government, Faith, and Creative, TKB finds ways for EVERYONE to do SOMETHING to make a sustainable impact.

Three focus areas of effective programming:

Family Recruiting

A family for every child.

We help recruit and retain foster parents alongside state government and private agencies. Working closely with the state on recruitment efforts through Governor’s Initiatives with both the past two administrations–foster parent certifications far surpassed state goals 4 years in a row.

Our I Belong Project™ is a flagship program that creates videos of kids in foster care eligible for adoption to help them find forever families. Since 2016, we have produced just over 800 videos and over 400 of those children are now in forever families.

Community Engagement

A community for every family.

We equip local businesses, faith communities and civic organizations to become Foster Friendly™ and connect these supportive groups to foster families via our innovative Foster Friendly™ App.

We train churches and faith communities to embrace at least two of our three best practices for Foster Friendly™ faith communities- : trauma awareness training for staff and volunteers, teaching on the intersection between faith and fostering in regards to the needs of their direct community, and building a ministry to Wrap Around and support foster families.

We work closely with businesses of all industries to offer services and discounts that help foster families thrive and continue saying yes to this important work. From car dealerships offering larger rental cars to keep siblings placed together- to coffee shops providing a safe space for foster parents to recharge together, or have 1:1 Time with the new teen in their home- all businesses have a role to play.

Sustainable Change

Hope for the foster care community.

We create coalitions for change by working with the Governor and mayors’ offices, child welfare, and other leadership voices across faith, business and civic sectors to raise awareness and collaborate to drive sustainable change in foster care. TKB has worked closely with the past 2 Governor administrations to launch successful foster care initiatives, surpassing state recruitment and permanency goals 4 years in a row.

Who We Are

Tennessee Kids Belong is a gritty, grassroots band of warriors passionate about fighting for vulnerable kids. Many of us are walking or have walked a journey tied to foster care or adoption in our own lives.. So in many ways, the battle is personal to ensure that kids in foster care are seen, heard, and ultimately able to experience the essential, invaluable sense of belonging… to a family, in a community, and as a member of the human family.

We take a child-centered approach to our work in service of our mission. We prioritize our activity and resources based on mission impact. We believe a heightened EQ and deep character are every bit as important as IQ to our success.

Job Description

The Community Engagement Manager will be responsible for building Foster Friendly Communities ™ in the South Central region of Tennessee. Through unique and innovative programming around church and business engagement, this role will require you to be a convener, cast vision and walk closely alongside churches and businesses as they begin to support the recruitment and support of foster and adoptive families.

The Community Engagement Manager (CEM) will work closely with a team of other CEM’s across the state to pull together best practices, strategies and regional goals based on the needs of the community being served.

Any given day will look very different and could range from:

Presenting at a chamber of commerce gathering with 100+ businesses;
Training a church leader on appropriate language to use when talking about kids in foster care;
Convening local social workers with a group of faith leaders to talk about the importance of a church being trauma aware;
Gathering volunteers to attend an I Belong Project™ video shoot day, capturing the hearts and personalities of children on film who need an adoptive family;
Moderating panel discussions across the region and within communities to educate attendees to better understand and engage foster care.

Core Competencies

You have a heart for kids from hard places and a passion for TKB’s mission
When you lead, people follow
Confidence and ability to make bold asks
Feel comfortable in any room talking about foster care issues
You demonstrate good discernment and judgment on a range of ethical issues
You have a network that speaks to your affinity for building and maintaining trusted relationships
Able to and enjoy activating volunteers
Demonstrates perseverance

Skill Sets

Personal or professional connection to foster care / adoption strongly desired
Out-of-the-box thinker who’s adept at finding creative solutions to complex problems
Self starter- as a remote position with staff all across state, this role requires a large amount of independent work, daily planning
Outstanding written and oral communication skills with public speaking experience