RFP Online Engagement Temp

RFP: Online Engagement Temp, Turnaround Arts

 About Turnaround Arts

Turnaround Arts was founded more than 10 years ago on the belief that by infusing the arts into daily schooling we can bring better days and joyful learning to K-8 students. Launched by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Turnaround Arts has made its home at the nation’s performing arts center - The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - since 2016. The network consists of 55 schools who are creating a comprehensive strategic approach to bring the arts to the forefront of their communities and celebrate the cultural wealth of their students. The program provides tangible arts education resources and services to each school, including arts supplies, musical instruments, school musicals, teacher training, and more to increase chances of success, engage communities, and raise the visibility of school achievements.

Turnaround Arts is in the first year of a five-year strategic plan to clarify and reimagine the program, its structures, and its content. The Online Engagement Temp will be responsible for strategically creating a new network community of member schools. As the program is developed, more of the work will focus on strengthening each school’s ability to carry out the program’s goals, and managing engagement and partnership opportunities through this network community. We’ll also ensure that our focus remains on building teacher leadership, increasing arts education opportunities, and building a community of engaged and supportive partners and families to join the school on this journey.

The Contract

Turnaround Arts seeks an Online Engagement Temp to strategically lead the creation of a newonline community of current school leaders and educators of 55 member schools across the country. This position supports the team in building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders in each community, such as principals, teachers, District leaders and community arts partners, advocating for the arts at the local and state level and continuing partner schools as the program enters its second decade. This role will work closely with the Turnaround Arts Operations Manager and Program team to develop the framework for our digital community. This includes the support of national arts initiatives, digital convenings, regional and local in-person events, and promoting a robust library of digital teaching tools and resources. This position supports the creation of strategies for robust onboarding and engagement within the digital community of our national network of educators and administrators, with an emphasis on our values of belonging and equity.

Qualifications

The Online Engagement Temp will be adept at relationship building, has a strong technical background in association network management, creating or supporting digital platfroms, will be adept at relationship building, and will have a proven track record of curating and customizing content that is responsive to stakeholder needs. The individual best suited to this role will have experience with social engagement strategies and technologies, particularly with cultural or community organizations/non profits.  Knowledge of the arts, educational systems and culturally responsive education is a plus. The ideal candidate possesses strong writing and communication skills and is able to work in a collaborative, creative and communicative manner. All Turnaround Arts contractors and collaborators should show a demonstrated commitment to the values of equity and anti-racism, belonging, and justice.

Timeline

June 2023 - June 2024 (with option to renew)

Attendance at the Kennedy Center Arts Education Conference on Monday, June 26 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm to meet Turnaround Arts Network participants preferred, but not required.

Scope of Work

The Online Engagement Temp will (1) collaborate on the design of, test, launch, promote, and maintain a robust digital network community for Turnaround Arts, (2) consult, build, and implement an effective communication strategy, and (3) analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of digital strategies, communication, and the user experience as well as collaborate with the the Operations Manager, the rest of the TA National Team, and other contractors/consultants as needed on the creation of program facing tools, resources, and strategies. Projects will include:  

Phase 1: Digital Community Creation

●        Create and support a digital community of member schools

o   Consultation and advisement on network community platform selection

o   Cultivating and organizing membership, engagement opportunities and professional development resources and programming to enhance current arts-in-education programming at member schools

o   Lead outreach to, networking with, and partnership-building with educational and academic organizations, companies and other sponsors to continue to bolster the network community, which may include some in-person activities and events, such as local meet-ups.

o   Manage network community membership benefits that may include projects such as professional development workshops, webinars, affinity groups, online professional learning communities, and other educational opportunities.

Phase 2: Relationship Management of Network Partners

●        Co-develop and contribute to a CMS database of partners and support its ongoing maintenance

●        Drive traffic to the website, regular email communication

●        Collaborate on the refinement and rollout of program facing tools, processes and resources created for the implementation of the Turnaround Arts educational program to network members, in conjunction with the Program Manager

●        Organize the effective communication of important information from the National office to member schools. Manage the distribution of Turnaround Arts resources and updates through written, oral, video, web and social media communications

●        Serve as a liaison between schools currently in the network (and their local programs) and National, to meet the goal of increasing communication between member schools and rolling out the network community program

●        Collaborate on the new website design and be responsible for updating the site on a regular basis, including serving as key point-person for design contractors

●        Coordinate and manage in-network communications including emails and newsletters for members

●        Design network engagement elements to support digital and in-person conferences and convenings

Phase 3: Evaluation and Assessment of Effective Digital Strategies

●        Manage evaluation and assessment of digital strategies and engagement by collaboratively determining the standards for success and collaborating with an outside evaluator to assess current and future member schools, including the creation, administration and analysis of results

Deliverables

●        Written advisement on selection of online network community platform

●        Written plan for promoting, driving traffic to, and maintaining the online community

●        Written communication strategy for the network community including digital strategy associated with conferences and events

●        Written analysis and evaluation of the digital strategies, communication, and the user experience

●        A database of all stakeholder contact info associated with the development of the network community such as educational and academic organizations, companies and other sponsors

●        Written operational process for maintaining the online network community platform including frequency and steps as appropriate

Responsibilities of the Kennedy Center

Kennedy Center staff will work collaboratively with the Temp to provide timely access to Kennedy Center program information and contact details for participants in the Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts program. The Kennedy Center will provide the new online platform for the network community, tools for implementing communication with stakeholders, and access to other existing digital tools as needed and approved by the Kennedy Center.

Budget

The budget for this contract is $46,000.

Proposal Format

Proposals must include:

●        A cover letter detailing experience with association management,

●        Resume (If a company, resumes of all associates working on this project)

The deadline for proposals is June 16, 2023 by close of business (5:00pm EST). 

Proposal Review and Notification

Proposals that meet the required proposal format will be reviewed by an internal committee of Kennedy Center staff.

Proposals will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

●        Demonstrated knowledge, background, and experience in association network management

●        Proven track record of curating and customizing content that is responsive to stakeholder needs

●        Experience with social engagement strategies and technologies, particularly with cultural or community organizations/nonprofits

●        Writing and communication skills

●        Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative, creative, communicative manner

●        Demonstrated commitment to the values of equity and anti-racism, belonging, and justice

●        Availability to engage in collaborative meetings as needed that will primarily take place between 9:00am and 5:00pm EST

●        Willingness to travel to DC biannually or quarterly for meetings as needed

●        Knowledge of the arts, educational systems, and culturally responsive education is a plus

Submissions of interest will be selected for 1-2 rounds of calls.

The selected Temp will be notified in June 2023.