About United Way Bay Area

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) mobilizes the Bay Area to dismantle the root causes of poverty and build equitable pathways to prosperity. UWBA brings together partners from the nonprofit, business, and government sectors to address Bay Area poverty. We partner across sectors, develop solutions, capture the data we need, and use those insights to support public policy and create research-backed community initiatives. These initiatives include: 

• Housing Justice: Improve access to stable, affordable housing and homelessness prevention. 
• Employment & Career Opportunities: Build systems and pathways to career and employment opportunities. 
• Financial Stability: Help families increase income and savings on their way to financial stability. 
• Basic Needs: Ensure access to basic needs like food, housing, and legal services. 

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) is leading a network of corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and individuals to create lasting change for Bay Area residents and families. With a history that spans over 100 years and programs that tackle the issue of local poverty from every angle, UWBA is uniquely positioned to mobilize and motivate all sectors of the community toward the vision of ending the cycle of poverty. 

About the role

We are seeking a motivated and passionate individual to join our Strategic Communications Team as an Ideas Inspire Fellow. This role is an exciting opportunity to engage with the Bay Area community by supporting UWBA’s community engagement, volunteerism, and content strategies.

Projects are assigned based on the project needs as well as the fellow’s skills, experiences, and professional development interests.

United Ways across the country have one of the most visible brands, but our engagement with community deepens the understanding of what we do and who we are. We aim to engage with volunteers, corporate partners, community-based organizations, and individual donors in new and innovative ways. The Ideas Inspire Fellow will support our development of this strategy, including new partnerships. 

Schedule and Duration:

• Full-time: 37.5 hours per week for approximately 3 months; or

• Part-time: 18-20 hours per week for approximately 6 months

The final weekly schedule and duration will be determined based on whether the selected candidate works full-time or part-time.

Requirements

• Candidates must be current college students or recent college graduates. This opportunity is designed for individuals early in their academic or career journey. Preference will be given to community college students or graduates, with additional preference for Foothill College students.  

• Candidates must be 18 years or older

• Candidates must be based in the Bay Area and be able to attend 3-5 in-person events per month

What you'll do

 Below are examples of the type of projects and tasks this opportunity would involve:

Content & Storytelling Development

• Assist in developing, editing, and proofreading written materials, such as presentation slides, one-pagers, or surveys 

• Assist with social media content creation, posting and monitoring

Brand & Campaign Support

• Assist in learning and applying UWBA’s brand guidelines across the materials you help produce

• Assist with research for social media platforms on influencers, partners, and trends

Community & Volunteer Engagement

• Assist in researching community partners

• Researching and outreach to potential Bay Area partners and influencers

• Organizing logistics and scheduling for volunteer opportunities

• Working with marketing to coordinate communications for volunteer opportunities

Communication & Team Collaboration

• Communicate regularly with team members to provide updates on activities

• Participate in staff meetings and events

Administrative Tasks

• Provide administrative support to the team, including creating department timelines, scheduling filming, preparing documents, and organizing files

• Assist with correspondence and email communications with prospective community partners, donors, and volunteers

• Maintain accurate records of project-related data, Salesforce contacts, sign-in sheets, and other relevant data

Qualifications

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Comfortable speaking to group audiences

• Experience with informal and formal research 

• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and time management

• Detail-oriented with a high level of accuracy in written communication and documentation

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

• Previous experience or coursework related to communications, community outreach, or event planning is a plus

• Knowledge of Bay Area region

This position is covered under a collective bargaining agreement and is represented by OPEIU, Local 29.

UWBA is committed to equitable and transparent compensation practices. We use a structured internal model to determine starting pay within the posted range. The model considers role scope, responsibilities, and documented compensable factors, and includes equity checks across the organization. As part of this approach, we do not engage in salary negotiations.