ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

WEAVE: THE SOCIAL FABRIC PROJECT

Weave: The Social Fabric Project tackles the problem of broken social trust that has left Americans divided, lonely, and in social gridlock. Weave connects, supports, and invests in local leaders stepping up to weave a new, inclusive social fabric where they live. The project was founded by New York Times columnist and author David Brooks at The Aspen Institute in 2018. He remains the chair of the project.

Weave supports the people (“weavers”) who are building trust and tackling key issues in their neighborhoods. It provides them with resources and connects them in peer networks. It lifts up these often under-appreciated community connectors as important leaders by telling their stories and putting them on stages large and small. And Weave aims to inspire new generations of people to become weavers of their communities.

Weave seeks to spur a nation of weavers, brimming with deep, healthy connections, where mutual trust and affection is the norm, equity is implicit, and all find meaning in daily life.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

For the past five years, Weave: The Social Fabric Project has worked directly in communities, supporting and connecting weavers who are building trust, bridging divides and strengthening the social fabric where they live. We accomplish this by providing tools, platforms and training to weavers that help strengthen their networks, build their skills and attract more people to weaving. Additionally, we distribute microgrants—Weaver Awards—to weavers to help defray some of their costs and to acknowledge the leadership roles they are playing in their neighborhoods.

Weave is now transitioning from supporting individual weavers directly to supporting community-based organizations (e.g., community foundations, United Ways) that will create cultures of weaving in their locales by utilizing Weave’s full suite of tools, platforms and templates. These community hosts will be funded, trained, and supported by Weave to administer the Awards, nurture local weavers, and implement additional actions to amplify their impact. Weave will select, fund, train, and support 25 community hosts per year moving forward.

In coordination with the Senior Manager, Community Ignition, the Associate will assist with the operationalization of the community host model. The salary range for this position is $65,000 - $73,000. The role is based at Aspen’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, with an in-office expectation of at least two days per week to collaborate closely with colleagues and is expected to travel about 25% of the time.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Assist and support community hosts as they roll out Weaver Awards and design and execute events and actions that support weavers and catalyze additional weaving in their communities.
• Serve as Weave’s liaison to local advisory groups that will solicit nominations for Weaver Awards, review applications and select winners.
• Serve as liaison between community hosts and Weave’s IT team to support hosts’ use of tech platforms.
• Serve as liaison between community hosts and Weave’s communications team to support hosts’ successful amplification of weaver stories.
• Serve as liaison between community host and Weave’s community engagement team to support hosts’ use of tools and templates designed to gather neighbors, network weavers, and turn intention into action.
• Participate in Weave’s remaining direct support of weavers to translate learnings to community host model.
• Report successes, challenges and observed trends to Senior Manager, Community Ignition
• Document and share lessons learned from community hosts to help refine Weave’s tools and approaches.
• Identify and troubleshoot challenges faced by community hosts and elevate persistent issues to Weave leadership.
• Coordinate peer-learning opportunities among community hosts to encourage exchange of ideas and practices.
• Support data collection and evaluation efforts to capture the impact of Weaver Awards and community host activities.
• Assist in the planning and coordination of in-person events, trainings, and gatherings for community hosts and weavers.
• Contribute to program reports as needed.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Bachelor’s degree and 1-3 years of relevant experience; or equivalent work experience required.
• 2+ years experience in community-based work, preferably with nonprofit organizations.
• Commitment to Weave’s vision of a nation brimming with deep, healthy connections, where mutual trust and affection is the standard, equity is implicit, and all people find meaning in daily life.
• Experience in project management required; familiarity with project management software preferred.
• Demonstrated problem–solving skills.
• Experience in relationship-building with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work autonomously and as a team player.
• Proficiency with databases, Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace.
• Experience in report preparation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, su