Operating Volunteer Positions

To apply for operating volunteer positions listed below, please send application form, cover letter and resume to Contact@AnsweringTTP.org or mail to Volunteer Opportunities 22 Prince George Dr., Toronto ON M9A 1Y1. Application form is attached below.

Outreach Coordinator

Answering TTP Foundation is traveling across Canada and into the US to connect with local TTP communities and raise awareness for TTP to save lives.  The first leg of this Canada Roadshow traveled westward and coincided with the week of 2011 Rare Diseases Day to optimize any chance of media coverage to simultaneously connect with patients/supporters and increase awareness for TTP. We have visited Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Atlanta, Halifax and Saint John. For more information, please visit the Answering TTP Blog: www.AnsweringTTP.blogspot.com

We are now planning our travel to Quebec. The following activities will be promoted and organized as available:

• Networking: meeting with local medical staff to introduce our patient organization.
• Support: local support group session for patients and supporters in association with a local TTP treating doctor.
• Blood Services: local blood drive to promote the need for blood in our communities and to personalize this message by promoting a local TTP patient story.

Role

This role will provide a hands-on event planning opportunity. Upon successful completion of this event, the coordinator will be asked to outline additional opportunities to continue outreach to local TTP communities.

This position will report directly to the Executive Director of the Foundation.

Duties

 5-6 months prior to event

• Send out announcement to local medical staff
  
• Communication with medical staff to arrange appropriate date, time and location for meetings with local medical staff and dates for support group sessions
  
• Develop (with help from Communications Specialist) and distribute support group flyer/poster to treatment centers for them to hand out to TTP patients (to garner their participation for the local activities)
• Engage and communicate with a local patient willing to share their story for the blood drive. Obtain story and waiver.
• Secure dates for blood drive with CBS
• Work with finance team to budget costs
• Secure venues for meetings
• Budget printing requirements for handouts

2 months prior to event

• Book hotel and transportation (best value)

2 weeks prior to event

• Print paper surveys for participant completion
  
• Organize handouts
• Organize food and refreshments for support group sessions
• Ensure required presentation material is available for speaker(s) (PowerPoint presentation etc.)
• Prepare appreciation notes for doctors/medical staff
• Prepare registration materials (participant list, registration sign-in sheet, name tags, survey) for support group sessions
• Prepare detailed itinerary for travelers

After Event

• Draft and send thank you emails to all participants
• Prepare contact list for download into contact database
• Consolidate survey information
• Write update memo to Foundation including photos

Qualifications

• Strong time management, organization skills and attention to detail
• Superior written and oral communication skills including letter writing
• A sense of urgency to keep to the planning schedule
• Thrives in a team environment and is also able to work independently
• Experience and capability using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel.

Commitment

2.5 hours per week averaged over 6 months.

Location

Undefined. Willing and able to effectively communicate via email/telephone.

Walk Team Chair

The Walk to Answer TTP Together has just completed its second year of success. This walk engages the geographically dispersed TTP Community to make aligned steps of change to help all TTP patients.

Prior to walking participants, from around the world, circulate their personalized donation pages to their networks to not only raise money for TTP, but to raise awareness.  On September 22, 2012 almost 150 participants walked within their local communities for 2 hours wearing the educational TTP t-shirt. Continued online discussion about the walk continues to extend the awareness campaign.

• Where: Anywhere in the world
• Venue: Official walking sites in Toronto and Calgary
  
• Fee: participation in 2012 was $35 (free t-shirt and sponsorship page)
• Frequency: once per year
• Number of participants: 70 in 2011, 150 in 2012. Looking to grow to 200 in 2013.
• Agenda:
• Raise awareness for TTP to speed diagnosis and save lives
• Connect with more TTP patients and supporters
• Raise money for TTP
• Publicity: website, forums, facebook, newsletter, blog, posters, public service announcements.

Role

This role will provide a hands event planning opportunity.

This position will report directly to the Executive Director of the Foundation.

Duties

8 months prior to event

• Work with finance team to develop reasonable budget
• Setup approved online event planning platform with help.
• Develop and implement content for the website with help from the Communications Specialist.
• Notify when complete and ready to be linked to AnsweringTTP.org
• Develop promotional recommendation/plan for submission (participants & company sponsors)
• Develop creative for the event (posters, handouts) using 2011 materials as a template with help from the Communications Specialist.
• Investigate requirements for official walk in Toronto and Calgary

6 months prior to event

• Develop content (with help from the Communications Specialist) for promotional initiatives
• Implement approved promotion plan (participants & company sponsors)
• Develop communication schedule to ensure reminders sent to participant
• Complete creative for t-shirts with help from the Communications Specialist
• Requirements for official walk in Toronto and Calgary
• Push to attract sponsors
  

3 months prior to Event

• Push for participants
• Organize “Day of” activities for official walk in Toronto and Calgary
• Promotional content development with help from the Communications Specialist.

2 months prior to Event

• Order t-shirts
• Shipping plan for t-shirts

1 month prior to Event

• Ship t-shirts

After Event

• Customize THANK YOU letters for distribution
• Distribute participant feedback survey and consolidate results
• Write update memo to Foundation including photos

Qualifications

• Strong time management, organization skills and attention to detail
• Superior written and oral communication skills
• Thrives in a team environment and is also able to work independently
• Ability and willingness to learn and work with online event management software
• Ability to generate ideas to seek out additional funds and revenue
• Experience and capability using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel

Commitment

Averaging to 2 hours per week over an 8 month period.

Location

Undefined. Willing and able to effectively communicate via email/telephone.

Sponsorship Coordinator

Finding and retaining corporate sponsorship or grants from foundations is challenging for all charities, especially for those dealing with rare disorders that may be devastating but afflict only a small population. Also, those willing to help are geographically scattered which can lead to isolation and de-motivation. It is vital that these sponsors are consistently engaged to leverage their passion to make a difference.

Role

The successful candidate will play a vital role in growing the sponsorship resources to enable the foundation to seize charitable opportunities to improve the prognosis for all TTP patients.

You are successful in sales and have been looking for a way to combine your sales experience with your love for community. As the Sponsorship Coordinator for the Foundation you have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the support that Answering TTP Foundation gives.

You will use your passion and energy to drive revenue by securing the corporate community to participate and fundraise for the Foundation through large scale signature events such as the Walk to Answer TTP Together. In addition to this is your creativity as you will be responsible for discovering new leads and creating ways for the larger community to get involved through sponsorships.

This position will report directly to the Executive Director of the Foundation.

Duties

• Research, identify leads and ultimately, secure corporate participation
• Provide ongoing support to the organizations and sponsors that you successfully recruit for the event
• Develop dynamic and compelling presentations to engage new leads
• Creation and maintenance of an ongoing sponsorship database
• Working with Logistics in the execution of sponsorships at events

Above responsibilities are representative but not all inclusive.

Qualifications

• You love sales and you are good at it? You make things happen
• Not only are you an idea person but you quickly jump to action when that idea hits
• Your presentation skills are sharp, strong and you enjoy speaking to groups or individuals
• You see challenges not as obstacles but as a way to be creative
• You are a networker - you love connecting people to each other
• If you already have experience in fundraising or not-for-profit, even better
• Knowledge or willingness to seek out and learn sponsorship onboarding strategies
• Experience and capability using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel
• And lastly, you love making a difference

Commitment

Averaging to 2 hours per week over a one year period.

Location

Undefined. Willing and able to effectively communicate via email/telephone.

Local Support Group Coordinator

TTP support groups and info sessions connect this geographically dispersed community of patients and supporters.  Both newly diagnosed patients and patients that have lived with the diagnosis for years value these sessions as an opportunity to support each other. Because TTP is so rare, it is otherwise very difficult, if not impossible, to meet another person dealing with TTP. Usually one or more doctors and nurses attend to answer generic questions for the group and to share developments in treatment or research.

• Where: Sessions have been established in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The goal is to grow this program to coordinate sessions throughout Canada and internationally.
• Venue: Usually held in the local TTP treating hospital or local university that is donated.
• Fee: participation is free of charge
• Frequency: once per year per location.
• Number of participants per session: 10 – 60
• Agenda

• talk from a local medical professional
• patient story
• break out  groups
• formal Q&A
• foundation update & closing

• Publicity: most successful publicity is derived from postings and flyers circulated within the local TTP treatment centre to new patients and those returning for follow-up.

Role

This role will provide a hands-on event planning opportunity to engage both the local TTP community and medical staff.

Duties

5-6 months prior to event

• Communication with medical staff to arrange appropriate date, time and location
• Printing and distribution of event flyer developed with help from the Communications Specialist
• Securing venue
• Work with finance team to budgeting event costs

2 weeks prior to event

• Print paper surveys for participant completion
• Organizing food and refreshments
• Ensure required presentation material is available for speaker(s) (PowerPoint presentation etc.)
• Prepare appreciation notes for speakers
• Organize someone to take photos at the event

Day of Event

• Prepare registration materials (participant list, registration sign-in sheet, name tags, survey)
• 
  
• Prepare the room (setup of food, refreshments and computer/projector if required for speaker)

After Event

• Customize THANK YOU letters for distribution
• Consolidate survey information
• Write update memo to Foundation including photos

Qualifications

• Strong time management, organization skills and attention to detail
• Superior written and oral communication skills
• Thrives in a team environment and is also able to work independently
• Experience and capability using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel

Commitment

Averaging to 1 hours per week over a 6 month period.

Location

Undefined. Willing and able to effectively communicate via email/telephone.

Volunteer Coordinator

Finding and retaining dedicated volunteers is challenging for all charities, especially for those in the health sector whose most likely volunteers are the patients who require downtime for illness. For TTP volunteer recruitment and retention is even more challenging because the patient population is so small and the illness can leave patients with irreversible damage requiring ongoing treatments and unable to volunteer themselves.

Also, those willing to help are geographically scattered which can lead to isolation and de-motivation. It is vital that these volunteers are consistently engaged to leverage their passion to make a difference.

Role

The successful candidate will play a vital role in growing resources to enable the foundation to seize opportunity to coordinate national and local support, education and fundraising initiatives.

This role is new to the organization and will provide an exciting opportunity to recommend and establish new ideas to overcome the challenges associated with finding, engaging, maintaining and efficiently managing a geographically dispersed body of volunteers with a diverse skill set.  

This position will report directly to the Executive Director of the Foundation.

Duties

Duties will include:

• Manage volunteer list
• Recognition of volunteers- ensure event participants, donors and committee members are thanked and stewarded for their efforts.
• Communication strategy and deployment to engage volunteers and share best practices and ideas across the volunteer community
• Engagement strategy and deployment
• Training identification and coordination
• Task matching

 Above responsibilities are representative but not all inclusive.

Qualifications

• Strong time management, organization skills and attention to detail
• Superior written and oral communication skills
• Thrives in a team environment and is also able to work independently
• Experience making public presentations
• Experience with fundraising events - Is a support for event committees, providing resources, ideas, and opportunities that generate additional funds and revenue
• Knowledge or willingness to seek out and learn volunteer stewardship strategies
• Experience and capability using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel.

Commitment

Averaging to 1.5 hours per week over a one year period.

Location

Undefined. Willing and able to effectively communicate via email/telephone.

Committee Volunteer Positions

The 2013 Walk to Answer TTP Together is looking for the following committee members:

• Awareness Coordinator: help develop content and placing ideas to raise awareness. This includes social media, traditional media and grass roots initiatives.
  
• Participant Coordinator: engage past and new participants to grow the event, manage participants and team communications
• Sponsorship Coordinator: engage new sponsors for the event and manage the relationship
• Purchasing Coordinator: order and distribute t-shirts and event related materials
• Website Developer: update and maintain 2013 walk donation site content
• Creative Lead: design of event related marketing materials

To join or find out more about committee volunteer positions listed below, register for the first planning call by clicking here.