DP Planning Team Descriptions

Academic Year 2017-2018

The Detroit Partnership Planning Team is divided into eight sub teams each led by a director. These teams include the School Programs Team, the After-School Programs Team, the Adult and Young Adult Programs Team, the Marketing Team, the Major Events Team, the Finance Team, the Outreach Team, and the Internal Team. Descriptions of the positions on each specific team are below. For more information about the Planning Team structure and the history of The Detroit Partnership, please visit www.thedetroitpartnership.org to view our constitution.

Our teams have recently changed, and this may not yet be reflected online. If there are any questions about team structure – please email

Please keep in mind the sincerity and scope of the following application. By applying, you are committing to being a high-level leader in this organization. The Detroit Partnership has devoted endless hours of important work with the Detroit community, and Planning Team members bear the brunt of these great actions.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Volunteer Coordinator (for School Programs Team, After-School Programs Team, and Adult and Young Adult Programs Team)

The Volunteer Coordinator (VC) is the vital link between The DP and the Detroit community. The VC is partnered with one or more community organizations or schools in Northwest and Southwest Detroit. A VC works closely with one community organization, communicating regularly and building strong relationships with the organization. VCs set up all weekly and one-time programs through these organizations and ensure that the programs run smoothly by taking care of all planning and logistics involved. It is the VC’s role not only to lead the volunteers, but to educate them by providing information and reflecting on their group’s experiences volunteering in Detroit. VCs also coordinate a project for DP Day through a partner organization, often at the site where they lead their weekly program. Finally, VCs work closely as a group to promote collaboration among the organizations and to plan joint programs.

Internal Team

This team serves to improve the overall awareness and education of DP members. They promote responsible community engagement, which includes (but is not restricted to): social justice dialogues, reflection, and education. The Internal Team will plan educational events for the Planning Team both on-campus and in Detroit. These educational events will include (but are not limited to) discussing historical and current events in Detroit and working to raise awareness of the impact of identities on community dynamics. They are also responsible for bringing a greater level of understanding to volunteers through educational orientations throughout the year and on DP Day. This team is also responsible for coordinating social events for the Planning Team as well as fostering weekly volunteer engagement with the Planning Team.

Marketing Team

This team will work to run on-campus marketing for weekly program teams, education events, and DP Day. In the fall, this will include campaigns for recruiting volunteers to the weekly programs at the beginning of the semester and recruiting volunteers to the Planning Team at the end of the semester.During winter term, they will work to promote Detroit Partnership Day both on campus and on social media and/or our website.Other marketing campaigns will include spreading the word on campus about education events (past examples include Detroit Soup, gentrification discussion panel, and a pipeline to prison discussion panel), publishing the Education Team’s weekly articles, and helping to develop content related to issues the Ed Team wants to focus on like blog posts and website blurbs. This team is also responsible for the upkeep of the Detroit Partnership’s website as well as publishing the monthly newsletter.

Finance Team

This team is in charge of any tasks that relate to DP requests for funding that exist at the University of Michigan, including student government funding (CSG, LSA-SG, RSB, etc) as well as other University grants and funding opportunities such as Hall Council support. S/he is responsible for obtaining application forms, turning them in complete and on time, and following up in any way that is needed.This team is also responsible for building relationships with past corporate clients as well as developing new contacts. Responsibilities include setting up meetings with possible donors, researching grants, completing grant applications, and following up in any way that is needed.

Major Events Team

This team is responsible for working on The Detroit Partnership’s largest events: One Stop Shop and Detroit Partnership Day. This includes everything from organizing volunteers and site leaders to taking inventory of supplies to planning logistics. In addition, this individual will be responsible for coordinating with community partners and volunteers on one-time programs throughout the year. These events will emphasize reflection and engagement with Detroit. All members of the Major Events Team are responsible for ensuring that all of these events are just a beginning in volunteers’ relationships with the city of Detroit.

Outreach Team

This team serves to improve the DP’s relationships with other organizations on and off campus and serves as the primary liaison between the DP and other organizations. This team shall be responsible for building, maintaining, and organizing the DP’s relationship with other organizations. This team shall also be responsible for organizing events in collaboration with other groups, including (but not limited to): the Detroit SOUP, Detroit Week, and the Detroiters Speak series. This team will be in contact with Ginsberg, IGR, and other similar organizations in order to plan and facilitate workshops for Planning Team members. This team will be responsible for collaborating with the Marketing Team for the production of the monthly newsletter.


DP Planning Team Application

Academic Year 2017-2018

Instructions: Please fill out the following preferences and answer the following questions. Applications should be saved with a Word document name in the format of YourFirstAndLastName.PTApplication.doc. Please submit in electronic form to no later than Wednesday, April 5th at 5:00pm.

Name: ______E-mail: ______

Year and major: ______Phone: ______

Which areas of the planning team are you interested in? Refer to the above description of all the positions (Rank at least 3 in order of preference). For additional roles: mark the role with a ✓.

___Volunteer Coordinator, Weekly

___Internal Team

___Marketing Team

___Finance Team

___Major Events Team

___Outreach Team

Please answer the following questions in one paragraph each:

  1. Why are you interested in being a Detroit Partnership Planning Team member?
  1. Please attach your most recent resume. In the description of each role, make sure you explain your responsibilities and what you did and learned as a leader (bullet points are fine).
  1. List your past experiences with The DP.
  1. List your relevant experiences in the city of Detroit.
  1. What skills and abilities will you bring to the specific role(s) in which you are interested?
  1. What do you see as the goal of The Detroit Partnership?
  1. The Detroit Partnership mission states, “We, The Detroit Partnership, seek to unite the University of Michigan and Detroit by working alongside community partners in the city. As a student-run, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we strive to raise awareness, challenge stereotypes, and promote social justice through our service-learning programs and educational events. Explain the importance of service learning and social justice in our organization. You may also define these terms as it applies to your desired position.
  1. Describe a volunteer experience with The DP or another organization that personally affected you.
  1. Work with the DP frequently brings together people of multiple different social identities (e.g. race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability status, socioeconomic status, language, age, national origin, etc.). Describe a situation where you were involved in a conflict, disagreement or misunderstanding that concerned a difference in social identities. Describe what you did (or did not do) to resolve the conflict and what you learned from the situation.
  1. Please list your time commitments for the 2017-2018 school year including hours per week for each activity. In addition, please keep in mind weekly attendance at Planning Team meetings on Wednesday evenings (8:30-10:00pm) is a critical part of demonstrating your commitment to the DP.

Thank you for your interest in The Detroit Partnership!

If you have any questions about the application or The Detroit Partnership in general please contact Amol Carvalho at . After submitting your application you will be contacted to determine an interview time. They will take place shortly after the deadline. Thanks for applying!

Good Luck!