Committee Chair

To apply: Send resume to [email protected] along with a cover letter that answers the following questions:

1.      What do you hope to gain from this leadership position?

2.      How can you help IECC grow its leadership capacity?

3.      What is your connection to non-profits and/or European culture?

Help us expand our leadership team by becoming a Committee Chair with the Iowa European Cultural Connection!

Mission: To connect Iowans with European traditions, language education and cultural experiences. Our signature event is Christkindlmarket Des Moines (CDM).

Brief history: As a member of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute’s 2013 Community Leadership Program, a team worked to present a project to the class that would help Des Moines grow culturally and artistically: a Christkindlmarket.

In August 2014, founding members began working with interns at the Neal & Bea Smith Legal Clinic at Drake University to write by-laws for Des Moines European Heritage Association (DMEHA). DMEHA received its tax-exempt status in January 2015. In September that year, they received approval from the City of Des Moines to produce Christkindlmarket Des Moines in 2016. In April 2021, DMEHA board members voted to rename the organization, “Iowa European Cultural Connection” to better reflect its geographic reach and renewed focus on connecting individuals and organizations with an interest in European culture.

IECC includes the following standing committees: Programming, Language Education, Community Engagement, Development, Volunteer and Christkindlmarket Des Moines

Christkindlmarket Des Moines (CDM): Inspired by a European tradition, CDM provides an outdoor venue for vendors to sell European handcrafted wares, foods and beverages from traditional wooden huts. Attendees learn about European culture through children’s activities, demonstrations & live entertainment. Since it began in 2016, CDM has grown to become the second largest festival of its kind in the US (based on average daily attendance). The popular outdoor event takes place at Principal Park.

Here’s your chance to take IECC to the next level with your leadership and community building skills.

The following outlines each committee's roles and responsibilities:

Development Committee

Description: To identify, secure and sustain contributed income or in-kind products and services.

Responsibilities:

1.      Develop sponsorships for IECC

2.      Draft sponsorship offering for board approval

3.      Solicit funding from corporate, individual donors, etc.

4.      Identify and apply for appropriate grants

5.      Mange relationships with key financial stakeholders

6.      Work with committees to assign value to in-kind donations for sponsorship recognition

7.      Create, promote and facilitate individual and association memberships

Time commitment = 10 hours/month

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Programming Committee

Description: Create and execute mission-driven programming and fundraisers

Responsibilities:

1.      Create slate of annual programs for board approval

2.      Budgeting, planning, marketing, staffing programs with Executive Director support

3.      Partnering with community engagement for staff resources

Time commitment = 1-15 hours/month

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Language School (Samstagsschule and adult language program)

Description: Connect Iowans of all ages to European language instruction.

Responsibilities:

·      Identify instructors

·      Organize location for instruction

·      Identify course materials

o  Source for instructor

o  Give instructor resources they need so students can purchase materials

·      Event marketing (Facebook event, share with cultural heritage organizations, language clubs)

·      Create Eventbrite ticketing portal

Time commitment = 10 hours

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Community Engagement

Description: Raise awareness of IECC and its mission through community activities that drive active engagement and participation.

Responsibilities:

·      Scheduling and staffing of community engagement activities

·      Edit and deliver board-approved presentation to community groups

·      Volunteer recruitment and retention (meet potential volunteers for coffee)

·      Volunteer Time Off (VTO) company recruitment

Time commitment = 10 hours/month

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Volunteer Committee

Description: Identify, recruit, train and retain volunteers for all IECC Programming.

Responsibilities:    

1.      Identify additional volunteer resources throughout the community

2.      Volunteer Retention

3.      Review IECC volunteerism at least annually if not regularly to identify volunteerism patterns and volunteer types

4.      Create formalized training video with introduction to IECC

5.      Partner with IECC committees to support formalized training for volunteer roles

6.      Partner with the IECC Programming Committee for Volunteer Appreciation Event(s)

7.      Partner with the IECC Programming Committee for Volunteer Social(s)

Time commitment = 1-3 hours/month