Congregational Life Coordinator
Position Description:
The mission of the Unitarian Universalist Church of East Aurora (UUEA) is to help its members to find their authentic selves, to put their values into action, and to support them as they and their families create their best lives. Our goal is to create a growing and vibrant community in East Aurora so that more people can benefit from our work. We are looking for an enthusiastic, people-focused person to bring new ideas, tools, and experience to grow our church and help integrate our visitors, friends, and members into the congregation.
The Congregational Life Coordinator plays a key role in welcoming, connecting, and retaining members and visitors at UUEA. This position focuses on membership development, newcomer integration, and volunteer engagement. The ideal candidate is highly personable, organized, self-directed, and passionate about community building, with an approach that prioritizes the needs, well-being, congregational health, and development of the church. We are interested in someone who values and appreciates different perspectives and diverse backgrounds.
This position assists the UUEA Board of Trustees in achieving its goals and supports lay leadership in all areas of membership growth and engagement. The Congregational Life Coordinator reports to the UUEA Board of Trustees but will be given latitude and autonomy to design and develop programs and initiatives to reach the stated goals, subject to Board approval. The Coordinator works independently to achieve the role’s stated goals with the support of the Board and lay leadership.
The scope of work for the Congregational Life Coordinator will include:
Membership, Growth and Engagement (approximately 50% effort) - Coordination and development of growth strategies, new member integration, and volunteer engagement
Marketing (approximately 30% effort) – Including public relations, social media, signage, event publicizing, calendar and basic website updates, managing email distribution lists
Outreach (approximately 20% effort) – Increasing UUEA’s visibility and participation in the surrounding community
Goals:
The primary goal of this position is to increase the UUEA membership and engagement of current members. This may include forming a membership committee to work with the congregation’s members, friends and visitors and to be a resource for the congregation. Tasks may also include greeting people before Sunday Services, designing welcoming activities, tracking visitors and attendance, helping newcomers find information and programs, overseeing new member integration, and fostering volunteer engagement. This position has a goal of increasing UUEA membership by 10-20% (approximately 5-10 new members) and increasing member engagement and retention (for example: participation in events and volunteer committees, etc) in the first year.
The secondary goal for this position is to increase UUEA’s visibility and participation in the surrounding community. This will include marketing, advertising, and communication tasks. In addition, this may include participation in East Aurora’s consortium of church leaders and involving UUEA in local events such as Movies in the Park, festivals, and other community events. A measurement of success for this goal might involve gathering data on where new visitors hear about UUEA and our events with a target of increasing this from our standard social media or targeted mailings by 25% in year one.
Compensation:
This position is part-time and has both a flexible work schedule as well as required hours for certain church events, including some evenings and weekends. During the church year, from September through June, it is expected the level of effort will be 80 hours per month (approximately 20 hours per week). Attendance on most Sundays from 10:00am to 12:30pm is required. This position will be an independent contractor and will pay $2400 to $3000 per month, depending on skill set and experience. No health insurance or paid time off is provided for a contractor.
Job Location:
This job has access to the church office with PC, printer, internet, and phone. Much of the administrative and marketing work can be done remotely (home internet required), if desired. Attendance at events at the church is required, as described above, as well as occasional events around the local East Aurora, NY and WNY south towns throughout the year.
Core Competencies:
Exceptional Interpersonal Skills – Warm, professional communicator who builds trust and connection across all levels of the congregation.
Event Execution Excellence – Skilled in planning and delivering seamless engagement events.
Proven Volunteer Leadership – Recruits, trains, and motivates volunteers for high-impact, mission-aligned service.
Data Accuracy & Insight – Maintains clean, actionable records and produces clear, strategic reports.
Collaborative Team Player – Works effectively with the board of trustees and lay leaders to support a unified congregational mission.
Precision & Follow-Through – Detail-oriented and reliable in managing systems, schedules, and communication.
Inclusive Community Builder – Creates spaces of belonging and welcomes diversity in all its forms.
Preferred Qualifications:
Respect for and familiarity with Unitarian Universalist principles, including a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, justice, and ethical leadership.
A willingness to learn about and support the mission and community life of the church.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including strengths in messaging across multiple platforms and diverse audiences
Experience in working with volunteers and the public at large and within the broader community
Ability to juggle multiple tasks and priorities with minimal supervision
Self-motivated and comfortable taking initiative while also supporting a team-oriented, volunteer-based culture
Able to identify issues, obstacles, and opportunities and then develop and propose effective solutions
Preferred Experience:
Experience in administrative, hospitality, or community engagement roles, ideally in nonprofit or congregational settings.
Experience with building effective social media platforms
To apply:
Email cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Reference letters will be required from candidates after initial interviews are conducted. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by Sunday, September 14, 2025 to be considered.