Empower Single Mothers Today: Join our Board of Directors

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urban university (uu), is looking for smart and thoughtful action oriented individuals with great ideas, contacts and time, to join our Board of Directors and expand our work to champion the cause for single parents.

Our Mission

Established in 1998, during the midst of America's welfare reform, urban university (uu), is an award winning nonprofit organization with the mission ito improve the socio-economic status of impoverished individuals by providing employability training, coaching and employment opportunities. Over the past 19 years, uu has delivered training, coaching and support to more than 1,700 low-income individuals striving for socio-economic success.

Our Story

uu started its community service in San Francisco, as an important component of the award winning welfare to work program, Legal Employment Action Program (LEAP), a workforce development initiative created by the Bar Association of San Francisco. As a collaborative partner, uu delivered front-line soft skills training, work readiness and individualized coaching to more than 125 single mothers departing from public assistance. This partnership informed uu's model of programming and helped us create niche services: working front-line and one on one with marginalized individuals, preparing them for workplace success by delivering employability training, one on one coaching and supportive services.

Shortly thereafter, uu became the employability development "provider of choice," for regional and local workforce development initiatives and helped to prepare more than 1,700 low-income individuals for gainful employment to include partnerships with the SFWorks OnRamp Biotechnology initiative, Jewish Vocational Service Healthcare initiatives (and Leap), Growth Sector/Pacific Gas and Electric's Veterans Employment Action Programs, the Oakland Green Jobs Corps and the City of Oakland Clean Energy Training Programs. All of our work has been delivered in collaboration with nonprofit organizations, community colleges, and intermediary organizations - in order to bring the best resources to the table, to bridge individuals with barriers to employment, for economic self-sufficiency.

Today

Today, urban university is performing our most critical work - creating jobs. Currently located in Oakland, we operate urban furniture & urban boutique, an award winning resale furniture & clothing store, located in the Grand/Lakeshore Business District. Through the sales of reuse furniture, clothing and housewares, our enterprise is used as a platform to deliver Single Moms at Work, our transitional employment program for single mothers departing from public assistance. Celebrating more than seven years of creating jobs and providing customer service and retail training for single parents transitioning from public assistance, our store has grown to be an important local cause in the Grand Ave/Lakeshore community. Join us as we expand our vision, mission and business model to deliver innovative and holistic programs and services to single mothers. Additionally, we currently operate a small housing unit for a single father and his children. While our organization is small, we are mighty in our outcomes for the community and we're just beginning.

Championing the Cause

Single mothers are one of the most impoverished family units in Oakland. We are seeking thinkers and doers that will bring business acumen to the table to include finance, marketing and fund-raising experience. We are specifically looking for a treasurer that will collaborate with our operations and board leadership team to establish a sustainable financial plan to support our new strategic plan for business and program development and growth.

Our board is a good mix of nonprofit and business leaders that meet monthly for 2.5 hours on the 3rd Tuesday of every month. We are in the midst of a key pivot in our business model, with a recent downsize of our large space into a sustainable model that will primarily focus on mission growth, operating within a 3 year strategic plan. Your time would include working on strategic goals that are aligned with our plan, participating in committee work within key areas (fundraising, volunteer, program and business development) and participating in enterprise events as needed. We have our work cut out for us, we are looking for people that are bold, take action, and can pull in resources.

Join us in championing the cause to educate, employ and empower single mothers striving to improve their lives.

Sincerely, Tracey Weaver (founder) and team uu