Employment Partnership Criteria
Partnership Expectations
Back on My Feet is a non-profit organization that combats homelessness through the power of running, community support, and essential employment and housing resources. Our program operates in 13 cities across the country. In addition to our community building efforts, our team focuses heavily on Workforce Development with program participants. We seek companies who are equally enthusiastic about our mission of empowering individuals on their path towards self-sufficiency. Our employment partners are critical allies in supporting our members on their path to starting successful and sustainable careers. Therefore, we have created this document to outline the criteria we aim to expect from our partners. Members and Alumni who would be referred to your company, have demonstrated consistent commitment to the components of our program. This includes 90% or more maintained attendance at morning runs, individual and group engagement with our Workforce Development workshops and individualized upskilling and coaching from our dedicated staff and volunteers. Our teams in each city are charged with finding supportive and engaged employment partners who align with our vision. Our best partners operate alongside us towards implementing a mutually beneficial relationship that ultimately helps empower individuals.
We believe in the inherent potential of our members and alumni. As such, we are interested in working with partners from all different types of industries to match the wide variety of work history, experience and skills that our members and alumni have. We prefer that our employment partners can offer both full and/or part time job opportunities. Additionally, we love to refer our candidates to jobs that offer professional development, career trajectories and/or growth opportunities.
In preparation for employment, our team provides one on one support and workforce coaching to our members and alumni to help prepare them for the interviewing and hiring process. We also write letters of recommendation for each candidate upon referral. After each interview, we expect our partners to complete a short post-interview feedback form. This form helps us provide support, development and feedback to our members and alumni about their interviewing strengths and areas for improvement.
Before partnering with us, it’s important to provide hiring requirements that exist at your company so we can identify members and alumni whose experiences match those requirements. This can include, but is not limited to, any guidelines around criminal history, specialized education and/or training requirements necessary for the job opportunity. You will be asked to provide this information in the partner survey.
We expect that our employment partners provide job opportunities that offer livable wages aligned with the geography of the job. While we understand that each job opportunity will vary in the skills and experiences required, providing livable wages for our members and alumni is something that we believe is essential in supporting individuals on a path towards achieving self-sufficiency. In addition to offering a livable wage, we prefer to partner with companies that can also offer benefits packages, including access to things such as health care and financial savings opportunities.
Maintaining consistent lines of communication with our partners is crucial to the success of our relationship. While we are always available for contact, below are the standard touchpoints partners can expect from Back on My Feet:
- Annually:
- Review and acknowledge understanding of Partnership Criteria
- Update Employment Partner Survey responses
- Designate the appropriate point of contact for hiring and direct referrals
- Annually:
- Bi-Annually (or as-needed):
- Standing partnership meeting to check-in about upcoming opportunities, status of hiring and/or any adjustments
- Post-Interview:
- Complete a post-interview form designed to provide feedback that Back on My Feet staff can share with members and alumni
- Bi-Annually (or as-needed):
Beyond Hiring
Keeping open communication with our employment partners helps ensure the success of our members and alumni. All alumni are welcome at all Back on My Feet workshops and events after graduating. Our team is here as a resource for support through their career.
As an Employment Partner, you will have access to ongoing organization-wide updates, invitations to our ongoing races, events and any upcoming social gatherings. There may also be sponsorship opportunities available for your company. If this is something you would be interested in, please discuss your interest with your local point of contact. We love to have our partners regularly engaged with Back on My Feet and look forward to a strong partnership!
