Community Partnerships & Referral Lead

Community Partnerships & Referral Lead Groves Learning Organization | St. Louis Park, MN Full-Time | 12 Months | Exempt | $58,000–$78,000 Are you the person who knows a person? You love making connections. You remember the conversation. You make the introduction. You follow up when you said you would. And somewhere along the way, you’ve built a network of people who trust you.

We’d like to put that superpower to work. Groves Learning Organization is looking for a Community Partnerships & Referral Lead to help more families, educators, schools, and community organizations discover what Groves has to offer. This isn’t a sit-behind-a-desk-and-wait-for-the-phone-to-ring kind of role. You’ll be out in the community building relationships with educators, healthcare providers, school leaders, nonprofits, professional associations, and other people who work with children and families.

Some of those relationships will lead to referrals. Some will grow into partnerships. Some may open doors we haven’t even thought about yet. Your job is to help make those connections happen — and then make sure something happens because of them. What will you actually do? Build a network that matters. You’ll develop and strengthen relationships with the professionals and organizations most likely to connect families, schools, and communities with Groves.

Tell the Groves story. You’ll help people understand who we are, what we do, and where our expertise might be useful — whether that means supporting an individual learner or partnering with an entire school or district. Turn introductions into action. A great meeting is nice. A great meeting that turns into a referral, partnership, or meaningful next step is better.

You’ll keep relationships moving, coordinate follow-up, and make sure opportunities don’t disappear into the land of “we should definitely reconnect sometime.” Get out from behind the screen. Expect partner visits, presentations, networking events, community conversations, and plenty of opportunities to meet interesting people doing important work.

Listen for what communities need. Sometimes the barrier isn’t interest — it’s access. You’ll help us understand what families, schools, and communities are experiencing and bring those insights back to colleagues who can explore grants, donor support, partnerships, and other possibilities. Help us get smarter. You’ll keep good records, use our CRM, track referrals and relationships, and help us understand what’s working, what isn’t, and where we should spend our energy next.

You might love this job if… You’re a natural relationship builder — but you also know relationships need follow-through. You’re curious. You ask good questions. You listen before you pitch. You’re comfortable walking into a room where you don’t know anyone and leaving with three people you genuinely want to talk to again.

You can explain something complicated in a way that makes sense. You’re organized enough to manage a lot of relationships, conversations, commitments, and next steps without losing the plot. You see possibilities and are willing to say, “What if we tried…?” You’re equally comfortable talking with a parent, educator, physician, nonprofit leader, school administrator, donor, or community partner.

And you want your work to mean something. What experience are we looking for? We care more about what you can bring to the role than checking every box. A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience is preferred, along with roughly three or more years of experience in areas such as: Community, school, or professional partnerships Referral development or relationship management Outreach or business development Education, healthcare, family services, or nonprofit engagement Advancement or constituent engagement Experience managing professional relationships, using a CRM, or presenting to groups is a plus.

Familiarity with schools, educational services, learning differences, or professional referral networks is even better. This role also includes local travel for partner visits and community engagement, plus occasional evening or weekend events. Why Groves? Groves Learning Organization exists to empower every learner to discover their brilliance.

We support students and families through specialized education, diagnostic services, tutoring, and other learning supports — while also partnering with schools and educators to expand access to evidence-based literacy instruction. And we believe there are more learners, families, and communities who could benefit from what Groves knows.

That’s where you come in. You’ll join an Advancement team working across philanthropy, partnerships, events, community engagement, and relationship-building to expand the reach and impact of Groves. Our values are Authenticity, Collaboration, Compassion, Discovery, and Tenacity. Translation? Be real. Work together. Care about people.

Stay curious. And don’t give up easily. Sound like you? Good. We’d love to hear how you’ve built relationships, opened doors, connected people with resources, or turned a conversation into something meaningful. Bring your network-building brain, your curiosity, your follow-through, and your ideas. We’ll bring the mission.