Author: WalkBoston

Walnut Street is transformed for a day in Springfield

Walnut Street is transformed for a day in Springfield

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WalkBoston participated in Springfield’s second Complete Streets Demonstration Day on Saturday, May 11 held in Barrows Park along Walnut Street. Hosted by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, WalkBoston and our partners (WalkBike Springfield and Wayfinders) provided visitors with information on the benefits of complete streets and walkable communities. MassBike provided free bike tune-ups and ValleyBike Share provided opportunities to test out the electric-assist ValleyBikes.

PVPC staff and volunteers were out early on Saturday morning taping down bike lanes, painting crosswalks, and using plants and cones to designate curb bump-outs – all strategies to calm vehicular traffic and make a complete street. They painted a crosswalk at the intersection of Walnut and Oak Street to provide a protected crossing for residents of the nearby senior housing complex to reach Barrows Park. Organizers hope that the demonstrated positive impacts of redesigning Walnut Street as a complete street will encourage the City to prioritize this corridor for needed safety improvements.

Walking in Beachmont

Walking in Beachmont

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The Beachmont Improvement Commitee, City of Revere staff, and WalkBoston conducted the first of several walk audits in the Beachmont neighborhood. The walk audits are part of the Streets for Healthy and Connected Lives program funded by the Cummings Foundation. Participants walked along Winthrop Avenue and Crescent Avenue looking at ways to make walking safer and easier for residents and children walking home from school through Cummings Square. We picked the best weather day of the week, which is hard to do during this rainy Spring!

University Avenue: Where UMass Lowell and the Acre meet

University Avenue: Where UMass Lowell and the Acre meet

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WalkBoston participated in a MassDOT road safety audit on University Avenue in Lowell where city staff, MassDOT engineers, UMassLowell representative, Lowell police officers and others looked for ways to improve road safety along this main campus thoroughfare. The Pawtucket Street/University Avenue intersection is at the edge of Lowell’s Acre neighborhood. WalkBoston has been working in The Acre with a group of residents and the Coalition for a Better Acre as part of the Streets for People program funded by the Cummings Foundation.

The RSA was well attended, and solutions were proposed to decrease wait times for pedestrians at traffic signals, clarify travel lanes, and reduce the occurrence of “double threat” conditions — where one car waits for a pedestrian, while a second car in an adjacent travel lane continues without seeing the person crossing. We look forward to seeing these changes implemented to improve the safety of UMass Lowell students and Acre residents alike.

Lowell residents met with Councilor Nuon to talk pedestrian safety

Lowell residents met with Councilor Nuon to talk pedestrian safety

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Lowell residents participating in our Streets for People advocacy sessions met with Lowell City Councilor Vesna Nuon on Monday night at Coalition for a Better Acre to voice their concerns and propose intersection improvements in the Acre Neighborhood. The residents focused on the intersection of Salem/Cabot/Market streets where children cross to reach their school bus stop and fast-moving traffic disregards stop signs. Councilor Nuon, impressed with the residents’ presentations, said he would walk the site with the City’s traffic engineer and schedule another meeting with the residents to discuss next steps to making needed changes at this intersection. WalkBoston’s Streets for People advocacy sessions are funded by the Cummings Foundation.

WalkBoston Is Hiring!

WalkBoston Is Hiring!

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WalkBoston is looking for a Development Manager to become a core member of our team. Please submit your resume and a cover letter to jobs@walkboston.org by March 15, 2018. Details below:

Development Manager for WalkBoston

WalkBoston, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) advocacy organization, makes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and more vibrant communities. We know that walking improves personal, economic, environmental and civic health. Working on walking takes us across Massachusetts to empower people with knowledge and proven strategies to make their own communities more walkable.

The Development Manager will implement a  fundraising strategy for WalkBoston with the help of Board members and staff.  Reporting to the Executive Director, the Development Manager will build on and reinforce individual and corporate fundraising programs.

Responsibilities:

  • Implement annual development plan to reach and increase number and dollar amount of individual and corporate donors. Establish fundraising goals and develop metrics to track progress.
  • Manage prospect research process
  • Manage and maintain the Salesforce development database. Take the lead on ensuring quality control, consistent data entry procedures, and optimizing database functionality.
  • Provide administrative and operational support to Executive Director and Board members for ongoing relationships and solicitation strategies
  • Support grant writing efforts
  • Provide strategic and technical support to Board Development Committee
  • Collaborate closely with Communications Director and Accountant

Qualifications:

  • College degree with at least five years of professional development experience, preferably at a nonprofit organization.
  • Advanced working knowledge of Salesforce or similar fundraising database
  • Superior communication skills. Ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively in diverse settings to articulate the impacts of WalkBoston’s work and the benefits of walkable communities.
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively with WalkBoston staff, board of directors, donors, and volunteers
  • Self starter, entrepreneurial, flexible, and well organized
  • Commitment to WalkBoston’s mission to create more walkable communities across the state.

Benefits:

  • Compensation based upon prior work experience
  • Flexible schedule (2.5 days/week or 3-4 short days).

This is a part-time position (20-25 hours/week). Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by sending a resume and cover letter with salary expectations (no phone calls please). WalkBoston is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Wendy Landman, Executive Director

jobs@walkboston.org