Application Guide
How to Apply for Partnerships Manager, Party At The Polls
at Civic Nation
🏢 About Civic Nation
Civic Nation is a nonpartisan impact hub that strengthens civic culture, power, and participation. Its initiative, When We All Vote, is a national movement to change the culture around voting and close the race and age voting gaps. Working here means joining a mission-driven team that directly impacts voter turnout and civic engagement.
About This Role
As Partnerships Manager for Party At The Polls, you will build and manage a coalition of national organizations to make voting a celebratory experience. Your work directly increases voter participation by activating partners to host events and engage their audiences, making a tangible difference in election turnout.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with a check-in with the Managing Director to review partner pipeline, followed by drafting outreach emails to potential new partners. Midday, you could join a cross-functional meeting with organizing and comms to align on an upcoming activation, then spend the afternoon preparing agendas for a coalition call and following up with existing partners on their event plans.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Civic Nation Is Looking For
- Has 3+ years in partnerships or coalition management, ideally with experience managing relationships with national organizations like nonprofits, corporations, or advocacy groups.
- Excels at outreach and cultivation, with a track record of converting prospective partners into active collaborators through tailored value propositions.
- Is highly organized and detail-oriented, able to coordinate multiple partner calls, convenings, and follow-ups with clear agendas and materials.
- Thrives in cross-functional environments, comfortable working with organizing, communications, and operations teams to ensure partner activations align with program strategy.
📝 Tips for Applying to Civic Nation
Highlight any experience with nonpartisan, civic engagement, or voter mobilization work, even if tangential, to show alignment with When We All Vote's mission.
In your resume and cover letter, quantify partnership results (e.g., 'grew coalition by 20%' or 'secured 5 new national partners') to demonstrate impact.
Research Party At The Polls specifically—mention its focus on making voting fun and how you'd bring that energy to partner outreach.
Show you understand the importance of nonpartisanship; avoid partisan language or examples that could signal bias.
If you have experience with MOU development or joint work plans, provide a specific example of how you structured a partnership agreement.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Your passion for increasing voter participation and changing the culture around voting, especially among young people and communities of color.', "Specific examples of how you've cultivated and managed partnerships with national organizations, including any challenges overcome.", 'Your ability to work cross-functionally and coordinate complex coalition activities, with an example of a successful convening or campaign.', "Why you're excited about Party At The Polls' unique approach of combining celebration with civic action."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Review When We All Vote's website and Party At The Polls materials to understand their current partners and activations.
- → Look at Civic Nation's other initiatives (e.g., It's On Us, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge) to see broader organizational culture.
- → Check recent news or press releases about Party At The Polls to see their latest campaigns and partner wins.
- → Understand the target voter universe (young voters, voters of color) and how partners help reach them.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't focus on partisan politics or express strong political opinions; this is a nonpartisan role.
- Avoid being vague about partnership experience—provide concrete examples with named organizations or types.
- Don't overlook the 'culture change' aspect; this role isn't just about logistics but also about making voting fun and celebratory.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!