Request for Proposals: Energy Program Outreach Manager

  • Location: Washington, DC metro area, while we do not have an in-person office requirement, your role requires many in-person, on-site meetings.

  • Start date: January/February 2026

  • Term: 6 months, with opportunity to renew

  • Compensation: $50/hour

  • Hours: 10 hours/week 

  • Other compensation: Reasonable local travel expenses will be reimbursed

 
Apply Here
 

The Community Purchasing Alliance Co-op (CPA) is a social-purpose cooperative that leverages the buying power of community institutions to help lower operating costs, while also making investments in sustainability, worker equity, and community organizing. There are two ways to participate in the co-op (participants and members). Every organization begins as a participant but we hope that all participants become members as they see the value of the co-op.

We are seeking your support to grow our self-sustaining, multi-racial, multi-class, multi-faith, democratically-owned purchasing cooperative in Washington, DC. You will work with community institutions like schools, houses of worship, non-profits, housing co-ops, and more to solve procurement challenges. Through cooperative purchasing, our work supports the resiliency of community institutions, transitions their facilities to climate sustainability, and leverages collective spending power to bring wealth to local communities.

Deliverables

Each Spring, CPA runs several large group purchases. Our largest group purchase and often the easiest on-ramp to the co-op is our electricity purchase. You are responsible for recruiting new participants into our electricity purchase through emails, calls, and in-person relational meetings with people interested in working with the co-op. You stay coordinated with internal staff and identify points to hand off new leads and relationships for program participation or further engagement.

  • Connect with 2-3 organizations weekly to introduce them to CPA’s energy program. You’re responsible for developing lead lists that grow each week. We are not bean counters—we understand that some weeks will generate more and some weeks will generate less. The point is to conduct outreach that will establish relationships that bear fruit in many different ways. Once an organization expresses interest, you’ll add their information into our CRM. 

  • Collect 15-20 electricity bills with signed letters of authorizations. Securing an electricity bill and signed letter of authorization is the first step to participating in CPA’s group electricity purchase. The bill and authorization are not a commitment to purchase; however, they allow the organization to receive pricing with the group. After receiving pricing, each participant makes its own decision about whether to purchase. 

  • Shepherd 5-10 organizations through the purchasing campaign to a decision-point. Coordinate closely with internal staff to ensure participants have a clear sense of the timeline, review the pricing materials, and have brought the right decision makers on board so that they are ready to make a decision and sign a contract.

  • Collect 15-20 natural gas bills with signed letters of authorizations. In May and June, after the electricity purchase, secure natural gas bills and signed letters of authorization from potential participants. 

Target Market Segments

CPA has deep relationships in Washington, DC with houses of worship and public charter schools. However, CPA is seeking to expand its program participation to other mission-aligned community institutions in Washington DC and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland. We are looking for someone who has existing and deep relationships with facilities and finance decision-makers in one of the following target market segments:

  • Independent schools

  • Small universities

  • Hospitals and health clinics

  • Theatres / Arts organizations

  • Independent museums

  • Embassies

  • Social service nonprofits (e.g. food banks, shelters, etc.)

  • Mosques

Don’t see a market segment with which you have deep relationships? Tell us why CPA should prioritize it. 

Please note the expectation is that you would provide engagement support with only one of these market segments.

Must Haves

  • Relationship-building: Part of your job is connecting with people from many different backgrounds. You find (and even create) opportunities to deepen connections and build authentic, mutual relationships with members, participants, vendors, and colleagues  across lines of difference, such as race or other identities. 

  • Persistence: You will need to build new relationships with busy people. You’ll be rejected multiple times but will need to continue trying. 

  • Existing relationships: You have existing relationships with finance and facilities decision-makers at one of the target market segments listed above.

 
Apply Here