Address cover letter to Dr. Thuy Vo Dang (Viet Book Fest) or Yvonne Tran (Marketing)
Submit application by Wednesday, June 3, via VAALA Google Form
The Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) was founded in 1991 by a group of Vietnamese American journalists, artists and friends to fill a void and provide a space for artists’ to express themselves as a newly resettled immigrant community. The original mission of VAALA was to support Southeast artists, with an emphasis on Vietnamese literature and visual arts. Today, the mission of VAALA is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture. Over the years, VAALA has collaborated with diverse community partners to organize numerous cultural events, including art exhibitions, book signings, music recitals, plays, and annual events such as the Viet Film Fest and the Children’s Moon Festival Art. VAALA produces community programming in Orange County through three core programs (Viet Film Fest, Gallery Beyond Walls, Youth Arts + Leadership), VAALA is guided by the following
The VAALA Public Fellow will have the opportunity to work on one of two projects:
Viet Book Fest Intern
During summer 2020, the HOT Fellow will work alongside the VAALA Board of Directors and program coordinator to plan Viet Book Fest, which will consist of a series of Story-Time Videos of Vietnamese books and live-streamed author panels, focused on the theme of identity, family and community. VAALA’s inaugural Viet Book Fest seeks to spotlight Vietnamese voices and stories in literature. We seek to partner with academic institutions and libraries to create a virtual platform for hosting a series of events, including video story-time, audience engagement activities related to a selection of books, virtual author panels, and more in order to promote literacy and help VAALA reach a wider, untapped audience.
Skills Preferred (and to be developed)
- Strong communication
- Project management
- Research and writing
- Familiarity with Zoom, YouTube, and other conferencing and streaming platforms
- Familiarity with social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
- Innovative and able to work independently
Activities/Responsibilities/Contributions to VAALA
- Work with VAALA Board to design the framework for this inaugural event (this may be the first in a series of Viet Book Fests)
- Recommend the best technology platforms for recording Story-Time and streaming author panels
- Coordinate with authors and other participants
- Assist with curation of books
- Liaise with potential partners (academic institutions and libraries)
- Draft marketing materials
- Work with VAALA Board on best approaches to expand outreach/community engagement for the event
- Play key role in helping VAALA implement its first all-virtual event to connect communities
Fundraising and Marketing Intern
VAALA is seeking an enthusiastic H.O.T. Fellow who is passionate about the arts and fundraising. During the Summer of 2020, the fellow will work with VAALA’s Board of Directors and Executive Director to learn about nonprofit marketing/fundraising and develop the fundraising tools VAALA can use to gain more donors. The fellow will meet at least once a week, virtually, with their VAALA supervisor (“instructor”) to learn about a designated topic in fundraising. The instructor will share their funding experiences and resources, as well as the task for the week, where the fellow will get to practice and implement what is learned. In this experiential learning process, the fellow will end up building a portfolio of fundraising and marketing deliverables that can be shared with future employers or board memberships. By the end of the program, the Fellow will have developed the following skills:
- Knowledge of nonprofit funding and different fundraising sources (especially for the arts and immigrant communities)
- Using data and storytelling for strategic communication
- Creation of communication pitches and collateral for donors
- Ability to create and manage donor databases
Desired Qualifications
- Strong reading and writing abilities (especially with creative and persuasive writing)
- Familiarity with data storytelling and database structures
- Familiarity with using digital tools, cloud-based software and social media platforms
- Able to work independently