Volunteer Coordinator

1. Hours: 40 hours/week, occasional weekends, holidays and evenings
2. Salary: $24.00 to $25.00/hour (based on experience)
3. Benefits: Health benefits; 16 days of vacation, 8.7 days of sick leave, and 9 paid holidays per year
4. Reports to: Director of Operations
5. Area of Focus: Volunteer coordination, Community education and community building, Sustainable farming, Homelessness, Social Enterprise
6. Applications: Email resume, cover letter and contact information for three references to Brian Sweeney, Director of Operations, at brians@homelessgardenproject.org or mail to P.O. Box 617, Santa Cruz, CA 95061. Resume review begins immediately.

Overview of the Homeless Garden Project:

The Homeless Garden Project (HGP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 1990 and based in Santa Cruz, California, that provides job training, transitional employment and support services to individuals experiencing homelessness. Our programs take place on our 3.5-acre organic farm and related social enterprises. Integrated with the employment programs, HGP operates a thriving community education and volunteer program serving nearly 3,000 people each year.

In 2019, nearly 3,000 volunteers participated in our programs. In addition to its educational purpose, this program functions to break down social barriers and build community bridges, reducing stereotypes of people who are experiencing homelessness, and creating a positive social support network.

HGP is a Certified Service Enterprise, an organization that leverages volunteers and their skills to successfully deliver on its social mission. These high-performing organizations have deeply integrated volunteers into their strategic plan and organizational infrastructure, thereby allowing them to reduce costs, and increase efficiency and effectiveness in providing services to fulfill their mission. Our volunteers also reap the personal, social and professional benefits of service and are part of our mission, building a stronger, more connected community.

Position Description:

We seek an enthusiastic, outgoing, resourceful and organized person skilled in volunteer management, outreach, and building partnerships. The ideal candidate will also have an interest in agriculture and social enterprises and a sincere commitment to ending homelessness. The Volunteer Coordinator will work to create a thriving community of enthusiastic and engaged volunteers working in partnership with HGP to achieve our mission.

Under the supervision of the Director of Operations, the Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for managing the volunteer and community education programs, engaging nearly 1,500 volunteers annually.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the volunteer programming at HGP’s farm, retail store, administrative office, and special events.
• Recruit volunteers through various channels including email communications, online postings, community gatherings and other speaking opportunities, local media, and outreach to local organizations.
• Build strong relationships with community partners to leverage volunteer recruitment and engagement opportunities.
• Implement best volunteer management practices that ensure the effective engagement of volunteers and community partners
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all volunteers.
• Provide volunteer supervision on-site at HGP’s farm, store, and office, as needed.
• Manage efforts to track and improve volunteer satisfaction and retention.
• Maintain volunteer databases, tracking volunteer contact information, hours worked, waiver completion, and areas of interest.
• Coordinate relationships between HGP staff and volunteers, including identifying staff needs for volunteers. In collaboration with staff, create and distribute job descriptions for needed volunteer positions in response to staff needs.
• Support social media, web and mass email initiatives.
• Tell the story of our volunteer program and volunteers, respond to volunteer feedback; measure our success against program goals and objectives.
• Provide tours and orientations to community members about HGP’s mission and goals, activities and volunteer opportunities.
• Manage HGP’s internship program, including for UC Santa Cruz undergraduates, and other regional and local universities.
• Lead the planning and implementation of large annual work days at the farm for 100+ volunteers, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Cesar Chavez Day.
• Manage the recruitment and training of ~50-100 volunteers to staff HGP’s annual holiday store from Thanksgiving to Christmas each year.
• Manage volunteer recognition activities, including bi-annual events.
• Develop new initiatives to enhance our community educational and service enterprise impacts
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills with diverse audiences through in-person, in writing, by phone, and via social media channels.
• Strong computing skills in database, spreadsheet, word processing, cloud-based applications, social media, online research and/or communication tools.
• Excellent organization and administration skills and experience with systems for maintaining personal and team focus and priorities.
• Enthusiastic and positive attitude toward helping others.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, take initiative, and be resourceful within a collaborative group culture.
• Multicultural experience and/or competency.
• Flexibility and a sense of humor.
• Requires ability to occasionally work early morning hours, evening hours and weekends

The ideal candidate will also have the following preferred qualifications:

• At least one year of nonprofit volunteer management or community organizing experience.
• Demonstrated success in developing community partnerships and relationships.
• Existing strong connections and relationships in the Santa Cruz community.
• Experience in event planning.
• Experience working in agricultural and/or retail settings.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to cultivating a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is essential to achieving our mission. HGP does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, or parental status. We strongly encourage people of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, classes, and religious identities to apply.