Veggies to Table

Veggies to Table seeks a part-time (2.5-3 days a week) Volunteer Manager to help coordinate and manage the many volunteers on the farm. Many of our volunteers are local and come to us weekly. We also welcome groups of local students, corporate groups, college interns, Wwoofers and Workawayers.

The Volunteer Manager is primarily responsible for managing volunteers on the farm, while ensuring that they are matched with tasks that best fit their abilities and interests. The Volunteer Manager will collaborate with the Executive Director, development team, and Farm Director to ensure the changing volunteer needs of all programs are met. Additionally, they will work closely with the Farm Director to make sure the weekly and daily goals of the farm and non-profit are met and oversee the overall volunteer experience including, supervision, training, recognition, retention and onboarding. This position is mostly based on the farm, in Newcastle, with some computer work required.

Position requirements and skills:

-3+ seasons of organic farming experience. Your primary task is making sure the volunteers are working on the farm in an efficient manner. This requires a deep understanding of farming practices and the ability to clearly, kindly, and enthusiastically share this knowledge.
-2+ seasons managing and mentoring volunteers and interns and leading groups of up to 20 peopleDeep knowledge of vegetable and fruit production, from seed to table
-Excellent organizational and team coordination abilities
-A willingness and ability to work outdoors in all types of weather, under potentially strenuous conditions—heat, rain, sun, wind, and cold.Preparedness and a positive attitude are essential for success.
-Timely email and/or phone communication
-Excellent interpersonal skills. There is a mix of crew, local volunteers, Wwoofers, and students on the farm daily.
-Ability to work in a high activity environment
-Ability to efficiently multitask
-A detail-oriented approach, with considerable attention to order and cleanliness
-A desire to build community connections
-Ability to work independently and collaboratively
-Ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experience
-Patience and curiosity
-Experience working in a nonprofit setting is a plus
-Knowledge of Google Drive, Word, and Excel
-A Plus: Comfortable working with and developing new technological resources that could be utilized to streamline volunteer management

Duties and Responsibilities:

On-Farm:
-Spend time in the field, farming, training, and interacting with volunteers one-on-one and in small to medium sized groups. Normally we have 2-6 volunteers at a time, but this varies when we have school or corporate groups.
-Clearly demonstrate and train volunteers on many farm tasks
-Manage daily farm needs and tasks in conjunction with the Farm Director Having vision and ability to assess and assign responsibilities according to capacity and experienceAdvocate for volunteers needs
-Keep detailed records of volunteers’ information and assignments
-Check in frequently with volunteers to ensure they are satisfied, well-utilized and effective in their tasks
-Make sure volunteers record their hours

Off-Farm:
-Collect initial information on volunteer availability, areas of interest, and skills
-Arrange for appropriate training, orientations, and tours of the farm when needed
-Coordinate with volunteers to complete all onboarding, including liability waiver
-Set up volunteers up in the Google Sheet for recording hours, and follow up as needed to ensure that all volunteers stay up to date with hour logs
-Disseminate information for upcoming actions and events
-Coordinate teams of volunteers for larger-scale actions
-Continue streamlining and improving our volunteer management system

Our Volunteer Manager acts as an ambassador representing the values and mission of the organization to the public in all work activities. The goal is to ensure that Veggies to Table volunteers feel fulfilled, happy, motivated, appreciated and part of our community and are correctly utilized for the fulfillment of our mission.