Volunteer Program Manager/Farmer (On-Farm )

Veggies to Table seeks a part-time or Full-Time Volunteer Manager to help coordinate and manage the many volunteers farming with us on the farm. Many of our volunteers are local and come to us weekly. We also welcome groups of students, corporate groups, college interns, Wwoofers and Workawayers who farm with us and need to be coordinated daily.

Position Summary

This role is primarily responsible for managing volunteers working on the farm, ensuring that they are matched with activities that best fit their abilities and interests, while educating them on how to best execute all varieties of no-till organic farm tasks and projects. This person will collaborate with the Executive Director, development team, and Farm Director to ensure the changing volunteer needs of all programs, as well as weekly farm goals, are met. They will oversee the overall volunteer experience, including educating, training, recognition, and retention.

We are looking for someone with excellent experience in the farming, gardening, and education fields, with a deep knowledge of growing practices and the ability to patiently teach these skills. As our education program grows, this position may expand to include farm-based education with students, community members, and recipients of our produce and flowers.

This position is mostly based on the farm, in Newcastle, with some computer work required.

Position requirements and skills:

  • 3+ seasons of organic farming or gardening experience—ideally no-till. Your primary task is making sure the volunteers are working on the farm in an efficient manner. This requires a deep understanding of growing practices and the ability to clearly, kindly, and enthusiastically convey this knowledge.

  • Experience mentoring small groups of volunteers and interns

  • Ability to lead groups of up to 20 people

  • Deep knowledge of vegetable and fruit production, from seed to table

  • Superb 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 deep 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; this may include one-on-one training or larger group demonstrations.

  • Manage daily farm needs and tasks, with guidance from the Farm Director

  • Having vision and ability to assess and assign responsibilities according to capacity and experience

  • Advocate for volunteer 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

  • Possibility of leading farm-based classes and workshops for groups of students and community members

Off-Farm, this job may include

  • 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

  • Possibility of curriculum development for farm education

  • Organizing our annual Volunteer Appreciation Day event

  • Developing our Volunteer Appreciation Program

Our Farm Educator and 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.

Benefits:

  • This position is paid hourly at $18-20/hour, commensurate with experience

  • Fresh organic produce, flowers, and eggs

About The Community

  • Location a mile from Damariscotta Lake and a mile from the ocean

  • Location 1 hour from Portland and 40 minutes from Camden and Rockland

  • Location 3 hours from Boston

  • An abundance of local hiking and beaches

  • Rising Tide Co-op located in Damariscotta

  • Downtown Damariscotta—shops and services a mile from the farm

How to Apply

Please send your resume and cover letter to Erica at erica@veggiestotable.org. We are actively hiring for this position; applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Veggies to Table is an equal-opportunity employer and never discriminates based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Everyone is always welcome and all applications will be considered equally.