That’s right folks. The time has come to put out a call for those of you who want to get involved in our small, but growing operation.
As we wrap up our first growing season, we’re looking to expand and improve our operations for next year. We can’t do that without some additional help and are looking for people who are passionate about food and want to make a difference working with our small, but growing team. Like many undertakings, it will be a challenging experience and an opportunity to make a real difference in the community. We are a group of young, fun, ambitious individuals and are looking for you to join our team. We believe in providing opportunities for young people (and anyone young at heart!) to gain real-world work experience in a dynamic and food-loving team.
At YUF CSA, we hope to improve access to local organic food, foster leadership and education, and engage and connect the community in the rediscovery of local food. Our backyard CSA program is an innovative adaptation of the increasingly popular Community Shared Agriculture model, and part of a greater movement towards access to healthy, delicious, safe, and local food.
Submit your cover letter and resume to chris@yufcsa.com by midnight November 15th, 2010. Please contact us if you have any questions or to learn more about our organization and the positions we’re hiring for.
About the positions:
Young Urban Farmers CSA is a registered not-for-profit organization and is currently entirely volunteer run. All positions are on a volunteer basis, with a flexible work/time commitment. Our operations takes place primarily in the gardens and in the summer growing months, and we also have regular meetings in central locations.
Positions Available:
- Marketing Manager
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Garden Manager (3 positions)
- Newsletter Team Manager (3 positions)
Please see below for a more detailed job description.
Marketing Manager
Duties and Responsibilities:
The marketing manager role will be critical to our operations moving forward. It is the chance to flex your creative brain power in solidifying and coordinating our brand strategy to really engage all of our stakeholders and inspire them in our mission. The ability to work both independently and in a tam environment is essential to the success of this role. Much creative liberty and freedom in the role will be given, and it is the chance to take ownership and help shape the direction of the organization.
- manage and oversee the branding strategy for YUF CSA and its implementation (ex. marketing materials, flyers, press releases, media kits, website design, newsletter design, etc. )
- responsible for PR strategy
- manage media contacts and publicity
- track media mentions and similar events
- put out a coordinated branding message (internal and external)
- manage social media strategy and execution
- oversee social media position
- create and follow a marketing calendar of events
- stay up to date on garden activities
- monthly report on activities
Time Commitment: 4-6 hours per week
Garden Coordinator
Duties and Responsibilities:
Garden coordinators will have the opportunity to manage one or more of our urban farm yards. Starting from the garden and bed preparation in the spring to the planting, seeding, watering, weeding, and harvesting of the produce throughout the summer, this is an excellent opportunity for those looking to improve and get hands-on growing experience. This position doesn’t start until the early spring of 2011, and we will be accepting positions on an ongoing basis until around March 2011.
- Responsible for preparing garden beds in hub
- Seeding and transplanting
- Weeding, staking, pruning
- Manage weekly harvests and pickup
- Liaising and maintaining positive relationships with land-sharers and shareholders
- Oversee in-garden volunteers at weekly events
- Coordinators should already have some/moderate gardening experience.
Time Commitment: 5-10 hours per week
Newsletter Team Lead
Duties and Responsibilities:
Our newsletter team keeps us in touch with our stakeholders through our regular newsletters. It runs on a weekly basis during the growing season, and on an as-needed basis during the off season. Newsletter team leads will be responsible for managing the email list, overseeeing content, and ensuring accurate communication with our members
- oversee team of writers for our e-newsletters
- oversee newsletter design, formatting, and layout
- write and prepare articles/interviews/content for the newsletter
Time Commitment: 2-4 hours per week
Volunteer Coordinator
Duties and Responsibilities:
Our volunteer coordintor is the liason for current and prospective garden volunteers. They handle inquiries and coordinate garden shifts with each of the garden coordinators. The majority of this work is through email.
- Actively recruit volunteers through a variety of outlets
- Respond to email inquiries
- Maintain volunteer database of active/inactive volunteers
- Organize weekly garden sessions
- Sign YUF CSA up to various volunteer recruiting events
Time Commitment: 2-4 hours per week
Grant Writer
Duties and Responsibilities:
The grant writer helps to prepare applications for funding for our organization. We have a number of ambitious targets for our next year’s operating season and this is the opportunity to get a great experience in applying for a number of grants.
- responsible for overseeing and managing the grant applications for YUF CSA
- maintain and update database of eligible grants
- liase with grant officers to assess fit and eligibility
- write and submit grants to eligible organizations
- stay up to date on garden activities
- monthly report on activities
Time Commitment: 2-4 hours per week
General Garden Volunteer (Gardeneer)
Duties and Responsibilities:
Gardeneers are involved in the our ongoing operations throughout the summer growing season. Whether it is helping prepare the garden beds, seeding, harvesting, pruning, building garden structures, or general garden care, this is a great opportunity to get your hands dirty in the garden and learn about growing vegetables. We encourage you to sign up to our newsletter and stay tuned for variuos gardeneer events as they arise.