Community programs and engagement, volunteer management, food security 

Hiring: Program Coordinator
Organization: Not Far From The Tree
Location: Toronto, ON (remote and in person)

• Contract Type: Fixed Term, Seasonal May 1st - October 10th
• Working Hours: 12:00pm - 7:00pm Monday to Friday (preferred/flexible)
• Salary: $25.00/hr (30 hours/ week)

Not Far From The Tree is Toronto’s (NFFTT) fruit tree gleaning program, founded in 2008. We pick fruit in people’s yards – what we call Toronto’s Urban Orchard – and share the bounty with organizations that feed fellow Torontonians!

When a tree owner can’t keep up with their harvest, we mobilize a volunteer team to pick the fruit, and then split it: 1⁄3 to the tree registrant, 1⁄3 split amongst the volunteers, and 1⁄3 donated to one of our community agency partners. NFFTT supports social agencies such as shelters, food banks, community fridges, housing programs, and meal programs. Further detailed information about our work can be found on our website, notfarfromthetree.org.

Position Overview

The Program Coordinator is an enthusiastic individual who will help coordinate the Fruit Picking Program and community programming. In the role, they will be responsible for assisting the Program Manager with the behind-the-scenes operations of the Program, ensuring a smooth and successful season for all participants, including Fruit Pickers, Tree Registrants, Pick Leaders and community partners.

Responsibilities Include

• Administrative Duties
  • Understand and follow all MakeWay/ NFFTT policies, practices, and procedures;
  • Monitor the picks email account regularly to actively respond to inquiries and requests regarding picks;
  • Utilize NFFTT’s online fruit picking portal to support the fruit picking process;
  • Contribute to analytical and reporting processes, such as programming trackers, debrief reports, and policy and procedure documents;
• Volunteer Engagement and Coordination
  • Assist in delivery of pre-season Pick Leader Training, as well as ongoing feedback delivery;
  • Maintain regular communication with volunteers through diverse avenues, such as one-on-one phone calls, contributing to the biweekly Pick Leader Newsletter, and keeping on top of group chats;
  • Ensure volunteers feel supported, program changes are communicated, and season feedback is received and incorporated;
• Community Relationship Building
  • Support planning and delivery of community and partnership events such as the ‘Season Launch Social’;
  • Maintain and build on relationships with community agencies to ensure relationships are mutually beneficial and NFFTT is best serving the community;
  • Ensure clear and consistent communication by visiting agencies in person or arranging phone or video calls;
  • Acting as the ‘face’ of NFFTT by supporting community outreach events such as tabling;
  • Organize and lead Pick opportunities for Community Agencies;
• Maintain Programming Elements in the Urban Orchard
  • Complete Pick Leader training and lead Fruit Picks solo;
  • Ensure picking equipment sets are in good working order and properly stocked;
  • Work with the Program Manager and volunteers to close down the fruit picking program in the fall, organize inventory day and collect the equipment across our catchment area;
• Anything else that falls into the duties and responsibilities in this role

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience facilitating community oriented programming for diverse groups of people;
• Demonstrated experience with community engagement, organizational relationship building, and communication across various stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate diverse groups of volunteers;
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs and take initiative, problem solve, manage time effectively, and exercise sound judgment;
• Exceptional interpersonal and active listening skills; comfortable engaging stakeholders through phone calls, emails, and workshops;
• Comfort with G-Suite (Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Gmail) and ability to learn unfamiliar computer applications;
• Physical tasks involved with fruit picking, including lifting and carrying over 40lbs, using hand tools, standing for a long time, reaching, and crouching;
• Ability to work from home, including access to own computer and stable internet;
• Consistent access to a smart phone with data;
• Some flexibility to work evenings and/or weekends depending, on program activities

Helpful Assets

• Interest in or experience with fruit trees, horticulture, urban agriculture and/or community food security;
• Interest in or experience with social media engagement using Instagram, Facebook, and Mailchimp;
• Valid G Driver’s Licence and regular access to a vehicle;
• Fluency in or conversational understanding of a second language;
• Past participation in NFFTT programming, or other fruit gleaning organizations

To be eligible, the successful applicant must:

• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment; and,
• Have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations

How to Apply:

Please send your resume and cover letter to info@notfarfromthetree.org with “Program Coordinator Application” in the subject line. The deadline for applications is Sunday, April 06 at 11:59pm.

Please mention you saw this at FoodWork.ca.

Selection Process:

• The hiring committee will conduct first round interviews with selected candidates, between March 31st - April 11th. Candidates will be sent the interview questions 48 hours in advance of their scheduled interview. Candidates are welcome, but not expected or required, to send any questions they have for the hiring committee in advance of the interview;
• HR will conduct reference checks for the candidate they intend to extend an offer to. This process usually takes about 1 week;
• HR will send the selected candidate an Employment Agreement, which the candidate will have at least 3 business days to review and return;
• Potential start date: May 1st.

MakeWay:

NFFTT is a project on MakeWay's shared platform, which provides operational support, governance, and charitable expertise for changemakers. With the shared platform, MakeWay projects benefit from the support of a mission-aligned community, charitable expertise, and shared administrative resources including: governance, compliance, financial management, human resources, risk management and grants administration. MakeWay has full fiduciary and governance responsibility for Not Far From The Tree.

MakeWay is strongly committed to creating a diverse workplace environment and we welcome and encourage applications from the communities we serve. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. For more information, please visit makeway.org.

The selected candidate will be an employee of MakeWay Charitable Society. MakeWay will provide accommodation during all steps of the selection process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodation when navigating the application process, please contact info@notfarfromthetree.org .