Food & Friend Coordinator

Food & Friend Coordinator Job Description

Facility: Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB)                Position: Full-time (40hrs week)
Position Title: Friend & Food Coordinator Department Name: Operations
Reports To: Operations Director                               Pay: $42,000-$47,000 Annually.

Job Summary of the Food & Friend Coordinator :
BVFB’s Friend & Food Coordinator is responsible the sourcing and securing in-kind donations – primarily volunteers and food. Recruiting, scheduling, training and retaining volunteers for needs across the organization is an important aspect of this job. Sourcing from local farmers, grocers, producers and restaurants for surplus and donations. Responsible for coordinating and publicizing community Food Drives. Generates social media content for volunteers, food donations and more. Work hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday-Friday, with some evenings and weekends. Reports to BVFB’s Operations Director.

Food
Securing Food
Build and manage a Food Donor database, while developing and implementing strategies to proactively recruit more food donations and more food drives. Oversee the acknowledgement and recognition of food donations, including sending annual/quarterly/monthly donor letters.

General Food Drives

• Serve as the main contact with the public for Food Drives

• • Confirm all registered food drives from BVFB website, asking if additional information may be needed
  • Coordinate barrel/banner pick-up and/or delivery
  • Proactively solicit entities to do food drives for BVFB throughout the year (summer months; most needed items food drives, etc.)
  • Work with applicable staff to ensure that photos of food donor drop offs are captured/collect food drive solicitations, testimonials, etc.
  • Handle food drive content for social media
  • Provide donors with receipts for donations
  • Catalogue donor receipts for solicitation for future food drives
  • Ensure all donations are logged and reconciled in inventory software
  • Send thank you letters to food drive participants
  • Create and retain food drive beneficiary letters

New Food Sourcing

• Identify new sources of food (farms, markets, restaurants, etc.) in the BVFB service area for potential donation.  Develop tracking system or utilize existing BVFB software.
• Development of outreach and education materials related to BVFB’s operations, food donation needs, legal protections for donors, etc.
• Solicitation of potential food donations, either face to face, via letter and/or telephone or email
• Work closely with Operations Director in determining appropriateness of proposed donation, scheduling pickup, etc.

Food Sourcing Plan

• Create and implement initiatives for Food Sourcing Plan, as required by Feeding America, Feeding Texas, Houston Food Bank
  • Report outcomes for initiatives, with key learnings and strategies to improve
• Maintain positive relationships with food donors/potential food donors
  • Use social media to recognize new food donors/donations and promote food collection strategies and needs
• Research and utilize established Network resources for food sourcing efforts and to create relationships with other Food Banks and Food Bankers
• Work with Operations Director to manage “Most Needed Items” list
• Utilize partner survey data to understand what items are needed and can be sourced from donors
• Donor Stewardship Plan
  • Create and implement initiatives for Donor Stewardship Plan, as required by Feeding America, Feeding Texas, Houston Food Bank
• Plan Donor appreciation events and activities, ensuring proper budgetary components, outcomes, and documented results.
  • Use social media to recognize current food donors/donations and donor engagement/appreciation events
• Research and utilize established Network resources for donor appreciation efforts and donor engagement opportunities
• Retail Pick-Up Program

Enhance Retail Pick-up Program, including retail partner relationship management, Agency Enabled Retail Pickup, troubleshooting and partner growth.

• Establish and maintain relationships with Retail donors, including annual recognition of product donors and visiting their locations.
• Visit store partner’s facilities regularly to develop and establish relationships, as well as oversee partner visits to BVFB’s facility so they understand the scope of product BVFB can accept, in an effort to increase amount and type of donations
• Secure annual Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from Agency Enabled Retail Pickup Partner Agencies
  • Develop monitor form, schedule visits and monitor locations annually
    • Document visits for files
    • Develop any written corrective action plans needed
    • Review plans with site with deadline for improvement 
• Compile statistics from staff and partner agencies for required reports submission, as well as review trends in donations (kind, amount, etc.)
• Handle any Retail Pick-Up related complaints, in writing and inform pertinent staff of issues
• Work with Inventory & Facility Manager to ensure all donations are completed in Meal Connect and P2

Friends
Recruiting Volunteers
Recruit, orient and connect volunteers to appropriate activities/opportunities.  Handle all generalized communication with volunteers (closures, policy changes).  Play an active role in tours and presentations to capture all possible volunteer recruitment opportunities.  

• Volunteer Development Needs
• Develop and utilize a skill and interest survey with all individual and group volunteers to find the best fit within the organization
  • Develop and implement a standard, required volunteer orientation for all opportunities – including overview of BVFB, as well as paperwork, Volgistics procedures, etc.
• Develop and implement a volunteer recruitment plan
  • Meet regularly with appropriate staff to ascertain areas where volunteers are needed
    • Determine tasks, desired traits and skills needed from the volunteers, how many required, when, etc. 
• Coordinate general volunteer recruitment materials (Video of what the Food Bank does, PowerPoint presentation, flyer, etc.)
• Analyze current demographics of our volunteers – develop a plan to recruit individuals and groups we are not reaching (i.e. seniors, disabled, individuals of color, etc.).
• Identify new sources of volunteers, based upon currently underutilized entities
• Development of different volunteer group list-servs for immediate needs (disaster efforts, garden gleaning, etc.) to utilize quickly when last minute needs arise
• Attending, if appropriate, recruitment fairs specific to volunteering
• Directly recruit needed volunteers (doing presentations, using media, community outreach, etc.)
• Work with the Development Team for special event volunteer recruitment (i.e., Santa’s Wonderland, AggiesCan, Super Distributions, etc.).
• Work with appropriate staff to ensure that volunteer information is added to donor mailing lists (and flagged as volunteers)
• Scheduling
  • Respond to all volunteer inquires in a timely manner via email or telephone
    • Direct all potential volunteers to the online individual volunteer application through Volgistics and ensure all those who volunteer have an approved application on file
    • Direct all potential volunteer groups to the online group volunteer application through Volgistics and ensure all group contact information is completed
    • Approve applications in a timely manner and send Next Steps email

Retaining Volunteers
Demonstrate intention on volunteer assignments, orient and connect volunteers to appropriate activities/opportunities. Coordinate and implement appreciation and retainment efforts. Responsible for the overall volunteer experience. Work to support deepening volunteer relationships, converting volunteers to donors and donors to volunteers.

• Appreciation
  • Develop and implement ongoing volunteer appreciation strategies (including all organization volunteers, including organizational implementation of the Volunteer Leader concept across the organization)
  • Develop and implement volunteer satisfaction/feedback loops
    • Create and administer surveys for first time volunteers, repeat volunteers, annual surveys, and program volunteer surveys.
  • Create and manage volunteer highlight content to be displayed on tv in volunteer center
• Data Management
  • Use survey data to create or alter practices for volunteers
  • Ensure all volunteer hours across the organization are being captured
  • Review and update volunteer data in Volgistics regularly, looking for inaccurate data, duplicate entries, archival of volunteer data, and correct coding of volunteer assignments and logged hours
  • Provide volunteer lists, when approved by volunteer and Operations Director, to BVFB staff for cross departmental recruitment
    • Initiatives for converting volunteers to donors
    • Participation in program partnerships
• Community Service Workers (CSW)
  • Handle inquiry calls from court-appointed community service workers and probation officers
  • Screen and approve CSW applications based on offense
  • Inform individuals of proper online processes for signing up for volunteer shifts
  • Complete monthly probation reports for Brazos County

BVFB Annual Events
Demonstrate intention on volunteer assignments, orient and connect volunteers to appropriate activities/opportunities. Coordinate and implement appreciation and retainment efforts. Responsible for the overall volunteer experience. Work to support deepening volunteer relationships, converting volunteers to donors and donors to volunteers.

• Food & Volunteer contact at The Brazos Center for the KBTX-TV’s Food for Families Food Drive
  • Recruit and oversee volunteers for participation with the Brazos Center location of the event.
    • Scheduling and confirmation of participation emails
    • Training on specific duties and work stations
    • Photographing volunteer activities during the event
    • Reconciliation of food donations before, during, and after event date
    • Thank you emails and social media content
• Volunteer contact at The Brazos Center for the Feast of Caring
  • Recruit and oversee volunteers for participation with the Brazos Center location of the event.
    • Scheduling and confirmation of participation emails
    • Training on specific duties and work stations
    • Photographing volunteer activities during the event
    • Reconciliation of food donations before, during, and after event date
    • Thank you emails and social media content
  • Coordinate seasonal food drives to deliver their food collections to the event annuals.
  • Solicit retail donors for food to delivery to the event

Other

• Complete monthly Board Report for volunteer and food sourcing areas
• Attend regularly scheduled one on ones with supervisor
• Attend quarterly All Staff meetings
• Attend, come prepared for, and contribute to inter-departmental meetings
• Complete updates and goals in Lattice, as directed by Operations Director
• Point of contact for all internship requests
• Discuss all ideas and changes to program(s) with the Operations Director before taking action
• Get approval from the Operations Director in advance of any financial expenditure not budgeted for
• Other duties as assigned and needed

Qualifications:

• 2-3 years of relevant experience in a nonprofit setting preferred or 2-3 years of customer services and/or sales also relevant
• Past experience as a volunteer and preferably a donor
• Past experience recruiting and managing volunteers preferred
• Strong communication skills, including public speaking
• People skills with ability to manage difficult and complex situations or people ethically (donors, volunteers, clients, and general public) and with discretion and confidentiality.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, graphics software, Internet research, social media, survey software, and databases. Ability to extract and analyze data; creating charts and graphics is necessary.
• Superior organizational, analytical and project management skills coupled with the ability to learn quickly, create and analyze alternative solutions and make recommendations.
• Highly motivated, with proven capacity to take initiative, and work independently and effectively with others at all levels of BVFB with a high level of professionalism in all interactions.
• Ability to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously, meet deadlines, and respond accurately and quickly to immediate needs in a high-paced environment.
• Experience developing systems where none existed before.
• Flexible, with availability to work a weeknight or weekend as needed.
• Passion for the mission of feeding people.
• Valid driver's license and clean driving record required. 
• Must pass criminal background check before hire.   

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS WITH OR WITHOUT REASONABLE ACCOMODATION

• Ability to walk, stand, sit, kneel, push, stoop, reach above the shoulder, grasp, pull, bend repeatedly, identify colors, hear with aid, see, write, count, read, speak, analyze, alphabetize, lift and carry up to 50 lbs., perceive depth, operate a motor vehicle, and operate motor equipment.
• Conditions may include working inside, working outside, working alone, working protracted or irregular hours, and traveling by car, van, bus, and airplane.
• Equipment (machines, tools, devices) used in performing only the essential functions include computer and related equipment, calculator, copier, fax machine, telephone, and automobile.

 

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended at anytime at the sole discretion of the Brazos Valley Food Bank.

The Brazos Valley Food Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).