Job Posting: Volunteer Coordinator/Manager -- Join the DESK Team!

[Steve Werlin]

OPEN POSITION – July 18, 2021

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR / MANAGER

30 hours/week; Monday - Friday.  Open until filled.

Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) seeks an energetic, friendly, and passionate individual to oversee recruitment, outreach, administration, and appreciation of DESK’s volunteer corps.  Appropriate applicants will be experienced in community organizing, community relations, and external communications, including social media and public speaking.  Qualified candidates will have very strong interpersonal skills, be completely at ease working among a broad cross-section of New Haven, and preferably be a capable speaker of Spanish.

Mission & Background Information

Located in downtown New Haven, DESK serves people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty by providing food assistance and services that promote health, community, and equity.  DESK’s volunteer corps consists of 2,000+ individual volunteers annually and more than 30 volunteer groups.  For more information on our programs, services, history, and vision, visit us online at www.deskct.org.

Core Responsibilities

• Community Relations & External Communications – The position works closely with the Executive Director to connect with the community through public and private events, crafting outward-facing messaging consistent with agency-voice, designing web content and mass email communications, and maintaining a social media presence, with special attention given to strengthening connections with underrepresented communities.
• Outreach & Recruitment – The position conducts coordinated outreach to community organizations (houses of worship, businesses, social/civic groups, schools, universities, etc.), facilitating off-site volunteer efforts (e.g., third-party fundraisers and food drives), and recruiting volunteers and groups.
• Back-end Logistics Administration – The position oversees and maintains web-based volunteer management tools, including platforms for volunteer scheduling, registration, automated reminders and follow-up, time-keeping, and hours-confirmation.
• Onboarding – The position works with Program staff to develop onboarding materials, instructional videos, and screening tools for effective volunteer engagement.
• Onsite Coordination Oversight – Although most onsite coordination is carried out by Program staff, the position is responsible for overseeing the scheduling of volunteers and ensuring that they are effectively managed onsite, are treated courteously and appropriately, are working in a safe and healthy environment, and receive the proper level of supervision, primarily through follow-up communications and quality assurance efforts.
• Appreciation – The position carries out and oversees appreciation and recognition efforts, including, but not limited to, regular follow-up communications and occasional events.
• Client Competency – The position works with Program staff to engender a greater sense of empathy and understanding toward the issues faced by those DESK serves on behalf of every volunteer.

Must-haves	Nice-to-haves
2+ years experience organizing volunteers Friendly & courteous Good communication skills Team player Public speaking experience Effective social media communications Good writing skills Enthusiasm for mission	2+ years experience supervising volunteers Experience working with people experiencing homelessness and/or mental health or substance abuse disorders Excellent writing and other communications skills Independent troubleshooting skills; active listener Spanish proficiency New Haven proficiency

Compensation

Starting annual salary (30 hrs/wk) will be between $28,080 and $36,300, based on experience and background, in accordance with DESK’s Pay Equity Scale.  

How to Apply

Candidates should email a cover letter and résumé to [e-mail] with “Volunteer Coordinator/Manager Application” in the subject line.

DESK is an equal opportunity employer who affirms and values greatly the role of diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages applications from people of all backgrounds and lifestyles.