Promise Zone Hunger Relief Volunteer Director, RSVP Philadelphia

Posted by Klein Jewish Community Center on December 14, 2015

RSVP Philadelphia at KleinLife

Promise Zone Hunger Relief Volunteer Director

The Promise Zone Hunger Relief Volunteer Director is primarily tasked with recruiting and engaging older adults (55+) in volunteerism addressing senior hunger. We have volunteer groups cooking at West Philadelphia Senior Community Center in Parkside, the People’s Emergency Center, and Drexel University students cooking at University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in University City. This person would work closely with our Promise Zone Director of Literacy, the two positions cross-support each other in their programming. The Hunger Relief Director would also be responsible for managing the list of clients who receive the meals and coordinating the delivery of meals to home bound seniors of the Promise Zone and West Philadelphia.

The candidate should feel comfortable in the kitchen, garden, the senior center, and the classroom. Although this program recruits volunteers of all ages, our primary target base is older adults, as RSVP is a federal program of CNCS tasked with engaging older adults of Philadelphia’s senior community.

The Promise Zone Director of Hunger Relief is a granted position through to June 30, 2016, and may or may not be re-granted for a third year, of course we are hopeful that we would.

Principal Functions:
• Manage and oversee all aspects of the Promise Zone senior hunger initiatives, including staffing, partnerships, corporate outreach, etc.
• Manage and monitor all budgetary expenditures for the Promise Zone hunger relief and volunteer outreach
• Create, implement and manage all evaluation and outcomes measurement including reporting and presenting results
• Volunteer outreach, recruitment and planning for Promise Zone RSVP Cook for a Friend, Grow for a Friend, food pantries, and other added programs
• Expansion of the volunteer network in the Promise Zone in West Philadelphia in cooking groups, community food gardens and other programs relating to food insecurity
• Develop and collaborate with community leaders, church groups, block captains and RSVP leadership volunteers to expand and develop programs
• Support the expansion of food pantries in the Promise Zone
• Work with partner organizations to expand home and community gardening and volunteers involved with home and community gardening
• Work with community gardens and local businesses/organizations to develop opportunities for donations of fresh produce to low-income seniors
• Provide intergenerational opportunities by building partnerships with schools, churches and other CNCS programs such as AmeriCorps
• Create several training days for volunteers to be involved with community service opportunities for cooking, community gardening and other opportunities for hunger relief.
• Work with local corporations and universities for the purpose of recruiting corporate volunteers and to seek matching funds
• Oversee all volunteer functions for Promise Zone volunteers including:
o Oversee and manage all volunteer activities
o Maintaining and tracking all hours
o Implementation and management of a volunteer satisfaction survey and assist in implementing a client impact survey, as it relates to volunteer activities
• Develop and implement an on-line media presence for RSVP and this project, in particular including web-site, e-newsletters, and other social media outlets’ as they apply (facebook, twitter, etc.)
• Work with Director of Community Services and Hunger Relief Manager to implement creative strategies to increase awareness in the community about food insecurity, raise necessary funds for program operations, and increase community collaboration
• Create innovative and creative hunger relief volunteer programs for the City of Philadelphia
• Represent the agency at local, state and national initiatives as appropriate
• Other tasks as assigned

Job Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Substantial experience working with volunteers strongly preferred
• Knowledge of food insecurity preferred
• Excellent written, public speaking and computer skills
• Experience with outreach, PR, marketing and social media necessary
• Self-starter and detail-oriented a must!!
• Ability to work independently
• Proficiency of Microsoft Office required
• Some evenings and weekends required

Physical Requirements:
This position requires the ability to work in seated or standing positions for prolonged periods of time, perform work using the computer and telephone and other office tools. This position includes field work. The position requires knowledge of working in a kitchen, meal delivery and sanitation and proper handling procedures.

Working Environment:
The working environment is general office and field work. Daily contact with general public, members and employees in other departments is required.

Hours: 40 hours per week
Salary: Competitive salary and benefits (health insurance, paid vacation and sick leave)

Please send resume and cover letter to Sue Aistrop at saistrop@kleinlife.org