Events and Programming Coordinator, Greensgrow Farms

Posted by Greensgrow Farms on November 21, 2016

Greensgrow Farms has been a leader in the urban agriculture movement since 1998. Greensgrow is a trailblazer for urban sustainability, a champion of demonstrating how city dwellers can green their urban space, making use of land once deemed useless. We run Philadelphia’s only Plant Nursery, a CSA, Farm Stands, and various non-profit projects such as our mobile food markets (via food trucks), a community kitchen that serves as an entrepreneurial incubator for the local food maker industry, and a SNAP-specific CSA to increase food security. Greensgrow recently opened its first satellite location in West Philadelphia and continues to lead the development of sustainable urban agriculture systems. 2017 will mark the 20th anniversary of our Philadelphia farm. We strongly encourage all candidates to read about the depth and breadth of our programs online.

Position Overview:
A pillar of Greensgrow’s success has been to create educational, engaging, and enjoyable events that attract people to our retail sites, generate revenue for our ongoing operational costs, and engage diverse constituencies in our work.

The Events and Programming Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of hosting events between the two farm sites and at partnering host locations across the city and region. This person will be an influential member of a small organization, responsible for meeting expectations and sales goals, providing exemplary customer service, keeping track of many small details, and coordinating with internal staff and outside vendors. This job is a perfect opportunity for a motivated person to run an important department with the support and guidance of a larger organization.

The Event and Programming Coordinator is responsible for responding to inquiries from people looking to do everything from a birthday party to host their wedding onsite. He or she is an integral part of community outreach. This position is very correspondence-heavy role, so timely and professional communication is essential. The wedding planning, in particular, requires an eye for aesthetics, attention to detail, ability to coordinate with all kinds of couples and their families, and a realistic perspective of the limitations of the facility. This position will also be involved in the planning of in-house and off-site events throughout the year including the annual fundraiser, farm dinners, volunteer days and Earth Day events.

Greensgrow is a large family and we depend on each other in order to succeed. Participating in tasks outside of your official responsibilities is expected. This position will start as part-time hourly, with a possibility of promotion to salaried staff after 90 days. Demonstrating initiative to develop new programs and increase sustainability of the events department will be critical to success in this role.

Core Responsibilities:
– Advertise Greensgrow’s event services to individuals, vendors, and relationship managers for weddings and other events
– Manage communications with people interested in hosting an event with Greensgrow, including coordination with preferred and outside vendors
– Provide day-of event management duties to ensure successful event completion
– Follow-up with event clients to gather feedback and ensure satisfaction
– Assist with the planning and execution of key farm events, particularly Earth Day, Volunteer Days, and 20th Anniversary events
– Evaluate Events programming income and expenses to ensure the department is financially beneficial to the organization
– Solicit donations and manage relationships with partners, vendors, and individuals to support fundraising events on the farm and at off-site locations
– Participate in Workshop and Events committee meetings to plan educational offerings at both farm sites
– Participated in Development Committee meetings to ensure seamless integration of events into the overall fundraising strategy of the organization

Requirements:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Highly organized with attention to detail
• Writing skills required for social media and marketing copy
• Gardening, food and/or farming knowledge is a bonus

Compensation:
Competitive hourly base rate commensurate with experience, with potential for bonus based on performance. Summer CSA share available as an employee benefit, as is eligibility for the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Please send application materials to jobs@greensgrow.org with “Events and Programming Coordinator” in the Subject line.

No phone calls please.

See more at: http://www.greensgrow.org/get-involved/jobs/events-and-programming-coordinator/