Volunteer

JOIN US!

There are many ways for you to share your time and talents with your local, community farm.  We are always looking for people with various backgrounds, talents, skills, and interests.  We also strive to accommodate different levels of available time commitments, from an occasional hour or two to an on-going leadership role.  NCF depends on our volunteers to successfully deliver our programs.  Read more about our teams and committees  and consider volunteering for one of our current vacancies (see below).

INTERESTED?

Send an e-mail to admin@newtoncommunityfarm.org and note your name, interest, and information about yourself relevant to the work you are interested in doing.  Please also put VOLUNTEER in the subject line of the e-mail so we can make sure someone follows up with you in a timely way.

CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES (as of April 1, 2013)

Current  Board Vacancies:  Treasurer, Fundraising, Events, Buildings, Personnel Advisor (off-board position)

Fundraising: Capital Campaign volunteers, mailing help, grant-writing

Education:  Farm Sprouts instructors

Events and Volunteer Outreach:  Seedling Sale volunteers, event organizers for upcoming events

Communications:  Video Producer (produces short video articles), Graphic Designer (help design materials), Media Calendar Liaison (update event info on-line), Blog Liaison (send announcements to blogs), Newsletter Writer (writes short articles for newsletter).

Finance:  Finance Committee Members

Buildings:  Project Managers/Overseers for Barn Reconstruction project, project oversight assistance for other projects (i.e. house maintenance projects)

FIELD WORK  We are always looking for drop-in volunteers!

Drop-in volunteer sessions will take place each week from June through October on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9AM to 12:30PM.  Each session begins with an orientation to the day’s work; what needs to be done, how to do it, and how it relates to the overall farm operation. We’ll then proceed to the work. At the end of the session, we’ll gather again to assess what we’ve done. In order to make this work, we need volunteers to come at the start of the sessions and stay for the full time. We want you to learn about how farms work—how to pick beans, but also what it takes to have a truly sustainable farm. Work sessions and the group meetings also represent an opportunity to build community.

GROUP OPPORTUNITIES

We are only able to accommodate a small number of group visits each year due to staffing and size limitations (but we hope to expand this piece of our programming in the future!). If you are interested in organizing a group visit, please contact us at admin@newtoncommunityfarm.org.

LEADERSHIP

Serve in a key leadership role for the Farm and join our Board of Trustees!  Each board member serves for three years, oversees a portfolio, prepares for and attends monthly meetings, and participates in NCF’s major events.  We are looking for individuals with background/experience and leadership skills in finance, fundraising, events, legal, education, communications/media, marketing, community and volunteer organizing, buildings, and agricultural operations.

There are also non-board roles for volunteers with personnel and database expertise to advise the Board and work on special projects.

FUNDRAISING

Share your fundraising experience by serving on the strategy committee or leading an event.  Or, periodically volunteer for a few hours to help with mailings, thank you notes, donor appreciation, donor letters, donor outreach, and grant-writing.

EDUCATION

Serve on the Education Committee to help plan and organize NCF’s adult and youth education programs.  Also consider volunteering as a teacher or assistant for an organic gardening class or a Farm Sprouts session.  Most classes involve hands-on learning on the Farm.  Our Farm Educator will match you to an existing class or work with you to plan a class which highlights your particular area of expertise or interest.  Training is available if needed.

EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER OUTREACH

Serve in a leadership role as an Event Organizer (or co-organizer) for one or more of NCF’s events including our annual Seedling Sale, Fall Festival, dinner at Lumiere, and Dinner on the Farm.   Or volunteer to organize an activity at the Fall Festival or helpers at the spring Seedling Sale.  For a time-limited commitment, volunteer a few hours to help at an upcoming event or with volunteer appreciation.

COMMUNICATIONS  

This team has an array of positions including the following:  Newsletter Editor, Assistant Newsletter Editor, Newsletter Writer, Webmaster, Photographer, Video Producer, Graphic Designer, Media Calendar Liaison, Blog Liaison.  There are also opportunities to work on special projects such as the periodic review of the website.  Except for the newsletter editor and webmaster roles, all the jobs can be scaled to fit a volunteer’s available time (i.e one-time contribution, few hours/month during farm season, on-going role).

FINANCE

NCF’s Finance Committee assists the Treasurer with the oversight and management of the farm’s finances in the following areas:  cash and payroll reconciliation, budget development and monitoring, annual tax reporting, vendor payments and filing, asset and depreciation tracking, capital planning, Paypal reconciliation and reporting, account transfers, investment management, financial forecasting, business plan preparation, and special financial projects.   The role requires preparation and attendance at eight to ten meetings per year plus other specific tasks as determined by each individual and the Treasurer.

BUILDINGS

Use your knowledge and expertise in building and facilities management, construction, engineering, architecture and/or project management to help NCF’s Building Committee oversee NCF’s physical assets.   Take on a leadership role for an on-going project or serve on an as-needed basis for special projects.