A CSA bounty is a beautiful thing.
Over the weekend I got an email from the Portland Area CSA Coalition (PACSAC), a local 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to to promoting Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Portland area, about a job opening in their organization. The position they are hiring for is Program Director (part time) and it pays $14.75 – $16.75 per hour, plus paid time off; schedule is flexible within the 20 hours per week the job demands.
As someone who helped run a CSA for 10 years, I can tell you how rewarding it is to connect local citizens with local farmers. There’s a lot to teach and a lot to learn about how important it is to support local food systems. The person in this position with PACSAC could do a lot of good.
Here are some of the things involved with the job, which requires a year-round commitment, the ability to travel and work remotely, which means having consistent internet access and portable technology (e.g. laptop, cellphone).
Responsibilities
- Plan and organize the annual Share Fair event, along with other tabling opportunities that may arise throughout the year
- Update and manage website and paid media sources as needed
- Update and manage social media sources daily
- Update and manage farmer communications (email, phone) and membership dues
- Create and distribute printed materials (i.e. brochures, flyers, etc.) for the annual Share Fair event
- Organize and market farm tours to expand outreach to the public to promote CSA farms
- Attend monthly board meetings to discuss updates and future planning
- Develop and work with board members on a fundraising plan, and/or grant writing opportunities
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience
- Experience in event planning, media management, fundraising/grant writing is greatly preferred
- Attitude: positive, self-reliant, and passionate
- Ability to work remotely and meet deadlines
- Must be proficient in MS Word, MS Excel, Google Drive, and WordPress
- Must be professional and timely with emails
The full job description is on the Portland Area CSA Coalition site as a downloadable MS Word document; here is a PDF version of it. Download the Word doc from this page.
You can apply via email or by postal mail. If you want to apply via email, send your completed application to Taylor Kane (info@portlandcsa.org); to send via postal mail, print out the application and mail it to Taylor Kane, 555 SE 99th Avenue, Ste. 100, Portland, OR 97216. Taylor is the person to reach out to if you have any questions, too. Note: they will do a background check, but they emphasize, “no one should feel discouraged from applying.”
The deadline to apply is Sunday, October 29. Good luck to all who apply!
Meg Cotner
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Sounds like a great opening. I just signed up for my first CSA – I’m so excited to get all that great produce every week!
I hope you have a good experience with your CSA. It’s a wonderful way to support your local farmers!
What a great opportunity! Love this – thank you for sharing Meg!
I am so happy to share this announcement – wishing the PACSAC all the best in their search!
A position so full of possibilities! CSA’s are a great win-win for everyone!
Agreed – the CSA model is awesome. My first CSA share was in 1992 (Full Belly Farm in California) and it got me hooked on eating seasonably. Loved being part of a CSA. I shop at the farmers’ market these days but I may go back to the CSA at some point. I hope PACSAC finds someone truly excellent for this position.