Office Administrator

Job Summary:

Living Hope Farm (LHF), a nonprofit Community Sourced Agriculture (CSA) farm in Harleysville PA, is seeking an individual to fill the position of Office Administrator (OA) beginning in early 2025.

Responsibilities include overseeing membership management and communication, marketing, community outreach, and grant writing (with outside assistance). The OA will work with the Head Farmer and the LHF Accountant to manage the farm’s operations and membership.

A diverse skill set is essential for managing the wide range of responsibilities in this role, from communications and marketing to operations and member relations. Adaptability, leadership, and a strong organizational foundation will be critical for success.

The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills, be tech savvy with essential platforms such as Microsoft Office / Google Suite, and be able to find creative solutions for operations, membership, or outreach challenges. Additional core competencies are outlined below.

Core Competencies Preferred:

Membership & Operations Management:

• Relationship Building: Strong interpersonal skills to maintain and grow relationships with members and ensure their satisfaction.
• Customer Service: Empathy and responsiveness to member inquiries, needs, and concerns.
• CRM/Database Management: Ability to use customer relationship management (CRM) systems to manage member data and communications effectively.
• Retention Strategies: Understanding of membership retention techniques and the ability to analyze data to improve member engagement.
• Project Management: Organizational skills to manage areas such as logistics, distribution and delivery schedules, operational costs, and coordination with budgets and financial tracking.

Communications:

• Verbal and Written Communication: Clear and concise communication skills for crafting emails, newsletters, reports, and presentations.
• Public Relations (PR): Ability to represent the organization professionally and positively in both written and spoken formats.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Ability to coordinate with different departments and stakeholders to ensure smooth communication flows within the organization.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Skilled at communicating with diverse groups, including members, donors, partners, and the public.

Marketing:

• Content Creation: Proficiency in creating engaging content for newsletters, blogs, social media, and promotional materials.
• Digital Marketing: Experience with online marketing platforms (social media, email marketing, SEO, Google Ads) and understanding how to drive engagement and growth.
• Campaign Management: Ability to plan, execute, and evaluate marketing campaigns to promote membership and community engagement.
• Brand Management: Ensure consistent messaging and visual identity for the Living Hope Farm across all communication platforms.

Community Outreach:

• Networking: Strong networking skills to build partnerships and collaborations with local businesses, community groups, and other stakeholders.
• Event Planning: Ability to organize and execute community events, workshops, or outreach initiatives to increase visibility and engagement.
• Advocacy and Public Speaking: Comfort with advocating for the CSA’s mission and engaging with community members in person or at public events.

Grant Writing and Fundraising:

• Research: Ability to identify grant opportunities and align them with the organization's mission and needs.
• Donor Relations: Ability to engage with and build relationships with donors and funders, ensuring ongoing support and involvement.
• Proposal Writing: Strong writing skills to assist in crafting compelling grant proposals and fundraising materials.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Office Oversight: Telephone and email communications, recorded messages, tracking and acknowledgment of donations, contact and database management, purchase office and building supplies, general office and distribution area upkeep.
• Farmer’s Market Coordination: Manage registrations and other required paperwork, ensure timely payment for registration fees, attend vendor meetings, occasionally work in market booth.
• Website Maintenance: Responsible for managing maintenance of the Living Hope Farm website including updates to the homepage, event calendar, CSA season information, recipe database, and weekly ordering options. Work with web master to resolve any website issues and to get season registrations open.
• General Marketing: Schedule and participate in marketing opportunities (Locally Grown Showcase, Skippack French Market, etc.), give tours and talks about the farm as required, manage advertising.
• CSA Planning and Coordination: Work with farmer and board on schedule of events and the CSA season pricing, track referral discounts, communicate with Market Partners (honey, mushrooms, microgreens, etc.), coordinate CSA distribution days and Market Shed stock.
• Bauman’s Jarred Goods: Ensure proper items and amounts are available for batches, coordinate scheduling for drop off and pick up of product, work with designer to create labels for goods.
• Event Planning and Coordination: Provide planning and oversight for farm events such as the Spring Plant Sale and Fall Festival.
• Produce Donations: Initiate and coordinate schedule of donations with Shepherd’s Shelf, manage tracking of donation amounts, submit documents for reimbursement to the Share Food Program.
• WIC Markets and Farm to Family Programs: Coordinate LHF participation in WIC pop-up markets in Colmar and Pottstown, manage and track our Farm to Family outreach program.
• Grant Writing: Research grant opportunities, work with volunteer grant writers to complete applications, track grant activities and expenses for related reporting.
• Intern Hiring: Assist with intern hiring as required, e.g., reference checks, job board postings, housing updates.
• Communicate with Board and Members: Provide a monthly summary of happenings to the Board, send out email blasts, communicate with social media manager, participate in meetings as required.
• Volunteer Coordination: Recruit volunteers for workshare shifts, fundraiser events, group volunteer events, and Volunteer Saturdays. Maintain volunteer calendar and track hours, find innovative ways to encourage and recognize volunteers in the community.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent preferred.
• At least two years’ related experience required.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.