Food & Farming Outreach Coordinator

Join Sustainable Connections, a non-profit organization that works to build environmental, economic, and social resilience in NW Washington.

Our dynamic team is results-oriented and enjoys working in downtown Bellingham, WA. Bring your passion for our mission and vision, and your exceptional outreach and communication skills to support our local Food & Farming program and our statewide Eat Local First (ELF) program.

The Food & Farming Outreach Coordinator reports to the Eat Local First Director and Food and Farming Program Manager. This person works with a team to promote local food & farming businesses through print materials, digital communications, event coordination, community outreach, Eat Local First campaigns, and more!

We strongly encourage applications from people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, LGBTQAI+ people, and those who are members of other marginalized communities. If you feel passionate about our efforts and believe that you have the skills to contribute to the growth of our organization, we want to hear from you – even if you do not believe you meet all of the criteria listed here!  

Primary Responsibilities:

Food & Farming Program Support & Outreach

• Provides outreach to farms, food businesses, and food systems partners for participation in projects and events such as the Eat Local First Trade Meeting and seasonal Mixers, Eat Local Month, Whatcom County Farm Tour, Food & Farming publications, Eat Local First Campaigns, WA Food and Farm Finder, and advertising opportunities.
• Coordinates distribution of printed publications and materials
• Assists with creating, editing, and maintaining online content.
• Supports the team with monthly email newsletters using marketing platforms - editing content, compiling photos, cross-promoting events, analyzing data, etc.
• Assists with social media channels for the Food & Farming Program and Eat Local First. Compiles and analyzes social media statistics.
• Maintains and tracks data in Salesforce, HubSpot, and other programs for strategic communications and reporting.
• Participates in public and industry-facing outreach opportunities such as tabling at community events, farmers markets, and conferences.
• Builds community relationships through email, phone, and in-person communications.
• Leads support for data and listing management on eatlocalfirst.org.
• Onboards internal and external partner team members for usage of HubSpot and ELF tools.
• Helps answer general phone line and greets office visitors when present in the office.

Event Support

• Provides event support and ensures high quality delivery for online and in-person events for the Food & Farming Team:
• In collaboration with staff, coordinates event logistics and timelines, including assisting with planning and following a budget, working with vendors, booking venues, coordinating with guest speakers, managing event registrations, etc.
• Ensures events are Toward Zero Waste and supports local businesses when procuring vendors, caterers, venues, and event supplies.
• Works with the team on the event days, including set-up, registration/check-in, tech support, troubleshooting issues, take-down, speaking, etc.
• Ensures event permits & licenses are kept up to date (health department, liquor board, etc).
• Helps recruit, schedule, and train volunteers needed for events 

Required skills & qualifications:

• Outgoing and professional communicator in written and verbal forms, including outreach in-person, by phone, via email, and through digital media.
• Strong administrative and organizational skills.
• Proven competence in assessing priorities, managing a variety of activities in a time-sensitive environment, and meeting deadlines with attention to detail and quality.
• Initiative and demonstrated ability to work proactively and independently – selflearner.
• Ability to excel in an open-office environment and work well in teams.
• Experience planning and executing virtual and in-person events.
• Experience with programs such as: Office 365 suite (Microsoft Outlook, Sharepoint, Teams, Word, Excel, etc), Facebook and Instagram, Email marketing platform (like MailChimp, Hubspot, mailmerge), Wordpress, or similar website editing program, GiveButter or similar event management programs, Zoom or similar video conferencing program, CRM software such as Salesforce, Hubspot

Bonus points given for experience with:

• Tech support or A/V equipment
• Google Analytics or Adgrants
• Project management software such as Asana
• Content and asset management tools like Canva, Google Drive, Wordpress
• Social media management tool like Sprout Social