Volunteer Project Leader - AmeriCorps Member

Save to Favorites

Recruiting Organization: Hands On Nashville

Summary Statement

Do you want to support nonprofits across Nashville by bringing them volunteer support and leading projects? Are you looking for a role that gets you out from behind a desk and into the field getting your hands dirty? Help us bridge the gap between community need and corporate volunteer support as a Volunteer Project Leader at Hands On Nashville.

Term Commitment

Full Time, August 15,2022 - July 28, 2023

Position Description

This role will be a great fit for you if you have an interest in working with community partners to identify their biggest need and leading groups of volunteers to meet that community need. This role requires physical work, so the ability to switch between an office environment and being in the field, including outdoor settings, is key. Your behind-the-scenes work making project plans and procuring supplies is just as important as leading volunteers, so valuing the details and thorough preparation that makes a project run smoothly will serve you well.

You will never be bored in this AmeriCorps role! This position includes a wide variety of projects you will be digging into during your term. Because Hands On Nashville works with so many nonprofit partners, each project is unique. Previous AmeriCorps-led projects have included cleaning up streams, building an outdoor classroom, painting murals at a food bank, removing invasive species at a local park, preparing and packing shipments of medical supplies to go overseas, and creating homemade enrichment toys for animals in local shelters.

Over the course of a term, Americorps members will become very comfortable managing large groups of volunteers and serving as a leader during events. In addition, this position will develop a member's understanding of project management and the steps required to turn a great idea into a fully-executed event. Because of the varied nature of the projects HON tackles, members also gain valuable skills in construction, landscaping, and many other project areas.

Nashville is powered by people of all ages, races, ethnicities, skin tones, sexes, genders, sexualities, religions, abilities, and socioeconomic statuses engaging in service together. This is a city where YOU matter and YOU make a difference. Join us as we tackle the community’s most pressing challenges through service by becoming a Hands On Nashville AmeriCorps Program member.

The HON AmeriCorps Program is made possible through generous support from Volunteer Tennessee, The Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund, and AmeriCorps, the federal agency connecting individuals and organizations through service and volunteering to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges. 

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with community organizations to understand their needs, and create a list of project options to share with corporate partners
• Create project budgets to make sure supply dollars are used efficiently to help our partners
• Research new project models and propose those to community and corporate partners
• Oversee project and program inventory, including managing our inventory system, working in the warehouse, and updating materials as needed
• Prepare and manage project documentation including MOUs, instructions, run of show, and volunteer waivers
• Lead groups of volunteers during projects, including training them on necessary skills, ensuring all volunteers follow safety guidelines, and monitoring project progress

Typical Day In This Position

While there is no "typical" day with this role, you could expect to start the day with a community partner call to brainstorm project options for an upcoming volunteer event. From there you would spend some time working on a project budget and instruction sheets to make sure volunteers know what to do. Wrapping up the day might involve driving a cargo van to Home Depot to buy lumber, then cutting it to size, loading it into HON’s trailer, and hitching the trailer to a truck in preparation for the next day’s volunteer event.

Service Schedule

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., about 37.5 hours a week, with occasional weekend and evening projects communicated in advance.

Competencies

The member should have experience in or willingness to develop these competencies

(1) Experience or willingness to lead large groups of volunteers

(2) Willingness to work outdoors in heat, cold, rain, or other weather conditions

(3) Proficiency in basic computer skills, including attention to detail in data entry

(4) First aid

Key abilities include:

(1) Excellent written and verbal communication skills

(2) Enthusiasm for your work

(3) Finding joy in learning new skills

(4) Consideration for details and an interest in presenting well researched and checked work

Other Skills

This role involves driving large vehicles with trailers attached. You do not need to know how to drive a vehicle with a trailer, but will need to have a good driving record for insurance purposes and be comfortable learning this skill, including driving solo.

Prerequisites

Bachelor's Degree

Can professional experience be substituted for formal education: No

Physical Requirements:

Lift and carry up to 30-50lbs; Responsibilities in the position may entail sitting for extended periods of time; Responsibilities in this position may entail standing for extended periods of time; Responsibilities in the position may entail serving in the outdoors and potentially in inclement weather; Responsibilities in the position may entail operating machinery and/or power tools; Service responsibilities may include ascending or descending ladders; Office or service environment may include noisy environments; Service responsibilities require moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another; Service responsibilities require member to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; Service responsibilities require the member to drive a cargo van, truck, and/or trailer; Service responsibilities require the dexterity and upright body positioning required to hitch a trailer; Service responsibilities require the member to communicate verbally via the telephone and/or computer;

Required Driver’s License: Yes

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training ProvidedFalse

Housing AvailableFalse

Language/Cultral Support AvailableFalse

Wheelchair AccessibleFalse

Fee RequiredFalse

Fee Amount: None

This opportunity is recurring