Volunteer and Design Coordinator

POSITION:  Volunteer and Design Coordinator (VDC)

CLASSIFICATION:  Full time – 40 hours, non-exempt

REPORTS TO: Home Bank LA Director and the Community Engagement Director

COMPENSATION: $28-32/hour

POSITION START: April or May 2025

WORK SCHEDULE: Tuesday -Saturday 8:30am-5pm. Schedule depends on Home Bank LA (HBLA) needs

ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION

A Sense of Home (ASOH) is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit dedicated to preventing homelessness by creating a sense of home for former foster youth and displaced members of our community. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the organization recognizes that our neighbors cannot properly function if they do not have a fully functioning home. ASOH is a space for community to show up and collectively afford healing for one another. Each space is revealed with intention and love, offering not just shelter but emotional grounding, and community support. It’s more than a place to live–it’s a path to healing, identity, and sustainability.

Within a few days of the LA fires A Sense of Home (ASOH) launched a new emergency relief program, to meet the overwhelming need to help displaced families and individuals who fled the LA fires. Watch the impact.

POSITION PURPOSE

The new emergency relief program is hiring its first ever Volunteer and Design Coordinator to work directly with volunteers of the program to create homes. Within the El Monte warehouse, volunteers led by the VDC select, design and stage the items for each home. They then welcome a recipient into the warehouse and reveal the staged home. After a ceremony, the volunteers load up the recipient’s truck while the individual or family enjoys some lunch/ snacks and refreshments. The VDC ensures that volunteers treat each recipient with community love and dignity in the ASOH spirit. This position ensures that the recipients have the best possible experience and inspire and motivate the volunteers in the spirit of ASOH. The VDC educates the volunteers on all that is needed in order that the flow of In-kind items and volunteers continue. The VDC has the opportunity to grow within the overall organization.

The VDC is someone who loves community engagement and has an instinct and passion for design. The VDC should value community building, kindness and have a desire to treat all with dignity and respect. The VDC should be uniquely industrious, innovative, creative, and can work in any environment, evaluate a scene, identify what is needed and execute upon it. The VDC must be a multi-talented self-starter, well equipped to oversee several moving pieces and have the capability to manage staff and budgets. The VDC will report directly to the CED and/or the Director of the emergency relief program known as Home Bank.

ASOH seeks a VDC who deeply respects the achievements, ethics, values and legacy of ASOH. This role is for an individual who can embody the ASOH mission at this unique moment in history, to propagate human connection and unity.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Volunteers: The VDC is responsible for all aspects of the Home Creation within the El Monte Operations Center

• Attending all volunteer led events at the HBLA operations center.
• Managing and inspiring all warehouse volunteers.
• Greeting volunteers as they arrive at the HBLA warehouse
• Working with the Community Engagement Director and Intake Manager to evaluate the needs of each applicant and documenting their needs in our proprietary software (ASOH APP).
• Coordinate and manage other warehouse volunteer activities including furniture building, unpacking and storing, and kit creations.

Design

• The process of the Warehouse Home Creation empowers our volunteers to design the home for our recipients. The VDC holds space to empower the volunteers to own the design according to the recipient’s intake form. The VDC ensures that the wishes of the recipients are met.
• Some volunteers need design guidance. The VDC gently guides the design for the best outcome for the recipient.
• The VDC should enjoy the role as an expression of their design talents while respecting both volunteers and recipient’s tastes.

In-Kind Donations:

• The VDC is responsible for receiving, tracking, categorizing, documenting (in the ASOH APP) and organizing all incoming donated home items, including reporting low inventory items and any discrepancies in the inventory.
• The VDC is responsible for utilizing received donations to design homes, while accurately allocating all items in the ASOH APP for each Home Creation.
• The VDC assists with loading furniture and home items in and out of the warehouse, into/out of trucks, etc.

Warehouse & Logistics:

• The VDC is responsible for ensuring that the HBLA warehouse is welcoming and orderly, while ensuring the warehouse complies with safety regulations and remains organized at all times for safety and optimal efficiency.
• The VDC is responsible for ensuring that the HBLA warehouse has its own sense of home.

Administrative: The VDC is responsible for certain administrative duties including:

• Promptly handling all support, volunteer and general information related emails
• Basic office/warehouse upkeep and housekeeping
• Answering phone calls and channeling messages
• Responding to inquiries via social media upon request
• Managing visitors to the ASOH warehouse

Content:

• When a professional filmmaker has not been contracted to capture content on any given day, the VDC will ensure that recipient testimonials are captured in the Green Room, captured a group photo and other content as requested.
• The VDC will post live as directed.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Events:

• Assists with all aspects of fundraising events, including all pre and post-even tasks, working with event databases like OneCause, E-tapestry, Constant Contact, the ASOH App.

Communications:

• The VDC elevates the organization’s storytelling and marketing to advance the organization’s awareness and fundraising goals. The ability to inspire and ensure the story resonates with the target audience supports the organizational mission.
• The VDC will speak publicly at volunteer activations and at other events.
• The VDC will be on alert for story telling opportunities to ensure the org has sufficient volunteers and in-kind donations, at all times.
• The VDC will support comes efforts as it pertains to ensuring the org has sufficient volunteers and in-kind donations, at all times.

Staff Management: While the VDC will initially directly execute on the duties and responsibilities outlined herein, in alignment with the budget and coordination with leadership, the VDC will train additional employees, when directed. The VDC will be responsible for managing staff along with volunteers in this role.

Data & Evaluation: The VDC will assist in the collection of data, tracking outcomes, and evaluating program success and impact, using our proprietary software (The ASOH APP). The VDC is also responsible for providing data and information, upon request, for grant applications and reporting, and ensuring that required outcomes are met/exceeded.

Professional Development/ Training:

The VDC is responsible for implementing the training program for staff they manage that ensures team members, and volunteers, are properly trained on safety and DEIA practices. This includes scheduling trainings, tracking completion, and research on any additional training or individual professional development needed.

Duties and responsibilities may be added, deleted, modified or changed at any time at ASOH’s discretion, to fulfill the Position Purpose. Changes may be made formally, informally either verbally or in writing.

All employees who work in the department cover for each other during periods when an employee is out or a position is vacant. This means you may have to occasionally take on tasks outside the normal scope of your job.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Related experience with volunteers, administrative tasks, and working with diverse populations. Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Capable on Excel, PP, Word, Mailchimp, 74WPM, social media and creating graphics
• Organization of one’s time and of a keen eye to organize and store inventory.
• Must have reliable means of transportation as frequent off-site meetings and events are required for the position.

Knowledge of and experience in:

• Shared Media and Data Management: Comfort with WeTransfer, Dropbox and Google Drive for data/content management
• Analytical Skills: Ability to process and analyze vague, abstract verbal and written instructions. Ability to visualize and assess abstract ideas and develop structured plans for implementation of marketing plans. Ability to read, analyze complex documents, and communicate analysis in oral and written form.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Communications: Requires public speaking, phone conversations, use of email, writing letters and memos, face-to-face discussions and presentations with individuals or teams and contact with others
• English Language - Strong knowledge in reading, writing and speaking of the English language including excellent knowledge of spelling, rules of composition, and grammar. Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and proVDCure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of the Company.
• Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing superior customer and personal services. This includes recipient, donor, corporate partner, and staff needs’ assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of satisfaction.
• Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mathematical Skills: Ability to create templates and formulas in Excel, add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
• Computers and Electronics: Strong working knowledge of Excel, Google Apps, email, social media networks, computers, smartphones, equipment, graphics software and CRM systems.
• Clerical Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Lifting and moving - Requires ability to lift, move, transport, and stage furniture and other home goods sometimes in excess of 75 pounds.

Body positioning - requires using hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls and prolonged periods of standing and/or sitting

Competition - requires competition or awareness of competitive pressures

Conflict - requires dealing with potentially unpleasant, angry, or discourteous people; including conflict situations

Impact of decisions - requires making decisions that impact the results of co-workers, vendors, sponsors, donors, volunteers or the company

Opportunity to make decisions without supervision - Requires making decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization

Level of challenge - requires being exact or highly accurate. Also requires repeating the same physical activities or mental activities over and over - often with freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals

Pace and scheduling - requires meeting strict deadlines and adhering to tight timelines

Personal Interaction - requires work with external individuals, organizations, businesses or the public. Also, requires coordinating or leading others in accomplishing work activities and work with others in a group or team

Responsibility for Others - Includes responsibility for work outcomes, results and safety of others

WORK SETTING - Requires working in office space as well as warehouse space in cold or hot conditions as well as outdoors in hot, cold, wet, humid and/or dry conditions. Work is often performed in recipients’ homes. Also, requires ability to climb stairs or hills at times while lifting. Work is often performed in warehouse settings with tight spaces for travel/access. Requires ability to lift, reach, hold and move heavy items, at times onto and from shelving units.

Diversity and Inclusion:

ASOH is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and strongly encourages people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with protected class backgrounds to apply. We value the individuals that we hire and look forward to creating a positive work environment for all identities.

Our Commitment:

We are committed to not only provide a diverse and inclusive workplace, but we value the health and well-being of our team members. ASOH offers 100% paid health and medical benefits to employees, along with generous paid sick and vacation time. We also believe in providing a workplace that fosters advancement and professional development for all employees, conducting our day-to-day business practices accordingly.

History and Context:

ASOH began as a random act of kindness when the founders saw an injustice and acted upon it. A Sense of Home (ASOH) is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit dedicated to preventing homelessness by creating a sense of home for former foster youth and displaced members of our community. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the organization recognizes that our neighbors can not properly function if they do not have a fully functioning home. ASOH is a space for community to show up and collectively afford healing for one another. Each space is revealed with intention and love, offering not just shelter but emotional grounding, community support, . It’s more than a place to live–it’s a path to healing, identity, and sustainability.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Your employment relationship is and is intended to be at will. This job description contains the entire agreement between you and A Sense of Home as to the duration of your employment and the circumstances under which your employment may be terminated. Nothing contained in this or any other materials generated by A Sense of Home or its employees, or any statement made by any employee of the organization, shall require the company to have “just” or “good cause” to terminate the employment relationship or to change the terms and conditions of your employment. Notwithstanding any disciplinary procedures or A Sense of Home rules or regulations, either you or A Sense of Home may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or prior notice. Further, A Sense of Home can demote, transfer, suspend or otherwise discipline an employee in its sole and absolute discretion. Nothing in this job description, or any other personnel documents creates or is intended to create a promise or representation of continued or indefinite employment or employment for a specific term, in a specific position, or at a specific rate of pay, or to prohibit A Sense of Home from terminating you for any reason even if previously agreed that such a reason would not result in termination.

I also understand that A Sense of Home has the right to change the compensation, assignments, duties, responsibilities, or geographical location of my job at any time, with or without cause.