Job Description: Grassroots Action Network Capacity Building Coordinator
WHY (World Hunger Year)

WHY Mission: WHY is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. WHY challenges society to confront these problems by advancing models that create self-reliance, economic justice, and equal access to nutritious and affordable food.
Grassroots Action Network Overview: The Grassroots Action Network (“The Network”) identifies and champions the work of innovative grassroots hunger and poverty organizations that promote self-reliance among the people they serve. The Network is a resource to these organizations, mobilizing and equipping them to implement sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty in their own communities as well as engaging in related policy and advocacy efforts.
Program Summary
The core functions of the Grassroots Action Network are:
· Connect: Build the Network by connecting with grassroots partners to and connect them with one another.
· Aggregate/Analyze: Collect best practices, seek out and communicate with innovators in the field, and key resources. Present through field reports, database, the Food Security Learning Center (FSLC), new materials, and the Network’s web presence.
· Share: a) Internal sharing of knowledge, field experiences, best practices, new partners. b) Become a hub of resources for organizations and activists working through community-based initiatives to find sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty.
· Build: a) Build capacity of grassroots groups through education (webinars, web-accessible materials, community food referrals, site visit workshops), mentoring program, special projects, and funding opportunities. b) Build awareness about the intersection of Emergency Food Providers (EFPs), Community Food Projects (CFPs), and international policy and social movements.
Key Responsibilities of Position:
· Collect existing capacity-building resources and make them available to Network partners
· Develop new capacity-building resources (ex: model program guides, best practice documents, webinars) and make them available to Network partners
· Participate in promoting and selecting winners of the Harry Chapin Self Reliance Award (HCSRA)
· Publicize the work of innovators in the field through articles, field reports, and site visits, HCSRAs
· Assist with research and outreach to innovators in the field
· Conduct a minimum of two site visits to Network partners per year
· Represent and build the Network at events, conferences, and site visits
· Bring Network participants together during regional workshops/brown bags
· Help develop, pilot, manage, and evaluate the Network’s Community-to-Community Mentorship Program
· Contribute to special projects with an eye towards building multi-sectoral partnerships and fostering cross-pollination of ideas and methodologies
· Encourage and educate grassroots groups to adopt community food security approaches to dealing with issues of hunger, poverty, and social injustice
Core Competencies
· Strong written and oral communication skills
· A keen interest and curiosity with regards to issues of food security, sustainable agriculture, community organizing, movement-building, and social justice
· Bachelors degree and minimum 1-3 years full-time experience in the hunger and/or food systems field
· Ability to work with diverse populations
· Excellent networking skills
· Ability to think creatively about innovative partnerships and community-based initiatives
· Event planning experience desirable
· Self starter, able to take initiative and work independently
· Grant writing experience desirable
· Flexible attitude and good sense of humor a must
· Conversational Spanish language skills desirable
WHY’s Approach
WHY believes that to end hunger you have to address the root causes of poverty. WHY´s Grassroots Action Network is made up of thousands of innovative community-based organizations across the country fighting hunger and poverty. As an organization with 35 years of experience in partnering with and championing grassroots groups, WHY is uniquely positioned among non-profits to organize, equip and mobilize these groups to work towards systemic change in food quality and access. WHY is also uniquely positioned to support community-based groups in creating and implementing innovative strategies to addressing issues of hunger and poverty in their own communities. WHY believes that our current food system is broken and that the key to change lies in the efforts of these grassroots groups.
Staffing
The Grassroots Action Network Capacity Building Coordinator will report to WHY’s Grassroots Action Network Director and will be a core member of the Grassroots Action Network Team.
Send resume, cover letter and salary requirements to: [email protected]
Posting closes: December 11, 2009.