" The trainees are not the only ones whose lives are touched by the connection to the seeds and soil. HGP affects the lives of all who pass through it. "
- Rosalie Evans, Former HGP Intern
Available Staff Positions
Description of Organization and General Function:
The Homeless Garden Project (HGP) is a nonprofit organization based in Santa Cruz, CA that provides job training, transitional employment and support services to people who are homeless. As an important complement to these programs, HGP operates a vibrant community volunteer and education program. The training, employment, education and volunteer programs take place in an organic farm and related enterprises.
Our grassroots program is funded through a mix of donations from individuals, grants, events and earned income. On average about 70-75% of our income came from donations, grants and events, the remainder from sales of products made in our training program. We are preparing for a time of growth and a new, permanent, consolidated site; our goal is to serve three times as many people each year and to increase the percentage of income brought in by our enterprises.
We are seeking a skilled, versatile, committed member of the team as Bookkeeper/Accountant to manage HGP’s financial resources according to GAAP as well as play a key role in enterprise development through monitoring of a business plan. Our team cares about the natural environment and ending homelessness. We work in a simple environment and value the essentials.
Reports to: Executive Director
Part-time
16 days of paid vacation per year, 9 holidays, pro-rated.
$30-32/hour
Some remote work may be possible
Primary Responsibilities
Financial Management:
- Manage all accounting transactions
- Prepares accounting schedule, reports and financial statements
- Prepares journal entries and reconciles ledger accounts
- Assures compliance with accounting principles and policies, procedures and contracts
- Responsible for payroll process
- Supervises data entry staff
- Supports the ongoing development and improvement of financial processes and systems, coordinating with other business units such as the farm, retail business, and fundraising.
- Works with CPA to prepare annual return
- Manage HGP’s annual audit
- Maintains banking relationship
- Responsible for other duties as assigned in relation to financial management of HGP
Preparation and Knowledge
- Demonstrable qualifications in accounting or bookkeeping or equivalent experience
- Familiarity with QuickBooks Desktop
- Demonstrated experience in financial reporting
- Experience working with non-profit agencies and nonprofit run businesses is desirable, but not essential
- Ability to recognize problems and provide solutions
- Effective communication and proven ability to supervise and develop the skills of others
Applications: Email resume, cover letter and contact information for three references to Darrie Ganzhorn, Executive Director, darrieg@homelessgardenproject.org. Resumes will be accepted until position is filled.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer-related and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, age (over 18), veteran status, gender, pregnancy, or any other non-merit factor unrelated to job duties.
Internships & Volunteer Openings
Email volunteer@homelessgardenproject.org with internship inquiries.
Details
Schedule: 16-20 hours per week, from September 2022 to December 2022
Salary: This is a volunteer, unpaid internship. If you are using this internship to gain course credit or seek
out grants with your college, please include this information in your cover letter.
To apply: Along with your resume, please send us a brief cover letter highlighting why you’re interested in
the program. Send to omarg@homelessgardenproject.org and include the internship position for which
you’re applying in the subject line. Applications accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Description
The Homeless Garden Project (HGP), founded in 1990 and based in Santa Cruz, California, provides job
training, transitional employment and support services to people experiencing homelessness. In addition,
HGP operates a thriving community education and volunteer program. Our programs take place on our
3.5 acre organic farm and related social enterprises.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and hardworking intern who will support our farm throughout the summer.
The Farm Intern will work directly under the supervision of the Farm Manager and Crop Production
Manager as a member of the farm crew. This is physically demanding farm work that involves all aspects
of our farm’s production.
Responsibilities
● Field work: seeding, planting, weeding, harvesting, irrigation and pest management
● Lead small groups of volunteers in various farm activities
● Assist in managing a crop production schedule, including seeding and greenhouse maintenance
● Assist in harvest, wash/pack, and quality control of produce
Qualifications
● Self-motivated, detail-oriented individual
● Ability to prioritize, multi-task and meet deadlines
● Dependability, flexibility and ability to maintain confidentiality
● Interest in sustainable agriculture and social justice
● Ability to work independently and with others, including staff, volunteers, donors and vendors
● A demonstrated commitment to HGP’s mission and values
● Excellent ethical standards and personal integrity
● Previous agricultural work, preferred
Intern Will Gain:
● Diverse skills and hands-on experience for a growing nonprofit organization
● Experience supporting Homeless Garden Project 3.5 acre farm
● Education around sustainable agriculture and Organic crop production
● Opportunities to interact with professionals in both nonprofit and for-profit sector
The Homeless Garden Project is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, transgender and
gender-nonconforming people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, and
people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Details
Schedule: 10-13 hours per week, from June through to the end of September
Salary: This is a volunteer, unpaid internship. If you are using this internship to gain course credit or seek
out grants with your college, please include this information in your cover letter.
To apply: Along with your resume, please send us a brief cover letter highlighting why you’re interested
in the program. Send your materials to volunteer@homelessgardenproject.org and include the volunteer
position for which you’re applying in the subject line.
Description
The Homeless Garden Project is looking for a volunteer to help translate while program participants are
working. HGP is looking for a fluent volunteer in both English and Spanish. The focus would be on
translating: helping to describe farm tasks and translating social and emotional needs.
Schedule
● Tuesday: 9:00 am - 10:30 am *Required
● Wednesday: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
● Thursday: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
● Friday: 9:00 am - 10:30 am
The set day would be Tuesday. We could work with the volunteer to figure out the best times for them. Ideally, we have one or two full days, 9:00-2:00.
Responsibilities:
● Translate verbal communication in real-time, reciting everything verbatim
● Build excellent relationships with program participants
● Help program participants feel connected to the HGP program
● Ability to understand and translate documents
● Translate emotional needs for program participants
Qualifications
● Intermediate to advanced understanding of Spanish
● Excellent written and verbal communication
● Understanding trainee confidentiality
● Proficient in sensitive communications
● Time management
● Organization and attention to detail
● Commitment to racial equity
The Homeless Garden Project is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, transgender and
gender-nonconforming people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, and
people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Details
Schedule: 5 - 10 hours per week, from June 2022 to September 2022
Salary: This is a volunteer, unpaid internship. If you are using this internship to gain course credit or seek
out grants with your college, please include this information in your cover letter.
To apply: Along with your resume, please send us a brief cover letter highlighting why you’re interested
in the program. Send your materials to omarg@homelessgardenproject.org and include the internship
position for which you’re applying in the subject line. Applications accepted on a rolling basis until the
position is filled.
Description
The Homeless Garden Project (HGP), founded in 1990 and based in Santa Cruz, California, provides job
training, transitional employment and support services to people experiencing homelessness. In addition,
HGP operates a thriving community education and volunteer program. Our programs take place on our
3.5 acre organic farm and related social enterprises.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and hardworking intern who will support our social media accounts. The
Social Media Intern will work directly under the supervision of the Value-Added Enterprise Manager as a
member of the social media team.
Responsibilities
● Manages the HGP Store social media accounts
● Brainstorms, pitches and implements ideas for social media campaigns and posts
● Creates content for publication, including taking photos, sourcing photos from HGP staff,
developing graphics, and writing engaging photo captions.
● Conducts account research to like, follow, and engage with others on Facebook and Instagram to
grow HGP’s audience and engagement
● Conducts Instagram hashtag research
● Monitors social media conversations and responds to comments on Facebook and Instagram
● Reaches out to press, influencers and bloggers to promote HGP Store
● Analyze data to gauge the success of campaigns and posts and assists in creating performance
reports
Qualifications
● Experience and understanding of social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram
● Passion for social media and storytelling
● Excellent written and verbal communication skills
● Meticulous attention to detail
● Self-motivated multi-tasker with a strong work ethic
● Highly organized in a fast-paced environment
● Enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn
● Ability to collaborate and be a team player
● Graphic design skills a plus
Intern Will Gain:
● Diverse skills and hands-on experience for a growing nonprofit organization
● Experience building relationships with a wide range of community members
● Opportunities to interact with professionals in both nonprofit and for-profit sector
The Homeless Garden Project is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, transgender and
gender-nonconforming people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, and
people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Details
Schedule: 5 - 10 hours per week, from June 2022 to September 2022, with the potential to extend past the Winter Quarter/Semester.
Salary: This is a volunteer, unpaid internship. If you are using this internship to gain course credit or seek out grants with your college, please include this information in your cover letter.
To apply: Along with your resume, please send us a brief cover letter highlighting why you’re interested in the program. Send your materials to omarg@homelessgardenproject.org and include the internship position for which you’re applying in the subject line. Applications accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Description
The Homeless Garden Project (HGP), founded in 1990 and based in Santa Cruz, California, provides job training, transitional employment and support services to people experiencing homelessness. In addition, HGP operates a thriving community education and volunteer program. Our programs take place on our 3.5 acre organic farm and related social enterprises.
We are seeking an enthusiastic and hardworking intern who will support our Value-Added Enterprise program. The Marketing Intern will design email marketing campaigns and seek out third party gift guides and influencers that can feature us and direct traffic to our online store.
Responsibilities
- Write and design 1-2 marketing newsletters a month. The focus here is to increase online sales, and draw locals into our storefronts.
- One newsletter a month is part of our “Meet the Makers” Campaign
- Repurpose content from our organizational newsletter.
- Getting HGP into gift guides, catalogs, blogs, newspaper articles, etc as a way to extend our outreach and drive more people to our online and in person store.
Qualifications
- Self-motivated, detail-oriented individual
- Ability to prioritize, multi-task and meet deadlines
- Dependability, flexibility and ability to maintain confidentiality
- Superb communication skills, both written and verbal
- Interest in social justice
- Ability to work independently and with others, including staff, volunteers, donors and vendors
- A demonstrated commitment to HGP’s mission and values
- Excellent ethical standards and personal integrity
- Experience with Canva, Shopify, Google Suite and email software programs are a plus
Intern Will Gain:
- Diverse skills and hands-on experience for a growing nonprofit organization
- Experience supporting Homeless Garden Project marketing coordination and communications
- Experience creating email campaigns and blog posts
- Opportunities to contribute and implement creative insights and feedback regarding value-added enterprises
- Opportunities to interact with professionals in both nonprofit and for-profit sector
Work Schedule/Time Commitment
Start Date: June 2022
End Date: September 2022; possibility of extension
Commitment: ~ 5 - 10 hours per week
The Homeless Garden Project is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, transgender and gender-nonconforming people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, and people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Our volunteer program is flexible to allow for varied interests and schedules.
Learn more about our current volunteer needs here or contact us if you'd like more information about our volunteer openings.