Volunteer Engagement Manager in Jacksonville, Florida at REGIONAL FOOD BANK OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA INC

Title: Volunteer Engagement Manager Job Group Category: Exempt Type: Full-Time

Unit: Operations Schedule: Monday – Friday Hours: 40/week

Direct Reports: No Reports to: VP of Strategic Initiatives

This position serves as the primary owner of Feeding Northeast Florida’s volunteer programs, including the Teen Ambassador Program, Family Volunteer Days, off-site volunteer activities, Volunteer Captain Program, Care Team, affinity groups, and other specialized volunteer initiatives. The Manager develops new programs and builds the structure, training, processes, and evaluation necessary to successfully implement and grow them.

The Volunteer Engagement Manager also oversees the overall volunteer experience, including recruitment, check-in, orientation, communications, recognition, stewardship, training standards, volunteer data, and ongoing engagement. The position develops and maintains Standard Operating Procedures for volunteer projects and trains Volunteer Coordinators to consistently deliver a high-quality volunteer experience.

Working closely with the Community Engagement Manager, the Volunteer Engagement Manager connects corporate, school, civic, faith-based, family, youth, and other community groups with meaningful volunteer opportunities and pathways for deeper engagement. The position also partners closely with Operations, whose team directly supervises Volunteer Coordinators and manages daily staffing, project priorities, inventory, production, and warehouse operations.

• Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing management of Feeding Northeast Florida’s volunteer programs and special volunteer experiences.
• Serve as the primary program owner for initiatives including the Teen Ambassador Program, Family Volunteer Days, off-site volunteer activities, Volunteer Captain Program, Care Team, skilled volunteer opportunities, affinity groups, and other specialized volunteer initiatives.
• Develop new volunteer programs that provide meaningful ways for individuals and groups to connect with Feeding Northeast Florida’s mission.
• Create the structure, curriculum, materials, procedures, schedules, and evaluation methods needed to move new volunteer programs from concept to implementation.
• Establish goals and measures of success for volunteer programs and regularly evaluate participation, effectiveness, and opportunities for growth.
• Work closely with the Community Engagement Manager to recruit and engage companies, schools, civic organizations, faith communities, families, youth, and other groups in volunteer programs.
• Partner with the Community Engagement Manager to facilitate off-site volunteer activities and ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for participating organizations.
• Develop and support affinity groups that provide opportunities for people with shared interests, skills, experiences, or connections to engage more deeply with the organization.
• Identify volunteers with leadership potential and connect them with Volunteer Captain, Care Team, skilled volunteer, recurring volunteer, affinity group, and other deeper-engagement opportunities.
• Ensure volunteer programs provide participants with meaningful education about food insecurity, Feeding Northeast Florida’s work, and additional ways to support the mission.
• Continually identify opportunities to expand volunteer programming based on organizational needs, community interest, volunteer feedback, and participation data.

• Own and continuously improve the volunteer experience from arrival and check-in through orientation, service, wrap-up, follow-up, recognition, and continued engagement.
• Lead volunteer welcome and orientation for warehouse shifts and ensure volunteers understand Feeding Northeast Florida’s mission, food insecurity, the impact of their service, and opportunities to remain involved.
• Establish and monitor volunteer experience and customer-service standards.
• Ensure volunteers feel welcomed, informed, prepared, appreciated, and connected to the mission.
• Regularly observe volunteer shifts and gather volunteer feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Develop strategies that encourage volunteers to return, serve on a recurring basis, participate in programs and events, and deepen their involvement with the organization.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for volunteer complaints, difficult volunteer interactions, group concerns, and other volunteer-experience issues.
• Support positive volunteer and neighbor experiences at mobile pantry distributions and manage relationship concerns with mobile pantry sites.
• Develop and oversee volunteer recognition and stewardship efforts, including service milestones, appreciation activities, communications, and special recognition.
• Work with Marketing and Development to identify appropriate opportunities to connect volunteers with other ways to support Feeding Northeast Florida.

• Develop, document, maintain, and regularly update Standard Operating Procedures for all volunteer-led projects.
• Develop volunteer-facing training materials, scripts, videos, and other tools that create consistent project experiences.
• Train Volunteer Coordinators on project SOPs and verify their readiness to independently lead volunteers through each project.
• Maintain the Volunteer Coordinator Training and Competency Tracker and ensure required volunteer-engagement training is completed.
• Train and cross-train Volunteer Coordinators on volunteer check-in, orientation, floor management, volunteer communication, mobile pantry procedures, cleanup standards, and escalation protocols.
• Ensure Volunteer Coordinators are prepared to lead volunteer orientation and wrap-up when necessary and independently welcome and orient volunteers at mobile pantry distributions.
• Partner with Operations to ensure SOPs and training materials accurately reflect current operational requirements, food-safety standards, project procedures, and product expectations.
• Update SOPs and training materials as processes change.
• Periodically observe projects to ensure volunteer-facing standards and procedures are being consistently followed.

• Oversee the volunteer management system and maintain standards for accurate volunteer records.
• Establish and maintain processes for volunteer registration, waivers, check-in, attendance, service-hour documentation, and group participation.
• Ensure every volunteer is appropriately accounted for and that required waivers are completed.
• Ensure volunteer participation and hours are accurately captured for organizational reporting, corporate partnerships, grants, funding requests, and impact measurement.
• Monitor and report key volunteer metrics, including unique volunteers, volunteer visits, hours, new versus returning volunteers, group and corporate participation, recurring volunteers, program participation, capacity utilization, and other engagement measures.
• Identify and resolve data-quality issues and improve processes for capturing volunteer information.
• Support volunteer-hour verification and other service documentation as needed.
• Analyze volunteer data and trends to recommend improvements to recruitment, programming, scheduling capacity, retention, and stewardship.
• Provide volunteer impact information to internal teams for grants, fundraising, corporate stewardship, communications, and other organizational needs.

• Maintain a strong working partnership with Operations to ensure operational needs and the volunteer experience remain aligned.
• Participate in regular communication with Operations regarding upcoming projects, project changes, volunteer needs, safety concerns, and emerging issues.
• Participate in the daily Volunteer Engagement/Operations debrief and identify trends or concerns requiring follow-up.
• Monitor recurring issues from volunteer shifts, mobile pantries, groups, sites, volunteer feedback, and program experiences and recommend improvements.
• Collaborate closely with the Community Engagement Manager on group engagement, corporate volunteer experiences, community partnerships, program recruitment, and stewardship.
• Work across Marketing, Development, Programs, Operations, and other departments to connect volunteer engagement with broader organizational goals.
• Stay current with best practices in volunteer engagement and recommend innovative approaches to strengthen the program.
• Maintain consistent communication with the VP of Strategic Initiatives regarding volunteer program performance, opportunities, concerns, and emerging needs.

• B.A./B.S. degree or equivalent experience preferred
• Experience developing, implementing, or managing volunteer or community programs preferred
• Experience creating training, procedures, or program materials preferred
• Valid Driver’s License

• Strong knowledge of volunteer recruitment, engagement, retention, stewardship, and recognition
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage programs from concept through implementation and evaluation
• Exceptional interpersonal and customer-service skills
• Strong facilitation, training, and public-speaking skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to develop clear SOPs, training materials, processes, and program standards
• Strong relationship-building skills with volunteers, community groups, corporate partners, and internal teams
• Ability to influence, train, and establish standards without direct supervisory authority
• Strong analytical skills and ability to use volunteer data to improve programs and demonstrate impact
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office and volunteer/database management systems
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple programs, projects, events, and priorities simultaneously
• Strong judgment and ability to appropriately manage volunteer concerns and sensitive situations
• Creative and proactive approach to developing new opportunities for community engagement
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds and circumstances
• Strong commitment to Feeding Northeast Florida’s mission to use food as a catalyst to strengthen lives and communities

Work Environment:

This position is in a warehouse and outdoor environment and involves some need for a flexible schedule to accommodate FNEFL events. The following physical activities are necessary in the performance of this job: ability to stand and walk for several hours at a time, ability to lift up to fifty pounds, ability to be outdoors for several hours at time, ability to use a computer to accomplish the duties of the position, including writing and seeing. Ability to think strategically and analytically. Mobility to respond to volunteer and staff needs in various parts of a spacious facility. Ability to communicate expectations and establish priorities. Social skills to collaborate with colleagues and community members in a pro-active manner.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. The above job description is not an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, and skills of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions and perform other related duties assigned by their supervisor.