Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteer Program Coordinator 

Location: San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango, Guatemala

Supervisor: Development Director

Type: Full-Time – 40 hours per week

About the Organization:

Long Way Home is a 501(c)3 that envisions communities equipped to innovate and act responsibly in the face of local and global challenges. Through the promotion of green building, employment, and education, Long Way Home mobilizes people to actively participate in democracy and create innovative pathways to economic and environmental justice. 

Since 2009, the focus of the organization has been on building an 18-building green-designed campus in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala. We've used more than 500 tons of trash and over 16,000 tires in our construction so far! On the campus, we serve over 170 students from preK-11 who study a curriculum that integrates in project-based learning and the green building process to cultivate employability and democratic participation skills for a modern climate-stressed world. 

In addition to education, we train and employ local green builders who carry out our many green construction projects in Comalapa and throughout Guatemala and Latin America. This team is focused on completing the school’s campus, beginning construction on volunteer housing next to the campus, and completing a variety of partner projects in other areas of Guatemala. 

Position Summary:

Long Way Home is looking for a highly motivated, culturally aware, collaborative thinker. We are a small organization and therefore require a team of high-energy individuals, ready to serve our mission. The ideal candidate would combine their expertise with an attitude of positivity and curiosity to help us attain our vision. This position operates under moderate supervision to perform routine tasks to support our well-established volunteer/intern program. When volunteers are on campus, priority will be given to the volunteer’s needs and supervision. During low volunteer periods, the VPC will support the Outreach Coordinator in maintaining and generating new ideas for our outreach strategy for the Volunteer Program with the goal to communicate the impact of the volunteer program and drive recruitment of new group and individual volunteers.

For those aspiring to work with Long Way Home, we focus on offering an opportunity to work with a diverse group of talented and driven people to tackle systemic challenges at the local level. In Comalapa, you’ll collaborate in a space designed to inspire purposeful and positive action. Our campus boasts 500+ tons of repurposed waste across 18-buildings where: bamboo and adobe are featured more prominently than concrete, solar rays generate power, rainwater turns into drinking water, local art awaits around every corner, an incredible array of flowers and plants line every pathway, and terraced tire retaining walls lead you from one unique green designed building to another. 

Responsibilities: 

Communication/Recruitment - 50%

• Communication with volunteers/interns from the application process, through volunteer experience, and post-departure follow-up.

• Communicate, organize and manage logistics for volunteer/service groups

• Curate/maintain the organizational database for tracking relevant volunteer related information (i.e: evaluations, country of origin, recruitment avenues, etc.) and update databases with new contact information weekly.

• Maintain and seek out new opportunities for recruitment of new volunteers, interns and service groups, through online platforms, business partnerships, and partnerships with international and Guatemalan organizations.

• Report volunteer numbers and impact stories to the Outreach Committee weekly.

• Renew the volunteer alumni engagement program.

• Social Media Support - provide stories, photos, and videos of volunteer program to the Outreach Coordinator

• With the Development Director, research and submit for publishing or blogging opportunities.

Programming - 50%

• Provide support, supervision and training for volunteers and interns while in-country. Intern supervision will be shared with the NonProfit Development Coordinator.

• Maintain and lead an educational, ethical, productive, and safe learning environment on the green building worksite and off, utilizing organizational educational materials, curricula, and programming documents. Ideas to improve and expand all aforementioned items are encouraged.

• Work with in-country staff to support their interactions with volunteers, including supervision and/or assistance with volunteers working on a construction site.

• Maintain the environment of our volunteer house, an eco friendly community living space

The preceding functions have been provided as examples of the types of work performed by employees assigned to this position.  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed in this description are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

Qualifications:

• The ideal Volunteer Coordinator is someone who:

• loves detailed planning in order to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for participants.

• enjoys working with people, cheerful, approachable and patient

• thrives in an active and dynamic working environment - going from setting volunteers up on site in the morning to working through emails before lunch, to leading a town tour, to hopping on the green building site in the afternoon.

• has a passion for leading in diverse cultural, work, and education settings

• has knowledge of and a passion for decolonization pedagogies and multidisciplinary sustainable development models

• has experience fostering and/or participating in equitable intercultural exchange.

• Other requirements include:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience 

• Ability to multi-task, be detail oriented, and conduct logistical planning

• Program budgeting and management skills 

• Computer literacy: Gmail, Google Drive, Excel

• CPR certified and First Aid Training 

• Must be available to live in Comalapa (free housing provided) and be on-site when needed, which may include nights and weekends, depending on volunteer arrivals and departure schedules.

• Ability to communicate in both English and Spanish

• Must bring your own computer to work on.

Physical Demands:

• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs.

• Must be able to occasionally use power and hand tools (training provided)

• Must be able to walk up and down hills multiple times daily at 7,000 feet elevation.

Work Environment:

• With volunteers/in green building 60%. Office 40%.

• Living in a small town in Guatemala. 

• Maintaining a low-impact sustainable lifestyle.

• Shared housing with coworkers and/or volunteers.

Benefits

• $400/month stipend, increasing to $500 after 1 year of employment.

• Housing on-site in San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala

• 28 days paid time-off per year

To Apply, please send to amanda@lwhome.org:

• CV or Resume

• Statement of interest