Public Policy Institute of California

A HUGE thank you to the fabulous volunteers from the Public Policy Institute of California!! This past week 6 PPIC women spent a rather warm afternoon with us, prepping the International Studies Academy garden for it's first day of classes. Armed with shovels, rakes, and a pickaxe they transformed a huge unused area of the garden into a fantastic new growing space. We are so excited to have these additional beds for our students to utilize. This is the second time we have hosted volunteers from the PPIC and we hope they are able to come back soon.

If you are interested in bringing your group or organization out to the garden please contact us at helpout@urbansprouts.org

Fall Newsletter Hot off the Presses!

Read our Fall 2009 News by clicking here!

In this issue:

• New school family Farmers-in-Residence grow their own food
  
• Meet new staff Wendy, Adriani & Ami
• Learn to make Potato Towers from Wendy
  
• Get Adriani's Portobello mushroom burger recipe
• Read up on Ami's new site, Log Cabin Ranch
• All our generous donors & volunteers
• Photos & more!
  

Front Page News:
Urban Gardens to Feed School Families!

Urban Sprouts’ youth learn to love growing and eating healthy foods and begin to demand them in meals at school and at home. So what do you do if there IS NO affordable fresh produce for sale near your home?

This fall, twelve ‘Farmers-in-Residence,’ families from Urban Sprouts partner schools, will grow their own fresh, organic and healthy food right on school grounds . . .

Keep on reading here!

Support Urban Sprouts

Please join us for an evening of great food for a great cause.

Frjtz Fries in Hayes Valley has generously offered to host a fundraising night for our gardens on October 4th. From 4pm to 9pm a portion of all sales will be donated to Urban Sprouts.
Bring your friends, families, co-workers, all are welcome!

October 4th 2009
Frjtz Fries
581 Hayes Street (at Laguna)
4:00pm-9:00pm
Hope to see you there!

For more information please click here

Job Opening: Operations Manager

Position: Operations Manager
Classification: Part Time – 15 to 20 hours a week
Location: Hayes Valley, San Francisco, California
Reports To: Executive Director



The Organization
By cultivating school gardens in San Francisco’s under-served neighborhoods, Urban Sprouts partners with youth and their families to build eco-literacy, equity, wellness, and community. Our gardens help students become more engaged in school and connect with food, the environment and each other.

Summary
Urban Sprouts seeks an Operations Manger to assist the Executive Director in the areas of general administration, finance, and some development support. These responsibilities will be complemented by our fiscal sponsor’s accounting and administrative staff. For this reason, an advanced level of experience in bookkeeping is not necessary; a fast-learner with 3-5 years of experience in an administrative or financial role in a nonprofit organization is sought.

Responsibilities:
• Administer staff expense reimbursement in accordance with program budgets
• Maintain effective systems for documentation and filing of financial records
• Track all income and expenses in QuickBooks. Reconcile with fiscal sponsor’s books on a monthly basis
• Prepare quarterly reports for board and staff
• Complete invoicing for local and state government contracts
• Oversee budget for each program and school site
• Work with Executive Director to develop annual budget
• Manage fundraising and donations processes (processing donations, sending thank yous, pledge reminders and maintain Salesforce database)
• Assist in planning of Fundraising events and other fundraising activities as needed
• Other special projects as they arise
• Manage general public inquires to Urban Sprouts via phone and email

Requirements:
• At least 3-5 years experience in an administrative or financial role in a nonprofit organization
• Bachelor’s degree
• Knowledge of QuickBooks and Salesforce or similar accounting and contact management database
• Interest in issues related to youth, urban gardening, local food, social justice, urban schools, and the environment
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong computer skills, organizational and project management skills must be demonstrated
• Strong skills in interpersonal communication, collaboration, and emotional intelligence
• Ability to work independently, flexible, detail-oriented, strives for excellence, creative thinker

This position involves coordination with staff and outside parties such as funders, and requires strong communication skills and the ability to work independently and learn quickly. A successful candidate will be highly detail oriented. We are a small non-profit, so the ability to be flexible and pick up occasional tasks outside of the core job description is important.

This is a part-time position working 15-20 hours per week, $47,000-52,000 FTE, depending on experience, and includes health and vacation/sick benefits.

To Apply:
Please send a resume, cover letter and contact information for three references, via email to Abby Jaramillo, Executive Director, at abby AT urbansprouts DOT org.

Position open until filled; date of original listing 11/10/09. No phone calls please.